The Greenbrier Classic Player Profile
Compiled by Rich Stevens/Charleston Daily Mail
Webb Simpson
Ranked No. 70 on 2009 money list
Turned pro: 2008
PGA Tour victories: 0 PGA Tour major victories: 0
i Has not competed in any PGA Tour major tournaments
Notes: Missed the cut in 13 of 30 PGA Tour events in 2009, but
retained his PGA Tour card with four top 10 finishes.
Charlie Wi
Ranked No. 64 on 2009 money list
Turned pro: 1995
PGA Tour victories: 0 PGA Tour major victories: 0
i PGA Championship (tied for 9th in 2008)
Notes: Has seven career wins on the Asian Tour, which is tied for
fourth all-time. Finished 3-under at the 2006 Nationwide Tour event at
the Pete Dye Golf Club. A student of martial arts, which helps his flexibility
in the golf swing.
Bubba Watson
Ranked No. 60 on 2009 money list
Turned pro: 2003
PGA Tour victories: 0 PGA Tour major victories: 0
i U.S. Open (tied for fifth in 2007)
Notes: Finished in a tie for 5th at 2005 Nationwide Tour event at
Pete Dye Golf Club in Bridgeport. Didn't win any tournaments that
year, but was the mark of consistency, making the cut in all but four
of the events he started and finishing no worse than 48th with five
top-10 finishes.
Bryce Molder
Ranked No. 63 on 2009 money list
Turned pro: 2001
PGA Tour victories: 0
i U.S. Open (tied for 30th in 2001)
Notes: Played in the Nationwide Tour's stop at Pete Dye Golf Club in
Bridgeport in 2004 (finished 10-under and tied for 15th), 2006 (finished
5-under and tied for 30th) and 2008 (finished 1-under and tied
for 45th).
Brett Quigley
Ranked No. 62 on 2009 money list
Turned pro: 1991
PGA Tour victories: 0 PGA Tour major victories: 0
i U.S. Open (tied for 28th in 2003)
Notes: Is in the top 50 on the tour in drive distance, despite being
only 5-foot-11 and 160 pounds. In 2001, was second only to John
Daly in driving distance. Was an academic All-American at South Carolina
in 1990 and 1991.
Brandt Snedeker
Ranked No. 55 on 2009 money list
Turned pro: 2004
PGA Tour victories: 1 PGA Tour major victories: 0
i The Masters (tied for third in 2008)
Notes: Suffered a rib injury which contributed to his struggles in 2009
when he made only 14 of 26 cuts. His brother, Haymes Snedeker,
won Big Break X Michigan, and earned a shot at Q school and the
PGA Tour.
Bill Haas
Ranked No. 61 on 2009 money list
Turned pro: 2004
PGA Tour victories: 1 PGA Tour major victories: 0
i The Masters (tied for 18th this year)
Notes: Great uncle is Bob Goalby, who visited The Greenbrier last year for
the Hall of Fame induction of Sam Snead and Bill Campbell.
Woody Austin
Ranked No. 82 on 2009 money list
Turned pro: 1994
PGA Tour victories: 0
i U.S. Open (tied for 5th in 2003)
Notes: Has not won an event in the PGA Tour, but has three secondplace
finishes, including this year when he was 13-under to finish in
second place at the Valero Texas Open. Jacobson has missed the cut
only once in 12 events this year.
Vaughn Taylor
Ranked No. 79 on 2009 money list
Turned pro: 1999
PGA Tour victories: 2 PGA Tour major victories: 0
i Masters (tied for 10th in 2007)
Notes: Last year he earned more than $1 million for the sixth consecutive
season and equaled his career-low round with a 63 in the first
round of the Bob Hope Classic.
Ted Purdy
Ranked No. 100 on 2009 money list
Turned pro: 1996
PGA Tour victories: 1 PGA Tour major victories: 0
i PGA Championship (tied for 10th in 2005)
Notes: Lists Jimmy Buffett as his hero. Has made the cut in 21 of 30
events this year, but hasn't finished higher than 26th and has missed
the cut six times since May 31.
