Nick Price
Nick Price | |
---|---|
— Golfer — | |
Personal information | |
Full name | Nicholas Raymond Leige Price |
Born |
Durban, Natal Province, Union of South Africa | 28 January 1957
Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
Weight | 190 lb (86 kg; 14 st) |
Nationality | Zimbabwe |
Residence | Jupiter, Florida, U.S. |
Career | |
Turned professional | 1977 |
Current tour(s) | Champions Tour |
Professional wins | 49 |
Number of wins by tour | |
PGA Tour | 18 |
European Tour | 5 |
Japan Golf Tour | 1 |
Sunshine Tour | 9 |
PGA Tour Champions | 4 |
Other | 15 |
Best results in major championships (wins: 3) | |
Masters Tournament | 5th: 1986 |
U.S. Open | 4th/T4: 1992, 1998 |
The Open Championship | Won: 1994 |
PGA Championship | Won: 1992, 1994 |
Achievements and awards | |
World Golf Hall of Fame | 2003 (member page) |
Sunshine Tour Order of Merit winner | 1982/83 |
PGA Player of the Year | 1993, 1994 |
PGA Tour Player of the Year | 1993, 1994 |
PGA Tour leading money winner | 1993, 1994 |
Vardon Trophy | 1993, 1997 |
Byron Nelson Award | 1997 |
Payne Stewart Award | 2002 |
Bob Jones Award | 2005 |
Old Tom Morris Award | 2011 |
Nicholas Raymond Leige Price (born 28 January 1957) is a Zimbabwean professional golfer who has won three major championships in his career: the PGA Championship twice (in 1992 and 1994) and The Open Championship in 1994. In the mid-1990s, Price reached number one in the Official World Golf Ranking. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2003.
Background
Price was born in Durban, Union of South Africa. His parents were originally British. His father was English and his mother Welsh. His early life was spent in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). He attended Prince Edward School in Salisbury (now Harare), where he captained the golf team. After his schooling he served in the Rhodesian Air Force during that country's Bush War.[1] He is at present a dual citizen of the United Kingdom and Zimbabwe. He began his professional golf career in 1977 on the Southern Africa Tour, before moving to the European Tour and finally the PGA Tour in 1983. In 1984, Price renounced his Zimbabwean citizenship and thereafter played under his British passport. It was not until 1996 that Price regained his dual citizenship. Price is married to Sue and has three children. They live in Hobe Sound, Florida.[2] Price's nephew Ray Price is a national cricketer for Zimbabwe.[3]
Early professional years
Price won his first tournament outside of South Africa at the 1980 Swiss Open. He was still relatively unknown when he finished tied for second with Peter Oosterhuis one shot behind Tom Watson at the 1982 Open Championship after having a two-shot lead with six holes to go.[4] In 1983, Price won his first PGA Tour event with a wire to wire four-shot triumph over Jack Nicklaus at the World Series of Golf.[5]
After that win, it would be another eight years almost before Price won again on the PGA Tour. In the interim, Price shot an Augusta National Golf Club course record 63 at the 1986 Masters Tournament and finished second at the 1988 Open Championship to Seve Ballesteros.
Career peak
By the mid-1990s, Price was regarded as the best player in the world, and in 1994 he won two majors back-to-back, The Open and the PGA Championship, adding to his first major, the 1992 PGA Championship. He topped the PGA Tour money list in 1993 and 1994, setting a new earnings record each time, and spent 43 weeks at number one in the Official World Golf Rankings.
Price won the Sunshine Tour Order of Merit for the 1982/83 season and would have won again in 1996/97 if he had met the minimum number of tournaments. In 1993 and 1997, Price was awarded the Vardon Trophy; which is given annually by the PGA of America to the player with the lowest adjusted scoring average with a minimum of 60 rounds.
