Tom Purtzer

JOINED TOUR

• PGA TOUR: 1975
• PGA TOUR Champions: 2001

PGA TOUR Victories (5)

• 1977 Glen Campbell-Los Angeles Open
• 1984 Phoenix Open
• 1988 Gatlin Brothers-Southwest Golf Classic
• 1991 Southwestern Bell Colonial, NEC World Series of Golf

PGA TOUR Champions Victories (4)

• 2003 SBC Classic
• 2004 Toshiba Senior Classic
• 2005 3M Championship
• 2007 AT&T Champions Classic

International Victories (1)

• 2005 Australian PGA Seniors

Additional Victories (4)

• 1986 JCPenney Classic [with Juli Inkster]
• 1991 Shark Shootout [with Lanny Wadkins]
• 1993 Fred Meyer Challenge [with Steve Elkington]
• 1996 JCPenney Classic [with Juli Inkster]

PLAYOFF RECORD

PGA TOUR (2-0)

• 1988 Defeated Mark Brooks, Gatlin Brothers-Southwest Golf Classic
• 1991 Defeated Jim Gallagher, Jr., Davis Love III, NEC World Series of Golf

PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS (1-1)

• 2005 Lost to Mark McNulty, Don Pooley, Bank of America Championship
• 2007 Defeated Loren Roberts, AT&T Champions Classic

National Teams

• 1991 Four Tours Championship
• 1979 (medalist) ABC Japan vs USA Golf Matches

Personal

• Has been described as having "sweetest" swing on TOUR.
• Brother Paul played PGA TOUR in 1970s and early 1980s.
• Close friend of former Milwaukee Brewer star and Hall of Famer Robin Yount as well as country singer Vince Gill.
• Lists the births of his kids as his biggest thrill outside of golf.
• Favorite golf course is Riviera CC near Los Angeles.
• Enjoys Mexican food.

Special Interests

• All sports, music, auto racing, muscle cars

Career Highlights

2016 Season

Played in 16 events during the year.

• Bass Pro Shops Legends of Golf at Big Cedar Lodge: Was T35 at the Bass Pro Shops Legends of Golf with teammate D.A. Weibring.

2015 Season

Played in just 16 events during the season.

• Dick's Sporting Goods Open: Best finish was a T54 at the Dick's Sporting Goods Open.

2014 Season

Made 19 starts, with one top-25 finish.

• Big Cedar Lodge Legends of Golf presented by Bass Pro Shops: Teamed with Mark Brooks for a T17 in the Champions Division at the Big Cedar Lodge Legends of Golf in June.

2013 Season

Posted just one top-10 finish in 19 appearances.

• Liberty Mutual Insurance Legends of Golf: Teamed with Brad Bryant for a T4 finish at the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf in April in Savannah. The pair was among the leaders on the weekend after rounds of 65-64.

2012 Season

Inducted into the Arizona Golf Hall of Fame in November 2012.

• Liberty Mutual Insurance Legends of Golf: Lone top-10 effort among 20 starts was a T3 at the Liberty Mutual Insurance Legends of Golf. Teamed with Brad Bryant for a better-ball score of 27-under 189, with the duo holding sole possession of the first-round lead.

2011 Season

Two best outings among his 19 starts came in his first two tournaments of the season in Florida. Ranked among the Champions Tour's top 10 in Greens In Regulation (T6) for the fourth time in the last five years.

• Songdo IBD Championship Presented by Korean Air: Late in the campaign, he made the trip to South Korea and was T16 at the Songdo IBD Championship.
• The ACE Group Classic: Followed with a T12 a week later at The ACE Group Classic, thanks to a final-round 66, his low stroke-play score of the year.
• Allianz Championship: Was T11 in his initial event, at the Allianz Championship.

2010 Season

Had just two top-25 performances, with both coming during the summer. Finished outside the top 50 on the single-season money list for the first time as a Champions Tour member.

• JELD-WEN Tradition: Was T9 through two rounds of the JELD-WEN Tradition, but rounds of 72-73 on the weekend at Crosswater dropped him back into a T25.
• Montreal Championship: Was among the first-round leaders at the Montreal Championship after a 66 Friday. Eventually finished T20 in the inaugural event in Canada.

2009 Season

• AT&T Champions Classic: Was one stroke off the lead after 18 holes at the AT&T Champions Classic and eventually ended T8 at Valencia, his seventh overall top-10 in that event.

2008 Season

Claimed the Driving Distance title for the fourth time and second year in succession, averaging 295.5 yards per tee shot.

• Principal Charity Classic: Was among the leaders throughout much of the final round at The Principal Charity Classic before he finished bogey-double bogey to drop to T5.
• MasterCard Championship at Hualalai: Got his year off to a flying start when he was the first-round leader at the season-opening event, thanks to a 10-under 62. Eventually finished fifth at the MasterCard Championship at Hualalai.

2007 Season

Had an unusual statistical double, leading the Champions Tour in both Driving Distance (297.6 yards per drive) as well as Greens in Regulation (76.24 percent). Also paced all players with 17 eagles and had the longest-measured drive during the season, a 383-yard effort on the 10th hole in the opening round of the MasterCard Championship at Hualalai.