Scott Piercy
Ranked No. 90 on 2009 money list
Turned pro: 2001
PGA Tour victories: 0
i Did not compete in any majors
Notes: Made the cut at the 2008 Nationwide Tour event at Pete Dye,
but consecutive 75s in the final two rounds dropped him into a tie for
63. Won the 2006 Michelob Ultra Classic on his fifth wedding anniversary.
D.A. Points
Ranked No. 66 on 2009 money list
Turned pro: 1999
PGA Tour victories: 0 PGA Tour major victories: 0
i U.S. Open (tied for 68th in 2008)
Notes: Won the inaugural Nationwide Tour event at the Pete Dye Golf
Club in 2004. Couldn't keep his PGA Tour card and returned to Pete
Dye in 2007 and 2008, missing the cut both times.
Fred Couples
Ranked No. 75 on 2009 money list
Turned pro: 1980
PGA Tour victories: 15 PGA Tour major victories: 1
i The Masters (1992)
Notes: Never uses a glove. Nickname is "Boom Boom" for his long
drives. Is a good friend of Michael Jordan, and is a season ticket holder
for the Charlotte Bobcats, where Jordan is the majority owner.
George McNeill
Ranked No. 57 on 2009 money list
Turned pro: 1998
PGA Tour victories: 1 PGA Tour major victories: 0
i U.S. Open (tied for 63rd in 2007)
Notes: Was a member of the Nationwide Tour in 2003, but didn't retain
his card and had to play on the Golden Bear Tour in 2004. Didn't
play in any events in 2005 and played in two in 2006, but won the
PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament in December of that year, receiving his
PGA Tour card for 2007.
Vijay Singh
Ranked No. 68 on 2009 money list
Turned pro: 1982
PGA Tour victories: 34 PGA Tour major victories: 3
i The Masters (2000)
i PGA Championship (1998, 2004)
Notes: Had three PGA Tour victories in 2008 and missed the cut only five
times in 23 events. Tied for 23rd in his first PGA Tour event, the British
Open, in 1989.
Troy Matteson
Ranked No. 56 on 2009 money list
Turned pro: 2003
PGA Tour victories: 2 PGA Tour major victories: 0
i PGA Championship (tied for 66th in 2007)
Notes: Played in 2004 and 2005 at the Nationwide Tour stop at the
Pete Dye Golf Club in Bridgeport, finishing in a tie for 26th in 2004
and in a tie for 12th in 2005.
Sergio Garcia
Ranked No. 74 on 2009 money list
Turned pro: 1999
PGA Tour victories: 7 PGA Tour major victories: 0
i The Open Championship (tied for 2nd in 2007)
i PGA Championship (2nd in 1999, tied for 2nd in 2008)
Notes: Has committed to playing in The Greenbrier Classic. Drives a
Ferrari 360 Modena and a Jaguar XJR. Had one win, three secondplace
finishes, six top 10s and 11 top 25s in 2008, making almost
$5 million. Stumbled last year, earning only around $1.2 million.
Michael Allen
Ranked No. 110 on 2009 money list
Turned pro: 1984
PGA Tour victories: 0
i U.S. Open (tied for 12th in 2001)
Notes: Has played more than 300 events on the PGA Tour and has
two second-place finishes and three third-place finishes, but no wins.
Martin Laird
Ranked No. 65 on 2009 money list
Turned pro: 2004
PGA Tour victories: 1 PGA Tour major victories: 0
i U.S. Open (missed cut in 2007 and 2009)
i The Open Championship (missed cut in 2009)
Notes: Played in the Nationwide Tour event in Bridgeport in 2007
(missed the cut) and in 2005 (finishing tied for 57th at even). Has the
flag of his home country, Scotland, on his golf belt, golf bag and the tees
he uses.
Kevin Sutherland
Ranked No. 73 on 2009 money list
Turned pro: 1987
PGA Tour victories: 1 PGA Tour major victories: 0
i The Open Championship (tied for ninth in 2001)
i PGA Championship (tied for ninth in 2007)
Notes: Earned exempt status on the PGA Tour for the 13th consecutive
year. Made his debut on the PGA Tour in 1991, shooting a 7-over 295 to
finish in a tie for 295 at the USF&G Classic.
Jonathan Byrd
Ranked No. 67 on 2009 money list
Turned pro: 2000
PGA Tour victories: 3 PGA Tour major victories: 0
i The Masters (tied for 8th in 2003)
Notes: Missed the cut five times this year after missing it a total of
six times in 25 events in 2009. Father died in July of 2009 after
losing a battle with brain cancer.