In 2003, Price was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame. In 2005, he was voted the Bob Jones Award, the highest honour given by the USGA in recognition of distinguished sportsmanship in golf. Price received the 2011 Old Tom Morris Award, the highest honour given by the GCSAA to an individual who "through a continuing lifetime commitment to the game of golf has helped to mold the welfare of the game in a manner and style exemplified by Old Tom Morris."
Playing style
During his early career and peak, Price was one of the best ball strikers in the game along with his good friend and contemporary Greg Norman (who in 1996 tied Price's Augusta National course record of 63.)[6]
Price was able to drive the ball long and exceptionally straight. With his irons he had the ability to manipulate the direction and flight of his shots unlike many other players.
Like fellow African Gary Player, Price has expressed his distaste for the Ryder Cup, saying of the event, "If you like root canals and hemorrhoids, you'd love it there.",[7] but he has played five times as a member of the Presidents Cup.
Although Price continues to play professionally, he has expanded into golf design with his own company operating out of Florida, and he has his own line of signature golf apparel. He is widely regarded by fans, media and his fellow players as one of the most personable golfers on the PGA Tour. He won his first Champions Tour event at the 2009 Outback Steakhouse Pro-Am where he had three double bogeys in his final round, but he hung on to win by one stroke over Larry Nelson.
Price would write three words in his diary before each season: "Persistence, persistence, persistence".
Professional wins (49)
PGA Tour wins (18)
Legend |
Major championships (3) |
Players Championships (1) |
Regular PGA Tour (14) |
No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 28 Aug 1983 | World Series of Golf | −10 (66-68-69-67=270) | 4 strokes | Jack Nicklaus |
2 | 5 May 1991 | GTE Byron Nelson Classic | −10 (68-64-70-68=270) | 1 stroke | Craig Stadler |
3 | 8 Sep 1991 | Canadian Open | −15 (71-69-67-66=273) | 1 stroke | David Edwards |
4 | 16 Aug 1992 | PGA Championship | −6 (70-70-68-70=278) | 3 strokes | John Cook, Nick Faldo, Jim Gallagher, Jr., Gene Sauers |
5 | 25 Oct 1992 | H.E.B. Texas Open | −21 (67-62-68-66=263) | Playoff | Steve Elkington |
6 | 28 Mar 1993 | The Players Championship | −18 (64-68-71-67=270) | 5 strokes | Bernhard Langer |
7 | 27 Jun 1993 | Canon Greater Hartford Open | −9 (67-70-69-65=271) | 1 stroke | Roger Maltbie, Dan Forsman |
8 | 4 Jul 1993 | Sprint Western Open | −19 (64-71-67-67=269) | 5 strokes | Greg Norman |
9 | 1 Aug 1993 | Federal Express St. Jude Classic | −18 (69-65-66-66=266) | 3 strokes | Jeff Maggert, Rick Fehr |
10 | 13 Mar 1994 | Honda Classic | −12 (70-67-73-66=276) | 1 stroke | Craig Parry |
11 | 30 May 1994 | Southwestern Bell Colonial | −14 (65-70-67-64=266) | Playoff | Scott Simpson |
12 | 3 Jul 1994 | Motorola Western Open (2) | −11 (67-67-72-71=277) | 1 stroke | Greg Kraft |
13 | 17 Jul 1994 | The Open Championship | −12 (69-66-67-66=268) | 1 stroke | Jesper Parnevik |
14 | 14 Aug 1994 | PGA Championship (2) | −11 (67-65-70-67=269) | 6 strokes | Corey Pavin |
15 | 11 Sep 1994 | Bell Canadian Open (2) | −13 (67-72-68-68=275) | 1 stroke | Mark Calcavecchia |
16 | 20 Apr 1997 | MCI Classic | −15 (65-69-69-66=269) | 6 strokes | Brad Faxon, Jesper Parnevik |
17 | 2 Aug 1998 | FedEx St. Jude Classic (2) | −16 (65-67-70-66=268) | Playoff | Jeff Sluman |
18 | 19 May 2002 | MasterCard Colonial (2) | −13 (69-65-66-67=267) | 5 strokes | Kenny Perry, David Toms |
PGA Tour playoff record (3–3)
No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1986 | Western Open | Fred Couples, David Frost, Tom Kite | Kite won with birdie on first extra hole |
2 | 1992 | H.E.B. Texas Open | Steve Elkington | Won with par on second extra hole |
3 | 1994 | Southwestern Bell Colonial | Scott Simpson | Won with birdie on first extra hole |
4 | 1995 | NEC World Series of Golf | Billy Mayfair, Greg Norman | Norman won with birdie on first extra hole |
5 | 1998 | FedEx St. Jude Classic | Jeff Sluman | Won with birdie on second extra hole |
6 | 2000 | Advil Western Open | Robert Allenby | Lost to par on first extra hole |
European Tour wins (5)
- 1980 Swiss Open
- 1985 Lancome Trophy
- 1994 The Open Championship
- 1997 Dimension Data Pro-Am, Alfred Dunhill South African PGA Championship (both co-sanctioned with the Sunshine Tour)
Major championships are shown in bold.