• AT&T Champions Classic: Won for the first time since the 2005 3M Championship when he defeated Loren Roberts on the fourth hole of a playoff at the AT&T Champions Classic at Valencia CC in Valencia, Calif. Rolled in a 17-foot birdie putt on the fourth hole to end the longest playoff on the Champions Tour since the 2002 Lightpath Long Island Classic. His win was the second at the tournament after also prevailing in 2003.
• Turtle Bay Championship: Early in the season, finished T2 at the Turtle Bay Championship, where he improved his score by two strokes each day.

2006 Season

• Administaff Small Business Classic: Best finish of the season was T2 at the rain-shortened Administaff Small Business Classic. Shared the first-round lead with Jay Haas and Dick Mast, thanks to a 7-under 65, but then found himself five strokes back of Haas despite posting a 68 Saturday. Was unable to make a run at Haas on Sunday when afternoon rains in Houston rendered the Augusta Pines course unplayable.

2005 Season

The second of three players to go wire-to-wire for a victory during the year, joining Ron Streck and Bob Gilder.

• SBC Championship: Also finished second late in the year at the SBC Championship in San Antonio. Was T41 after opening with a 1-over 72, but rallied on the weekend at Oak Hills with rounds of 66-63. His 13-under 129 total equaled Champions Tour-best for last 36 holes in 2005.
• 3M Championship: Claimed his third career Champions Tour victory at the 3M Championship, the first time in his career he led an event from start to finish. Opened with a 9-under-par 63 that included his second hole-in-one on the Champions Tour. Made a 7-foot par putt on the last hole to avoid overtime with Craig Stadler and Lonnie Nielsen. First-place check of $262,500 was his largest ever. Victory in Minnesota avenged misfortunes of two previous years where he was the 36-hole leader and did not win.
• Bank of America Championship: Came close to winning in late June at the Bank of America Championship. Was one of three players in a playoff (Don Pooley and Mark McNulty), but fell short when McNulty made birdie on the second extra hole after Pooley was eliminated with a bogey on the first hole. Got himself in overtime when he birdied the final hole in regulation.
• Bank of America Colonial: As a former champion, played at the Bank of America Colonial on the PGA TOUR and finished T21, helped in large part by a final-round, 6-under-par 64, tying him for low score of the day.
• Australian PGA Seniors: Took advantage of the month-long Champions Tour break in April and claimed the Australian PGA Seniors title by five strokes. Had originally made the trip to Australia to visit his daughter Ashley who was attending Sydney University as an exchange student.

2004 Season

Back problems (sliding disc in lower back) troubled him for most of the season. Champions Tour Player of the Month in March.

• Bank of America Championship: Was the 18- and 36-hole leader at the Bank of America Championship, but eventually T2 near Boston, four strokes behind Craig Stadler, after posting an even-par 72 Sunday.
• Toshiba Senior Classic: Tied the Champions Tour's all-time record and set a course record with an 11-under 60 (nine birdies and an eagle) in the first round of the Toshiba Senior Classic before going on to win at Newport Beach CC by one stroke over Morris Hatalsky. Used birdies on two of the last four holes to secure the Toshiba victory, his second title on the Champions Tour.

2003 Season

• SBC Classic: Earned his first Champions Tour victory when he drained an eagle putt of 58 feet, 3 inches to edge Gil Morgan by one stroke at the SBC Classic. Came to the final hole trailing Morgan by two strokes, but became the first player to make an eagle on the final hole and win an event since Sammy Rachels did so at the 2001 Transamerica. Had a hole-in-one in the opening round, the first player to do so and win the event since Bob Gilder at the 2002 Kroger Senior Classic.

2002 Season

Official earnings of $760,056 topped his best year on the PGA TOUR ($750,568 in 1991).

• SBC Senior Classic: Best performance of the season was a T3 at the SBC Senior Classic near Los Angeles in early March. Was the first-round leader at Valencia CC and one of just two players to break par, after carding a 2-under 70 in cool, windy conditions Friday.
• Royal Caribbean Classic: Debuted on the Champions Tour at the Royal Caribbean Classic and T7. It was his first top 10 since finishing T4 at the 1998 Walt Disney World Classic on the PGA TOUR.

1991 Season

Five TOUR victories in 25-year career included two in 1991. Also played for the PGA TOUR in the Four Tours Championship.

• NEC World Series of Golf: NEC World Series of Golf win that season earned him a 10-year exemption that expired when he turned 50.
• Southwestern Bell Colonial: Made up four-stroke deficit at 1991 Southwestern Bell Colonial with closing 64, good for three-stroke victory.

1988 Season

• Gatlin Brothers-Southwest Golf Classic: Won the 1988 Gatlin Brothers-Southwest Classic.

1984 Season

• Phoenix Open: Won the 1984 Phoenix Open.

1979 Season

• ABC Japan vs USA Golf Matches: Was the medalist in the 1979 U.S. vs. Japan event.

1977 Season

• Glen Campbell-Los Angeles Open: Won first TOUR title at Riviera in 1977 at the Glen Campbell-Los Angeles Open, edging Lanny Wadkins by a shot.

Amateur Highlights

• Second-team All-America choice in 1973 when playing for Arizona State.

Q SCHOOL GRADUATE

• PGA TOUR: 1975