Michael Putnam

Exempt status

• Korn Ferry Tour: Past Champion (thru 2020)

JOINED TOUR

• PGA TOUR: 2006
• Korn Ferry Tour: 2006

Korn Ferry Tour Victories (3)

• 2010 Utah Championship Presented by Utah Sports Commission
• 2013 Mexico Championship Presented by Banamex, Mid-Atlantic Championship

PLAYOFF RECORD

KORN FERRY TOUR (0-1)

• 2006 Lost to Darron Stiles, Rheem Classic Pres'd by Times Record

National Teams

• 2005 Palmer Cup
• 2005 Walker Cup

Personal

• Interests include basketball, where he was first-team all-Washington as a high school senior.
• Grew up playing junior golf with player Andres Gonzales in Washington and is 16 days younger than Gonazles.
• Brother Andrew, a PGA TOUR player, earned his first TOUR card for the 2014-15 season. Another brother, Joel, is his full-time caddie. The last time two brothers were members at the same time on TOUR was in 2004 when Brenden Pappas played 34 events and Deane Pappas played 22 events.

Special Interests

• Basketball

Career Highlights

2017 Season

Finished the Regular Season at No. 146 on the money list. Recorded one top-25 finish in nine starts.

• Lincoln Land Charity Championship: T23 at the Lincoln Land Charity Championship.

2016 Season

Playing out of the 126-150 category, was limited to seven starts due to injury. Playing out of the Non-Exempt Minor Medical Extension category in 2016-17, will have six events to earn 424 FedExCup points or $652,290 to move into top 125 category for the remainder of the season.

• Sanderson Farms Championship: Missed six of seven cuts, best finish being T15 at the Sanderson Farms Championship.

2015 Season

Made 16 of 28 PGA TOUR cuts. Had no top-10s to finish No. 138 in the FedExCup standings. Made all four starts in the Korn Ferry Tour Finals in an attempt to improve his status but finished No. 57 on that money list.

• Humana Challenge in partnership with the Clinton Foundation: Held sole possession of the lead after 18 holes of the Humana Challenge. Took a share of the 54-hole lead before finishing T15 at La Quinta.
• OHL Classic at Mayakoba: Held a one-shot lead after the second round at the OHL Classic at Mayakoba before weekend rounds of 77-73 dropped him to T51.

2014 Season

Made 23 of 30 cuts, with his first top-10 TOUR finish since the 2005 season.

• Deutsche Bank Championship: Season ended after he posted a T50 at the Deutsche Bank Championship.
• The Barclays: Advanced to his first FedExCup Playoffs, where he missed the cut at The Barclays.
• RBC Canadian Open: Finished T4 at the RBC Canadian Open, just his second top-10 in 88 PGA TOUR starts (T4 at the 2005 Buick Championship was the other). Opened with a 6-under 64 at Royal Montreal GC to share the opening-round lead with Tim Petrovic.

2013 Season

Was named 2013 Korn Ferry Tour Player of the Year by his peers. Ended the season as one of four multiple winners (two wins) on Tour and made the cut in 19 of 23 starts. Also had one second- and one third-place finish during the season, which saw him earn a cumulative $515,184, the third-best total in Tour history. Finished with nine top 10s and 14 top 25s, first on Tour in both categories. With a T12 finish at the Cox Classic, wrapped up the Korn Ferry Tour Regular Season money title, with $450,184 in earnings, ensuring him fully exempt PGA TOUR status in 2013-14 and a PLAYERS Championship invite. Was 2nd in Greens in Regulation Percentage (74.31), T3 in Scoring Average (69.22) and 6th in All-Around Ranking.