Japan Golf Tour wins (1)
Sunshine Tour wins (9)
- 1979 Asseng TV Challenge Series
- 1981 SAB South African Masters
- 1982 Sigma Vaals Reef Open
- 1985 ICL International
- 1993 ICL International
- 1994 ICL International
- 1997 Dimension Data Pro-Am, Alfred Dunhill South African PGA Championship (both co-sanctioned with the European Tour)
- 1998 Dimension Data Pro-Am
Other wins (15)
- 1981 San Remo Masters (Italy – not a European Tour event)
- 1989 West End South Australian Open
- 1992 Air New Zealand/Shell Open, PGA Grand Slam of Golf
- 1993 Nedbank Golf Challenge
- 1995 Hassan II Golf Trophy (Morocco), Zimbabwe Open
- 1997 Zimbabwe Open, Nedbank Golf Challenge, Gillette Tour Challenge Championship (with Jim Colbert and Kelly Robbins)
- 1998 Zimbabwe Open, Nedbank Golf Challenge
- 2001 CVS Charity Classic (with Mark Calcavecchia)
- 2006 CVS/pharmacy Charity Classic (with Tim Clark; unofficial event)
- 2009 CVS Caremark Charity Classic (with David Toms; unofficial event)
Champions Tour wins (4)
No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 19 Apr 2009 | Outback Steakhouse Pro-Am | −9 (66-67-71=204) | 2 strokes | Larry Nelson |
2 | 25 Apr 2010 | Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf (with Mark O'Meara) |
−28 (62-64-62=188) | Playoff | John Cook & Joey Sindelar |
3 | 6 Jun 2010 | Principal Charity Classic | −14 (67-65-67=199) | 4 strokes | Tommy Armour III |
4 | 13 Mar 2011 | Toshiba Classic | −17 (60-68-68=196) | 1 stroke | Mark Wiebe |
Champions Tour playoff record (1–1)
No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2009 | Principal Charity Classic | Fred Funk, Mark McNulty | McNulty won with birdie on fourth extra hole Price eliminated with birdie on second hole |
2 | 2010 | Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf (with Mark O'Meara) |
John Cook & Joey Sindelar | Won with par on second extra hole |
Major championships
Wins (3)
Year | Championship | 54 holes | Winning score | Margin | Runner(s)-up |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1992 | PGA Championship | 2 shot deficit | −6 (70-70-68-70=278) | 3 strokes | John Cook, Nick Faldo, Jim Gallagher, Jr., Gene Sauers |
1994 | The Open Championship | 1 shot deficit | −12 (69-66-67-66=268) | 1 stroke | Jesper Parnevik |
1994 | PGA Championship (2) | 3 shot lead | −11 (67-65-70-67=269) | 6 strokes | Corey Pavin |
Results timeline
Tournament | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
U.S. Open | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
The Open Championship | CUT | DNP | DNP | T39 | DNP |
PGA Championship | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
Tournament | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | CUT | DNP | 5 | T22 | T14 | CUT |
U.S. Open | DNP | DNP | DNP | T48 | DNP | CUT | DNP | T17 | T40 | CUT |
The Open Championship | T27 | T23 | T2 | CUT | T44 | CUT | DNP | T8 | 2 | CUT |
PGA Championship | DNP | DNP | DNP | T67 | T54 | 5 | CUT | T10 | T17 | T46 |
Tournament | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | DNP | T49 | T6 | CUT | T35 | CUT | T18 | T24 | CUT | T6 |
