Scott Verplank

Early years and amateur career

Verplank was born and raised in Dallas, Texas. He was a leading member of the W.T. White High School Golf Team and a regular at Brookhaven Country Club in Dallas. While attending Oklahoma State University, he won the 1985 Western Open, becoming the first amateur to win a PGA Tour event since Doug Sanders won the 1956 Canadian Open. While at Oklahoma State, Verplank was a member of the 1983 NCAA Championship team finishing T3 alongside teammates Tommy Moore, Willie Wood, Andy Dillard, and Philip Walton. He went on later to win the 1984 U.S. Amateur at the Oak Tree Golf Club, and in 1986, win the NCAA individual title.

Professional career

Verplank graduated and turned professional in 1986. He earned five wins on the PGA Tour, and two Ryder Cup appearances, in 2002 and 2006. He has diabetes and was awarded the 2002 Ben Hogan Award, given by the Golf Writers Association of America to an individual who has continued to be active in golf despite a physical handicap or serious illness. Verplank uses an insulin pump during play. He has featured in the top 20 of the Official World Golf Rankings, going as high as 11th in 2001.

He hit a hole-in-one on the 14th hole during a singles match against Pádraig Harrington at the 2006 Ryder Cup. The shot did not impact the overall result, however, as Europe had already won the trophy. Nonetheless, he was the first American player to achieve a hole-in-one during the Ryder Cup. His Ryder Cup record is 4 wins and 1 loss.

Verplank's most recent win was the 2007 EDS Byron Nelson Championship, in which he defeated Luke Donald by one stroke. Verplank called the EDS Byron Nelson Championship "a fifth major", and also mentioned that "Byron was with me today" (the 2007 tournament was the first held after Nelson's death). His best finish in a major championship was a T-4 at the 2011 PGA Championship.

In December 2010, Verplank was named a 2011 winner of the NCAA Silver Anniversary Award, given annually to six former NCAA student-athletes for distinguished career accomplishment on the 25th anniversary of their college graduation.

Verplank competed in the 2011 Arnold Palmer Invitational finishing T38 and then the following week at the Shell Houston Open in which Verplank finished T2 behind Phil Mickelson. Verplank had held a joint 54-hole lead with Mickelson and even held the lead on his own at a number of stages during the final round, however his lack of competitive golf proved costly throughout the final few holes and he was unable to close out the victory. This was his best finish on tour in 18 months since finishing T2 at the Deutsche Bank Championship in 2009. Verplank has amassed over $27 million in career earnings.

Verplank played the 2013 season on a Major Medical Extension after hip and wrist injuries in 2012. He started the 2014 season in a similar fashion, but was not able to satisfy the medical exemption and used his career money list exemption for the remainder of the season. Verplank turned 50 in July 2014 and made his Champions Tour debut at the U.S. Senior Open.

Amateur wins (7)

PGA Tour wins (5)

PGA Tour playoff record (2–4)

Other wins (2)

Results in major championships

LA = Low amateur
CUT = missed the half-way cut
WD = withdrew
"T" = tied

Summary

Results in World Golf Championship events

¹Cancelled due to September 11, 2001 attacks
DNP = Did not play
QF, R16, R32, R64 = Round in which player lost in match play
"T" = Tied
NT = No tournament
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10.
Note that the HSBC Champions did not become a WGC event until 2009.

U.S. national team appearances

Amateur

Professional