• Web.com Tour Championship: Ended the year with a T62 at the Web.com Tour Championship.
• Chiquita Classic: Followed it with a T14 at the Chiquita Classic.
• Hotel Fitness Championship: Carried Regular Season momentum into the Korn Ferry Tour Finals, with a T7 at the first Finals' event, the Hotel Fitness Championship. Set a tournament-course record with a 63 Friday that was matched by Kevin Kisner (third round) and Ryan Spears (final round).
• Cox Classic Presented by Lexus of Omaha: Contended for the Cox title, shooting 66-65 in second and third rounds despite dealing with the flu. Posted a 72 Sunday.
• Albertsons Boise Open Presented by Kraft: Finished T3 at the Albertsons Boise Open. Fired a final-round 63 but his 22-under total came up one stroke shy of joining a playoff at Hillcrest CC, where he was T2 a year earlier. Payday pushed his season total past the $430,000 mark and increased his lead on the money list over No. 2 Loar to more than $130,000 with only four events left on the Regular Season schedule.
• Mid-Atlantic Championship: Collected his second victory of the year one week later, at the Mid-Atlantic Championship outside Washington, D.C. Shared the 54-hole lead at TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm and fired a 2-under 68 to win by two over rookie Chesson Hadley. Birdied three of his first six holes in the final round to pull away from his nearest challengers. Made the turn with a four-stroke lead and was steady on the back nine, never allowing anyone closer than the final margin. Became only the eighth player in Tour history to win in consecutive weeks. Cemented his spot at the top of the money list, increasing his lead over No. 2 Edward Loar to more than $132,000. Moved into contention with a 6-under 64 in the second round and then held steady in the third round, with an even-par 70 that gained him a tie at the top. Turned 30 that Saturday but said he wanted to hold off any celebration until, hopefully, Sunday.
• Mexico Championship Presented by Banamex: Earned his first win of the year and second career victory win with a two-stroke victory at the Mexico Championship in late May. Was four strokes off the lead after 54 holes in Leon. Fired a final-round, 6-under 66 to finish at 13-under 275. Opened with a 64 to take the first-round lead. Picked up a check for $126,000 and moved from No. 11 to No. 1 on the money list after 10 (of 21) Regular Season events.
• Stadion Classic at UGA: Made it four top-10s in five weeks when he finished T5 the following week at the rain-shortened Stadion Classic at UGA.
• South Georgia Classic Presented by First State Bank and Trust Company: At the South Georgia Classic, was T2, winding up four shots back of winner Will Wilcox. Rolled in a birdie putt on the final hole to claim second at Kinderlou Forest GC. His third top-10 in four weeks moved him to No. 10 on the money list.
• Brasil Classic Presented by HSBC: Finished T10 at the Brasil Classic, thanks to a 7-under 64 in the final round at the Sao Paulo GC.
• Shell Houston Open: Missed the cut in his lone PGA TOUR start, at the Shell Houston Open.
• Chitimacha Louisiana Open: Finished T6 at the Chitimacha Louisiana Open. Third-round 64 at Le Triomphe CC got him within shouting distance of the leaders, but a 3-under 68 on the final day left him five behind winner Loar.

2012 Season

Made the cut in 12 of 19 Korn Ferry Tour starts and ended the year No. 29 on the money list, thanks to a pair of runner-up finishes. Played the first part of the PGA TOUR season on a Major Medical Extension. Had four events to earn $269,76 but missed the cut in all four starts. Hovered near the top 25 on the money list for the final two months but was never able to get higher than No. 26 before closing the year at No. 29.

• Albertsons Boise Open Presented by Kraft: Was T2 at the Albertsons Boise Open after sharing the first-round lead with a 9-under 62 at Hillcrest CC. Set a 36-hole tournament record of 127 and led by two after two days. Set the 54-hole tournament record of 18-under with his 3-under 68 on day three. Struggled on the greens in the final round and needed 35 putts to complete an even-par 71.
• Utah Championship Presented by Utah Sports Commission: Took a four-stroke lead into the final round of the Utah Championship, looking to win the tournament for a second time in three years. After shooting a Saturday 63, he struggled to a final-round 74 that left him T2, a stroke behind winner Doug LaBelle II.
• TPC Stonebrae Championship: Opened with rounds of 66-68-69 at the TPC Stonebrae Championship. Shot a final-round, 1-over 71 to drop to T9.

2011 Season

Will play on the PGA TOUR with a Major Medical Extension in 2012. Will have four events to earn $269.766 in 2012. His season came to an abrupt halt at the Reno-Tahoe Open when he had an MRI that revealed a fracture of a bone in his left wrist. The injury occurred in June while he was practicing. Before the injury, he matched his PGA TOUR career total of top-25 finishes, with four.

• John Deere Classic: His best showing was a T12 at the John Deere Classic, where he posted four sub-par rounds for just the second time of the year.
• U.S. Open: Qualified for the U.S. Open then made the most of his opportuntity, making the cut and eventually T45 at Congressional CC.
• Chitimacha Louisiana Open: In his only Korn Ferry Tour, finished T9 at the Chitimacha Louisiana Open.