U.S. Open | DNP | T19 | T4 | T11 | CUT | T13 | DNP | T19 | 4 | T23 |
The Open Championship | T25 | T44 | T51 | T6 | 1 | T40 | T45 | CUT | T29 | T37 |
PGA Championship | T63 | DNP | 1 | T31 | 1 | T39 | T8 | T13 | T4 | 5 |
Tournament | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | T11 | CUT | T20 | T23 | T6 | CUT | DNP |
U.S. Open | T27 | CUT | T8 | T5 | T24 | T9 | CUT |
The Open Championship | CUT | T27 | T14 | T28 | T30 | CUT | DNP |
PGA Championship | CUT | T21 | CUT | DNP | DNP | DNP | CUT |
DNP = did not play
CUT = missed the half way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place.
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10.
Summary
Tournament | Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top-5 | Top-10 | Top-25 | Events | Cuts made |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 11 | 20 | 13 |
U.S. Open | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 12 | 20 | 15 |
The Open Championship | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 27 | 20 |
PGA Championship | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 7 | 10 | 20 | 16 |
Totals | 3 | 2 | 0 | 12 | 21 | 41 | 87 | 64 |
- Most consecutive cuts made – 10 (1989 PGA – 1992 PGA)
- Longest streak of top-10s – 2 (five times)
Team appearances
Amateur
- Eisenhower Trophy (representing Rhodesia): 1976
Professional
- World Cup: 1978 (representing South Africa), 1993 (representing Zimbabwe)
- Alfred Dunhill Cup (representing Zimbabwe): 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000
- Presidents Cup (International Team): 1994, 1996, 1998 (winners), 2000, 2003 (tie), 2013 (non-playing captain), 2015 (non-playing captain)
- Alfred Dunhill Challenge (representing Southern Africa): 1995 (winners)
See also
- List of golfers with most PGA Tour wins
- List of golfers with most Sunshine Tour wins
- List of men's major championships winning golfers
References
- ↑ Wade, Don (November 2005). Wanna Bet? The Greatest True Stories About Gambling on Golf, from Titanic Thompson to Tiger Woods. New York: Thunder's Mouth Press. p. 134. ISBN 978-1560258995.
- ↑ "Nick Price: Bio". nickprice.com.
- ↑ Williams, Jeff (June 2011). "Gentleman Nick". Cigar Aficionado. pp. 80–88.
- ↑ Miller, Geoffrey (19 July 1982). "Watson Wins Open by One Shot". Ocala Star-Banner. Ocala, Florida. Associated Press. p. 1C.
- ↑ "Price is right in golf World Series". Rome News-Tribune. Rome, Georgia. 29 August 1983. p. 6.
- ↑ Mayo, Michael (12 April 1996). "Norman Masters Augusta". Sun-Sentinel. Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
- ↑ Apfelbaum, Jim, ed. (2007). The Gigantic Book of Golf Quotations. New York: Skyhorse Publishing. ISBN 978-1-60239-014-0.
External links
- Official website
- Nick Price at the European Tour official site
- Nick Price at the Sunshine Tour official site
- Nick Price at the PGA Tour official site
- Nick Price at the Japan Golf Tour official site
- Nick Price at the Official World Golf Ranking official site
- Nick Price Profile and stats from About.com