John Merrick
Ranked No. 58 on 2009 money list
Turned pro: 2004
PGA Tour victories: 0 PGA Tour major victories: 0
i The Masters (finished in a tie for 6th in 2008 and 2009)
Notes: Missed the cut at the 2006 Nationwide Tour event at the Pete
Dye Golf Club, shooting a 4-over, marking one of eight tournaments in
which he missed the cut that year.
Jeff Klauk
Ranked No. 71 on 2009 money list
Turned pro: 2000
PGA Tour victories: 0
i Has not competed in any PGA Tour major tournaments
Notes: Played in the Nationwide Tour event at Pete Dye Golf Club in
Bridgeport four times (2004, 2005, 2007, 2008), missing the cut
every year except for 2007 when he tied for 31st at 5-under.
Jason Day
Ranked No. 69 on 2009 money list
Turned pro: 2006
PGA Tour victories: 0
i Has not competed in any PGA Tour major tournaments
Notes: Shot a first-round 70 at the 2007 Nationwide Tour event in
Bridgeport, but withdrew after the first round. The previous six events
on the Nationwide Tour he didn't finish any worse than 15th and
came back three weeks after Pete Dye and tied for 14th at the Oregon
Classic.
Scott McCarron
Ranked No. 92 on 2009 money list
Turned pro: 1992
PGA Tour victories: 3 PGA Tour major victories: 0
i Masters (tied for 10th in 1996)
i U.S. Open (tied for 10th in 1997)
i PGA Championship (tied for 10th in 1997)
Notes: Gave up golf for four years after college to work with his father
in the family clothing business.
Rod Pampling
Ranked No. 94 on 2009 money list
Turned pro: 1994
PGA Tour victories: 2 PGA Tour major victories: 0
i Masters (tied for fifth in 2005)
Notes: Wife Angela is a clinical psychologist. Began his golf career
on the PGA Tour of Australasia where he won the 1999 Canon Challenge.
In 1999, Pampling shot a 71 in the first round of the Open
Championship, but shot an 86 in the second round to miss the cut.
Nick O'Hern
Ranked No. 88 on 2009 money list
Turned pro: 1994
PGA Tour victories: 0
i U.S. Open (tied for 6th in 2006)
Notes: Marks his Titleist Pro V1 ball with a drawn-on kangaroo, a
marking which has been featured in Titleist advertisements. O'Hern is
the only player who has beaten Tiger Woods in match play more than
once.
Daniel Chopra
Ranked No. 103 on 2009 money list
Turned pro: 1992
PGA Tour victories: 2
i U.S. Open (tied for 24th in 2004)
Notes: Played intermittently on the European Tour from 1996 to
2002 and joined the PGA Tour in 2004. In 1995 became the first
person to hit a golf ball off the Great Wall of China.
DJ Trahan
Ranked No. 87 on 2009 money list
Turned pro: 2003
PGA Tour victories: 2 PGA Tour major victories: 0
i U.S. Open (tied for 4th in 2008)
Notes: Spent one year on the Nationwide Tour, finishing tied for sixth
at 14-under at the Pete Dye Golf Club in Bridgeport. Father Don, a
golf instructor in South Carolina who got Trahan started in golf, has
recorded 13 career aces.
Briny Baird
Ranked No. 78 on 2009 money list
Turned pro: 1995
PGA Tour victories: 0
i PGA Championship (tied for 22nd in 2001)
Notes: Tied a PGA Tour birdie-eagle streak recird with an eagle on the
15th hole in the FUNAI Classic at Walt Disney World, then birdied the
next seven holes for a total of 9-under over eight holes
Boo Weekley
Ranked No. 85 on 2009 money list
Turned pro: 1997
PGA Tour victories: 2 PGA Tour major victories: 0
i PGA Championship (tied for 9th in 2007)
Notes: Real name is Thomas Brent Weekley, getting the nickname
Boo from the character on Yogi Bear. Played in the Nationwide Tour
event at Pete Dye Golf Club in 2004, '05 and 06. He missed the cut
in 2004, withdrew after a first-round 75 in 2005 and finished second
after losing in a playoff in 2006.
