Phil Rodgers (born April 3, 1938) is an American professional golfer.
| Phil Rodgers | |
|---|---|
| Personal information | |
| Born | April 3, 1938 San Diego, California |
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) |
| Weight | 175 lb (79 kg; 12.5 st) |
| Sporting nationality |  United States |
| Career | |
| College | University of Houston |
| Turned professional | 1961 |
| Former tour(s) | PGA Tour Champions Tour |
| Professional wins | 6 |
| Number of wins by tour | |
| PGA Tour | 5 |
| Other | 1 |
| Best results in major championships | |
| Masters Tournament | T7: 1974 |
| PGA Championship | T7: 1974 |
| U.S. Open | T3: 1962 |
| The Open Championship | 2nd: 1963 |
Rodgers was born in San Diego, California. He won the 1958 NCAA Division I Championship while playing at the University of Houston. Immediately after, he was placed in the first position on the first team of the 1958 All American Golf team, which included many well known professionals including future winners of the PGA Championship, Al Geiberger and Bobby Nichols and Masters Tournament winner, Tommy Aaron.
While in the Marine Corps, Rodgers won virtually every service tournament (he was even pulled out of Boot Camp to play in the All Services tournament), then turned professional in 1961. He won five times on the PGA Tour in the 1960s. Playing sparingly in 1961, but winning the "unofficial" 54-hole Sahara Pro-Am in Las Vegas, Nevada, Rodgers started his first full year on the PGA Tour in 1962, which began with the Los Angeles Open. Tied for the lead after 54 holes with Fred Hawkins at 206, Rodgers ran away from the field shooting a 9-under-par 62 making 9 birdies and 9 pars to win his first championship by 9 strokes.
Despite some sensational wins, Rodgers seems better known for two losses. He lost to Bob Charles in a 36-hole playoff in the 1963 British Open. Lesser known is that he lost the 1962 U.S. Open by two strokes despite going 6-over-par on two holes. In the first round, he took a quadruple bogey 8 on the 17th hole, and 4-putted the 12th hole in the third round. Still, after chipping in for a birdie on the 12th hole in the final round, he stood at 2-under-par with six holes left, needing 6 pars to win. Instead he made 3 bogeys enabling Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus to finish regulation play tied for first at 1-under-par. Nicklaus went on to win the playoff and scored his first victory as a professional.
After a stint on the Senior PGA Tour, Rodgers has become a much sought-after teacher, specializing in the short game. One of his first pupils was Jack Nicklaus, who publicly credited Rodgers with teaching him more precise wedge play which helped him win his 4th U.S. Open championship in 1980 at age 40. For several years,Golf Magazine has ranked Rodgers in their Top 100 teachers.
Professional wins
PGA Tour wins (5)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning Score | Margin of Victory | Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jan 8, 1962 | Los Angeles Open | -16 (67-71-68-62=268) | 9 strokes | |
| 2 | Feb 8, 1962 | Tucson Open Invitational | -15 (66-68-66-65-265) | 1 stroke | |
| 3 | Apr 28, 1963 | Texas Open Invitational | -12 (66-71-65-66=268) | 2 strokes | |
| 4 | Mar 13, 1966 | Doral Open Invitational | -10 (69-69-70-70=278) | 1 stroke | |
| 5 | Jun 12, 1966 | Buick Open Invitational | -4 (70-73-71-70=284) | 2 strokes |
PGA Tour playoff record (0-2)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1963 | British Open | Lost 36-hole playoff (Charles:69-71=140, Rodgers:72-76=148) | |
| 2 | 1965 | Azalea Open | Lost to par on eighth extra hole |
Other wins
this list may be incomplete
- 1961 Sahara Pro-Am
Results in major championships
| Tournament | 1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Masters | DNP | DNP | 22 | CUT |
| U.S. Open | CUT | DNP | DNP | CUT |
| British Open | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| PGA Championship | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| Tournament | 1960 | 1961 | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Masters | DNP | DNP | CUT | CUT | T25 | DNP | T17 | T36 | DNP | DNP |
| U.S. Open | DNP | DNP | T3 | T32 | DNP | CUT | 6 | CUT | DNP | T13 |
| British Open | DNP | DNP | T3 | 2 | T19 | CUT | T4 | T43 | DNP | DNP |
| PGA Championship | DNP | DNP | CUT | CUT | DNP | DNP | CUT | T28 | DNP | T48 |
| Tournament | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Masters | CUT | DNP | DNP | 23 | T7 | CUT | DNP | DNP |
| U.S. Open | CUT | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | CUT | CUT | CUT |
| British Open | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | CUT | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| PGA Championship | T48 | CUT | T7 | T71 | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
DNP = Did not play
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Yellow background for top-10
See also
External links
- Phil Rodgers at the PGA Tour official site