Craig Stadler

JOINED TOUR

• PGA TOUR Champions: 2003

PGA TOUR Victories (13)

• 1978 Magnolia Classic
• 1980 Bob Hope Desert Classic, Greater Greensboro Open
• 1981 Kemper Open
• 1982 Joe Garagiola-Tucson Open, Masters Tournament, Kemper Open, World Series of Golf
• 1984 Byron Nelson Golf Classic
• 1991 THE TOUR Championship
• 1992 NEC World Series of Golf
• 1994 Buick Invitational of California
• 1996 Nissan Open
• 2003 B.C. Open

PGA TOUR Champions Victories (9)

• 2003 Ford Senior Players Championship, Greater Hickory Classic at Rock Barn, SBC Championship
• 2004 The ACE Group Classic, Bank of America Championship, JELD-WEN Tradition, The First Tee Open at Pebble Beach presented by Wal-Mart, SAS Championship presented by Forbes
• 2013 Encompass Championship

International Victories (4)

• 1985 Canon European Masters
• 1987 Dunlop Phoenix
• 1990 Scandinavian Enterprise Open
• 1991 Argentine Open

Additional Victories (4)

• 1978 Magnolia State Classic
• 1999 Champions Challenge [with Kevin Stadler]
• 2002 Office Depot Father/Son Challenge [with Kevin]
• 2005 Wendy's 3-Tour Challenge [with Hale Irwin, Jay Haas]

PLAYOFF RECORD

PGA TOUR (3-3)

• 1982 Defeated Dan Pohl, Masters Tournament
• 1982 Defeated Raymond Floyd, World Series of Golf
• 1985 Lost to Lanny Wadkins, Bob Hope Classic
• 1987 Lost to Corey Pavin, Hawaiian Open
• 1991 Defeated Russ Cochran, THE TOUR Championship
• 2000 Lost to Robert Allenby, Shell Houston Open

PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS (1-2)

• 2004 Defeated Gary Koch, Tom Watson, The ACE Group Classic
• 2007 Lost to R.W. Eaks, David Eger, Gil Morgan, Naomichi Ozaki, Dana Quigley, Denis Watson, Boeing Classic
• 2009 Lost to Bernhard Langer, Jeff Sluman, Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf

Personal

• Nicknamed "The Walrus" and is one of golf's most colorful and popular personalities.
• A La Jolla, California native, Craig and his wife, Jan, now reside in Evergreen, Colo.
• Won the 1970 Junior World Championship and the 1973 U.S. Amateur Championship.
• Oldest son Kevin turned professional and won the 2002 Colorado Open in a playoff with his father as his caddie.
• Younger son, Chris, played college football at Lake Forest College in Illinois and served as his dad's caddie when he won the 2003 B.C. Open.
• Got started in golf at age four by his father.
• In 2014, after Kevin won the Waste Management Phoenix Open, they became the first father and son to play the Masters together.
• Has been inducted into the 1996 San Diego Breithard Hall of Fame, the 1999 University of Southern California Athletic Hall of Fame, the 2012 Argentine Golf Association Hall of Fame and the 2014 Southern California Golf Association Hall of Fame.
• Principal charities include the Edith Sanford Breast Cancer Research Foundation, Men for the Cure benefiting the Breast Cancer Foundation at the University of Colorado, The Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation of Toronto Canada.
• Also supports three principal causes involving the military. They are War Fighter Sports/Disabled Sports USA, an organization that offers sports rehabilitation programs in military hospitals and communities across the U.S., as well as Folds of Honor and Birdies for the Brave.

Special Interests

• Hunting, fishing, outdoors

Career Highlights

2004 Season

Was voted by his peers as the Champions Tour Player of the Year after a career-best five victories, the most wins by any player in a single season since Larry Nelson in 2001. Played in two PGA TOUR events in Hawaii prior to the Champions Tour's opening tournament, the MasterCard Classic. Played in 21 Champions Tour events and collected a season-high five victories. Became the first player since Gil Morgan to win three consecutive starts on the Champions Tour and posted his fifth victory in the process, the first player to win that many events since Larry Nelson in 2001. Also topped the Champions Tour earnings list for 2004 and received the Arnold Palmer Award as the circuit's leading money-winner, with a personal-best $2,306,606, the 10th-highest money total ever.

• B.C. Open: Was T21 in defense of his title at the B.C. Open in July.
• Bank of America Championship: Rallied from four strokes back on the final day to win the Bank of America Championship near Boston by four shots. Win became extra special when son Kevin claimed the Lake Erie Charity Classic on the Nationwide Tour in a four-hole playoff just an hour later. It marked the second time a father and son won on the same day in TOUR-sponsored events (David Duval/Bob Duval on 3/28/1999).
• THE PLAYERS Championship: Made an appearance at THE PLAYERS Championship, where he made the cut and finished T66.
• The ACE Group Classic: Started the Champions Tour year by winning The ACE Group Classic in Naples.
• AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am: Also played in the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am with his son Kevin and finished T35.
• Mercedes Championships: Was T28 at the Mercedes Championships and then missed the cut at the Sony Open in Hawaii.