Bob Estes
Ranked No. 86 on 2009 money list
Turned pro: 1988
PGA Tour victories: 4 PGA Tour major victories: 0
i Masters (tied for 4th in 1999)
Notes: Works with personal trainer, former world-class pole vaulter
Scott Hennig. Has been a season-ticket holder for University of Texas
football since 1989.
Bill Lunde
Ranked No. 102 on 2009 money list
Turned pro: 1998
PGA Tour victories: 0
i U.S. Open (missed the cut in 2003)
Notes: Played three times in the Nationwide Tour event at Bridgeport's
Pete Dye Golf Club. His best finish in West Virginia came in 2008
when he tied for 21st. Took 2006 off to work for "about a year and a
half and stumbled back into golf working for a title company."
Ben Curtis
Ranked No. 105 on 2009 money list
Turned pro: 2000
PGA Tour victories: 3 PGA Tour major victories: 1
i Open Championship (2003)
Notes: Won his first appearance in a major, winning the 2003 Open
Championship (British Open) by one stroke over Thomas Bjorn and Vijay
Singh on the final day. Had five top 10 finishes and missed only
four cuts in 2008.
Andres Romero
Ranked No. 106 on 2009 money list
Turned pro: 1998
PGA Tour victories: 1 PGA Tour major victories: 0
i Open Championship (third in 2007)
Notes: Suffered a kidney disease at age 8 and on a strict diet
when he decided to take up golf. Made the cut in 15 of 20 events
in 2008, which included his first career win at the Zurich Classic of
New Orleans.
Alex Cejka
Ranked No. 95 on 2009 money list
Turned pro: 1989
PGA Tour victories: 0
i PGA Championship (tied for fourth in 2003)
Notes: Was born in Czechoslovakia with his parents as a refugee. In
April of 2006 was disqualified for using a non-conforming ball during
the third round of the MCI Heritage.
Adam Scott
Ranked No. 108 on 2009 money list
Turned pro: 2000
PGA Tour victories: 7 PGA Tour major victories: 0
i PGA Championship (tied for third in 2006)
Notes: Hero is fellow Australian Greg Norman, who along with coach
Butch Harmon, urged him to play several seasons on the European
Tour, where he has six of his 17 professional wins.
Fredrik Jacobson
Ranked No. 77 on 2009 money list
Turned pro: 1994
PGA Tour victories: 0
i U.S. Open (tied for 5th in 2003)
Notes: Has not won an event in the PGA Tour, but has three secondplace
finishes, including this year when he was 13-under to finish in
second place at the Valero Texas Open. Jacobson has missed the cut
only once in 12 events this year.
Greg Chalmers
Ranked No. 89 on 2009 money list
Turned pro: 1995
PGA Tour victories: 0
i PGA Championship (tied for 4th in 2000)
Notes: Missed the cut in 14 out of 32 events in 2003 and nine out
of 22 in 2004 to lose his PGA Tour card. Played the Nationwide Tour
in 2005 and missed the cut at Bridgeport's Pete Dye Golf Club. Returned
to PGA Tour in 2006, but lost his card again after missing the
cut in 20 out of 28 events. Played in the Nationwide's Pete Dye event
in 2007, but missed the cut again. Finally, in 2008, Chalmers had a
title and 10 top 10 finishes on the Nationwide Tour, including tying for
10th at Pete Dye.
Greg Owen
Ranked No. 109 on 2009 money list
Turned pro: 1992
PGA Tour victories: 0
i Open Championship (tied for 22nd in 2006)
Notes: Made only 11 cuts in 29 events on the PGA Tour in 2007, then
played on the Nationwide Tour in 2008 where he missed the cut at the
event at Bridgeport's Pete Dye Golf Club.
Michael Letzig
Ranked No. 98 on 2009 money list
Turned pro: 2002
PGA Tour victories: 0
i U.S. Open (Missed the cut in 2008)
i The Open Championship (Missed the cut in 2008)
Notes: Has not won on the PGA Tour or Nationwide Tour, but came
in second place at the 2008 Ginn sur Mer Classic by a stroke to
Ryan Palmer. Competed in 28 Nationwide Tour evants in 2007,
but not at the Nationwide event at Pete Dye Golf Club.
