Ted Potter, Jr

Early life

Potter was born in Ocala, Florida. He began to play golf at a very early age. His father made him a custom set of clubs as soon as he could grip a golf club. His father, Ted Potter, Sr. who is a golf course maintenance professional and low-handicap golfer, was his chief instructor of the game. Ted Potter, Jr. would go on to dominate Florida youth golfing tours. His success continued through his high school career. He won all-district honors three times in high school. He graduated in 2002 from Lake Weir High School in southeastern Marion County, Florida and chose to turn pro instead of attending college.

Early professional career

Potter turned pro at the age of 19 where he first competed on the Central Florida-based Moonlight Tour. He supplemented his income working in the cart barn at Lake Diamond Golf & Country Club in Ocala, Florida. In December 2003, he competed for a spot on the PGA tour via the 2003 PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament. He finished tied for 74th place and earned a spot on the 2004 Nationwide Tour (former name of the Web.com Tour), where he did not make a single cut during the season. He again competed on the Nationwide Tour during the 2007 and 2010 seasons. He made his first cut on the Nationwide Tour at the 2007 Movistar Panama Championship where he finished tied for 12th place.

NGA Hooters Tour

Potter was the 2006 and 2009 NGA Hooters Tour Player of the Year. He has a total of seven regular season wins and five winter series victories on the NGA Tour. He is currently tied for third place all-time in wins. His career winnings on the NGA tour are $595,490.72 (623,000 including winter series events).

2011 Nationwide Tour season

2011 was Potter's breakout season as a professional golfer. He started the season on the NGA Tour, but won the South Georgia Classic on what was then the Nationwide Tour, the first time a Monday qualifier won on the tour since 2006. Prior to winning the South Georgia Classic, Potter made six cuts in 55 Web.com Tour events. He was only the fifth left-handed golfer to win an event on the tour and the first since 2008. The win earned Potter $112,500 and full Nationwide Tour status for 2011. He earned his second win of the season at the Soboba Golf Classic in a three-hole playoff. Potter finished in the top 25 (2nd place overall) in earnings on the tour in 2011 and earned his PGA Tour card for the 2012 season. Overall, he entered 18 Nationwide Tour events in 2011 making the cut 12 times with 6 finishes in the top 10.

PGA Tour

Potter made his PGA Tour debut at the Sony Open in Hawaii in January 2012, where he finished in a tie for 13th. He achieved his first PGA win at the Greenbrier Classic on July 8 of that year, after having missed the previous five cuts. Potter trailed Troy Kelly by several strokes but shot −4 on the last four holes to force a playoff. Potter, ranked number 218 in the Official World Golf Ranking at the time, went on to win the playoff on the third extra hole, after missing a birdie putt to win on the second extra hole. Potter was 173rd in the FedEx Cup before the win, which vaulted him to 51st in the FedEx Cup and 83rd in the world. He also qualified for the 2012 Open Championship, his first major championship appearance, as a result of winning the tournament. He also earned a two-year exemption for winning, plus invitations to the 2012 PGA Championship, 2012 Bridgestone Invitational, and 2013 Masters Tournament.

Potter broke his ankle in July 2014 and did not play again until April 2016. After making his five allotted Web.com Tour rehab starts, he tried to regain PGA Tour privileges with the last two starts of his major medical extension. After failing to meet the terms of his medical extension, he returned to the Web.com Tour for the remainder of the 2016 season, where he finished 57th on the money list. With only past champion status on the PGA Tour, Potter will spend much on 2017 on the Web.com Tour.

PGA Tour wins (1)

PGA Tour playoff record (1–0)

NGA Hooters Tour (12)

Other Wins (3+)

Results in major championships

DNP = Did not play
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place

Results in World Golf Championships

DNP = Did not play
QF, R16, R32, R64 = Round in which player lost in match play
"T" = Tied
Yellow background for top-10.