2003 Season

Split year between TOUR and Champions Tour, where he gained eligibility in June. Made the cut in four of 10 events on TOUR but made the most of them with his 13th TOUR victory at the B.C. Open. Won three times on the Champions Tour and had seven top-10s in 14 starts, and was voted Champions Tour Rookie of the Year.

• B.C. Open: Fresh from his victory the week before at the Ford Senior Players Championship on the Champions Tour, Stadler came from eight strokes back on the final day to win the B.C. Open. He became just the second player in TOUR history to win both a PGA TOUR and Champions Tour event in the same season, joining Raymond Floyd who won the Doral Ryder Open at age 49 and the GTE North Classic at 50 in 1992. At the age of 50 years, 1 month and 18 days he became the fifth-oldest player to win on the TOUR and the first player over the age of 50 to win since Art Wall won the 1975 Greater Milwaukee Open at the age of 51 years, 7 months and 10 days. With the win he collected $540,000, the largest of his professional career. His previous best was $375,000 the week before at the Ford Senior Players Championship. Stadler posted four rounds in the 60s in a single TOUR event for the first time since the 1995 B.C. Open when he finished T3. It was a family affair for the Stadlers at the B.C. Open. His older son, Kevin, was playing on a sponsor exemption and missed the cut by one and younger son Chris served as his father's caddie.

2002 Season

• B.C. Open: Played with son Kevin for the first time in an official TOUR event at the B.C. Open. T50 at 6-under-par but Kevin missed cut by seven strokes.
• THE PLAYERS Championship: Used a 7-iron from 185 yards to ace No. 13 during the third round of THE PLAYERS Championship.

2001 Season

Finished outside the Top 100 for first time in his career.

• Shell Houston Open: Used long putter for first time in career at the Shell Houston Open.

2000 Season

His $631,752 season earnings are the most he has won in a single year since 1991 when he made a career-best $827,628. Came into the season 50 pounds lighter than in 1999.

• Shell Houston Open: Nearly won for the first time since the 1996 Nissan Open when he lost in a playoff on the fourth extra hole to Robert Allenby at the Shell Houston Open. One of six top-10s that year.

1999 Season

Played in only 17 events, the fewest since he joined the TOUR in the spring of 1976.

• AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am: Posted third-place finish at AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.

1997 Season

• Nissan Open: Posted three top-5s starting with a second-place finish at Nissan Open.
• Buick Invitational: Placed T2 at Buick Invitational.
• AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am: Finished T5 at AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.

1996 Season

• Nissan Open: Used front-nine 30 en route to Sunday 68 for one-stroke victory at Nissan Los Angeles Open.

1994 Season

• Buick Invitational of California: Defeated Steve Lowery by a stroke at Buick Invitational of California.

1992 Season

• NEC World Series of Golf: Captured NEC World Series of Golf, 10 years after winning same event, by one stroke over Corey Pavin.

1991 Season

• THE TOUR Championship: Finished second on money list after winning THE TOUR Championship at Pinehurst No. 2 in playoff with Russ Cochran, his first victory in seven years.

1985 Season

Finished runner-up a career-high three times.

• Byron Nelson Golf Classic: Won Byron Nelson Classic by a stroke over David Edwards.
• Greater Greensboro Open: Placed T2 at Greater Greensboro Open.
• Hawaiian Open: Finished one behind Mark O'Meara at Hawaiian Open.
• Bob Hope Classic: Lost playoff to Lanny Wadkins on fifth extra hole at Bob Hope Classic.

1982 Season

TOUR's leading money-winner, when he won four times.

• World Series of Golf: Made up five strokes with closing 65 at World Series of Golf, then defeated Raymond Floyd in playoff.
• Kemper Open: Scored seven-stroke victory over Seve Ballesteros at Kemper Open.
• Masters Tournament: After opening 75, won Masters in playoff over Dan Pohl.
• Joe Garagiola-Tucson Open: Captured season-opening Joe Garagiola Tucson Open by three strokes over Vance Heafner and John Mahaffey.

1981 Season

• Kemper Open: Earned six-stroke victory at The Kemper Open.

1980 Season

• Greater Greensboro Open: Won Greater Greensboro Open by six strokes.
• Bob Hope Desert Classic: First of 12 TOUR victories came at season-opening Bob Hope Desert Classic.

Amateur Highlights

• Two-time All-America at University of Southern California.
• Defeated David Strawn to win the 1973 U.S. Amateur at Inverness.