Mathew Goggin
Ranked No. 84 on 2009 money list
Turned pro: 1995
PGA Tour victories: 0
i The Open Championship (tied for 5th in 2009)
Notes: Father is a former Australian rules football player. Was a
member of the Nationwide Tour in 1999, 2004 and 2005, playing
in the Nationwide event at Pete Dye Golf Club where he missed the
cut after shooting 1-over through two rounds.
Mark Calcavecchia
Ranked No. 107 on 2009 money list
Turned pro: 1981
PGA Tour victories: 13 PGA Tour major victories: 1
i Open Championship (1989)
Notes: In 2009 set a PGA Tour record with nine consecutive birdies at
the RBC Canadian Open on the 12th through 18th holes and the first
and second holes. In 2002 inducted into Phoenix Open Hall of Fame,
joining Arnold Plamers, Gene Littler, Byron Nelson, Ben Hogan and
Ken Venturi.
Lee Janzen
Ranked No. 99 on 2009 money list
Turned pro: 1986
PGA Tour victories: 8 PGA Tour major victories: 2
i U.S. Open (1993, 1998)
Notes: His finish at No. 99 on the 2009 PGA Tour list of money leaders
was his first top 125 ranking since finishing 96th in 2004.
Kevin Streelman
Ranked No. 91 on 2009 money list
Turned pro: 2001
PGA Tour victories: 0
i U.S. Open (tied for 53rd in 2008)
Notes: Graduated from Duke University in 2001, then used his mother's
Nissan Altima to travel to South Dakota for the 2001 Dakotas
Tour. Burned out three cars logging more than 300,000 miles across
the country playing various tours.
Kevin Stadler
Ranked No. 97 on 2009 money list
Turned pro: 2002
PGA Tour victories: 0
i Open Championship (tied for 51st in 2007)
Notes: Son of former Masters champion and 13-time PGA Tour winner
Craig Stadler. His father caddied for Kevin in his 2002 Colorado Open
victory.
KJ Choi
Ranked No. 84 on 2009 money list
Turned pro: 1994
PGA Tour victories: 7 PGA Tour major victories: 0
i Masters (tied for 3rd in 2004)
Notes: Could squat 350 pounds as a youngster, earning the nickname
"Tank." Has made the cut in all 14 tournaments he's played
this year with one second-place finish, two top 10 finishes and seven
in the top 25.
Justin Rose
Ranked No. 83 on 2009 money list
Turned pro: 1998
PGA Tour victories: 1 PGA Tour major victories: 0
i The Open Championship (tied for 4th in 1998)
Notes: Rose won his first PGA Tour event this past weekend at the
Memorial Tournament, defeating Rickie Fowler by three strokes. Also,
he has four top 10s in majors, tied for fifth in the Masters (2007)
and U.S. Open (2003), tied for fourth in The Open Championship
(1998) and tied for ninth in the PGA Championship (2008).
James Nitties
Ranked No. 96 on 2009 money list
Turned pro: 2004
PGA Tour victories: 0
i U.S. Open (Missed the cut in 2009)
Notes: Suffered from juvenile arthritis as a child and young adult.
One of the eight Nationwide Tour events he played in 2007 was at
the Pete Dye Golf Club. It was one of only three events during which
he made the cut. Nitties finished tied for 59th.
J.J. Henry
Ranked No. 80 on 2009 money list
Turned pro: 1998
PGA Tour victories: 1 PGA Tour major victories: 0
i U.S. Open (tied for 26th in 2007)
Notes: Was undefeated in four years of high school competition (76-
0-2). At Texas Christian University, he made a hole in one on the 17th
hole in the final round of the 1998 WAC Championshiop to win the
team and individual titles.
Aaron Baddeley
Ranked No. 101 on 2009 money list
Turned pro: 2000
PGA Tour victories: 2 PGA Tour major victories: 0
i U.S. Open (tied for 13th in 2007)
i PGA Championship (tied for 13th in 2008)
Notes: Father Ron served as chief mechanic for Mario Andretti's race
team in New Hampshire. If he wasn't a golfer, would have become a
preacher.
Jeff Overton
Ranked No. 76 on 2009 money list
Turned pro: 2005
PGA Tour victories: 0 PGA Tour major victories: 0
i The Open Championship (tied for 13th in 2009)
Notes: Finished tied for 11th in his final event of 2009, the Children's
Miracle Network Classic, after missing the cut in three consecutive
events.
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