2010 Season

Played in 22 events in 2010, posting four top-10 finishes and won for the first time in his career. Made the cut in his final 12 starts and punched his ticket back to the PGA TOUR by finishing No. 24 on the final money list.

• Utah Championship Presented by Utah Sports Commission: Earned his first career win with a three-stroke victory at the Utah Championship in September. Fired a 4-under 67 in the final round at Willow Creek CC to beat Jhonattan Vegas and Bradley Iles. Held the second-round lead and entered the final day trailing Iles by one. Moved into the lead with birdies at Nos. 5, 6, 7 and 9 to reach 18-under par. Played the final nine holes at even-par and collected the first-place check of $99,000 to move from No. 47 to No. 15 on the money list. Led the field in the Putting for the week.
• Chiquita Classic: Recorded his third top-10 three starts later at the Chiquita Classic. Entered the weekend tied for 40th but carded back-to-back 66s on the weekend to jump to T10.
• Fort Smith Classic: Finished T3 at the Fort Smith Classic in Arkansas where he finished four back of winner Chris Kirk.
• South Georgia Classic Pres'd by First State Bank and Trust Company: Made his first cut in his third start of the year, at the South Georgia Classic, where he finished T5.
• Farmers Insurance Open: Made his first PGA TOUR cut since the 2007 Ginn sur Mer Classic when he qualified for the Farmers Insurance Open near San Diego; finished T37.

2009 Season

Made 17 cuts in 27 Korn Ferry Tour starts Tour but had only one top-10 finish and ended the season No. 73 on the money list. Led the Tour in Total Eagles. He had 22, three more than anyone else.

• Nationwide Tour Players Cup: Earned his only top-10 of the season at the Korn Ferry Tour Players Cup, where he finished T7.

2008 Season

Made the cut in 18 of 27 starts, with three top-10 finishes.

• Albertsons Boise Open Pres'd by Kraft: Held the first-round lead at the Albertsons Boise Open, where he also T6.
• Nationwide Children's Hospital Invitational: Had a T6 at the Nationwide Children's Hospital Invitational.
• Athens Regional Foundation Classic: Was T7 at the Athens Regional Foundation Classic, where he shared the first-round lead with four others.

2007 Season

During his rookie season on the PGA TOUR, he made the cut in 19 of 27 starts and finished No. 158 on the money list, with $422,359.

• Buick Invitational: Finished T16 at the Buick Invitational for the best of his two top-25 finishes.

2006 Season

Set up his rookie PGA TOUR season after finishing 17th on the Korn Ferry Tour money list in his first season on that Tour. Posted 10 top-25s, including two seconds and two thirds.

• Utah Energy Solutions Championship: Second runner-up finish came in dramatic fashion at the Utah EnergySolutions Championship. Coming off of a double bogey on the par-4 eighth hole during the final round, stood 1-over on the day and just 6-under for the tournament. Played the final 10 holes 9-under–including an 8-under 29 on the par-37 back nine–just one shy of the Tour's lowest nine-hole score in relation to par set by Notah Begay III (9-under 27) at the 1999 Dominion Open.
• Cox Classic Presented by Chevrolet: T3 at the Cox Classic.
• The Rex Hospital Open: T3 at The Rex Hospital Open.
• Rheem Classic Pres'd by Times Record: Came to the 72nd hole of the Rheem Classic with a one-stroke lead over Darron Stiles, but an ensuing bogey led to the extra session, eventually won by Stiles with a par on the first extra hole.

2005 Season

Made three cuts in five appearances on the PGA TOUR.

• Buick Championship: In first start as a professional as a sponsor's exemption, finished T4 at the Buick Championship, including a final-round 63.

Amateur Highlights

• First career PGA TOUR start came as an amateur in June 2005, missing the cut at the U.S. Open at Pinehurst.
• Finished second at the 2005 NCAA Men's Golf Championships, losing a playoff on the third extra hole to the University of Washington's James Lepp. Named a first-team All-American by the Golf Coaches Association of America. Four-year letterman earned All-Am
• Was the 2004-05 Student Athlete of the Year for the West Coast Conference.
• After graduation, represented the U.S. on victorious Palmer Cup and Walker Cup squads.

Q SCHOOL GRADUATE

• PGA TOUR: 2010