Willie Wood (golfer)

American professional golfer (born 1960)

For other people named Willie Wood, see Willie Wood (disambiguation).

Willie Wood

Personal information
Full name| Willard West Wood Jr.
Born|  (1960-10-01) October 1, 1960 (age 64)
Kingsville, Texas
Height| 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)
Weight| 145 lb (66 kg; 10.4 st)
Sporting nationality|  United States
Residence| Edmond, Oklahoma
Career
College| Oklahoma State University
Turned professional| 1983
Current tour(s)| PGA Tour Champions
Former tour(s)| PGA Tour
Nationwide Tour
Professional wins| 7
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour| 1
PGA Tour Champions| 2
Other| 4
Best results in major championships

Masters Tournament| T12: 1997
PGA Championship| T23: 1985
U.S. Open| T17: 1992
The Open Championship| DNP
Achievements and awards
| Haskins Award| 1982

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Willard West Wood Jr. (born October 1, 1960) is an American professional golfer who has played on the PGA Tour, Nationwide Tour, and PGA Tour Champions.

## Professional career

[edit]

Wood was born in Kingsville, Texas. He had an outstanding junior career, winning the 1977 U.S. Junior Amateur, the 1978 PGA Junior, and the 1979 Western Junior, and was named the 1978 AJGA Rolex Player of the Year. He attended Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, Oklahoma and was a star member of the golf team, where he played alongside Bob Tway, Scott Verplank, and Tommy Moore. He played in the 1983 Walker Cup. Later that same year joined the PGA Tour by being medalist at 1983 PGA Tour Qualifying School.

Wood has split his playing time between the PGA Tour and the Nationwide Tour. He has 23 top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour including a win at the 1996 Deposit Guaranty Golf Classic, and 12 top-10 finishes on the Nationwide Tour. His best finish in a major championship was T12 at The Masters in 1997.[1]

Willie Wood and his wife Holly had two children. In October 1988 Holly Wood was diagnosed with breast cancer. She died ten months later.[2]

After turning 50 in late 2010, Wood played his first Champion Tour event, the AT&T Championship, where he finished T13. He won the Dick's Sporting Goods Open at En-Joie Golf Club in Endicott, New York on August 19, 2012, by defeating Michael Allen on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff for his first victory on the Champions Tour.

Wood has a sister, Deanie, who was a member of the LPGA Tour. He makes his home in Edmond, Oklahoma and is a member of the "Oak Tree Gang", a group of touring professionals who all play at Oak Tree National in Edmond.

## Amateur wins

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* 1977 U.S. Junior Amateur
* 1978 Junior PGA Championship, AJGA Tournament of Champions
* 1979 Western Junior

## Professional wins (8)

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### PGA Tour wins (1)

[edit]

No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of
victory | Runner-up

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1  | Jul 21, 1996 | Deposit Guaranty Golf Classic | −20 (68-67-66-67=268)  | 1 stroke  |  Kirk Triplett

PGA Tour playoff record (0–1)

No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result

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1  | 1990 | Hardee's Golf Classic |  Joey Sindelar | Lost to par on first extra hole

### Other wins (4)

[edit]

* 1979 Nevada Open (as an amateur)
* 1984 Colorado Open
* 1990 Oklahoma Open
* 1995 Oklahoma Open

### Champions Tour wins (2)

[edit]

No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of
victory | Runner-up

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|
|
|
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1  | Aug 19, 2012 | Dick's Sporting Goods Open | −13 (68-67-68=203)  | Playoff  |  Michael Allen
2  | Sep 15, 2012  | Pacific Links Hawai'i Championship | −14 (68-68-66=202)  | 1 stroke  |  Bill Glasson

Champions Tour playoff record (1–0)

No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result

|
|
|
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1  | 2012 | Dick's Sporting Goods Open |  Michael Allen | Won with par on first extra hole

## Results in major championships

[edit]

Tournament | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989

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Masters Tournament |  |  | T41  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
U.S. Open | CUT  |  |  |  |  | CUT  |  |  |  |
PGA Championship |  |  |  |  |  | T23  | CUT  |  |  |
Tournament | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999

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Masters Tournament |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | T12  | T21  | CUT
U.S. Open |  |  | T17  | CUT  |  |  |  |  | CUT  |
PGA Championship |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | T13  |  |
Tournament  | 2000  | 2001

|
|

Masters Tournament |  |
U.S. Open |  | CUT
PGA Championship |  |

Note: Wood never played in The Open Championship.

Did not play

CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied

## Results in senior major championships

[edit]

Results not in chronological order prior to 2022.

Tournament | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023

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The Tradition |  |  |  | T25  | T52  | T15  | T42  | T68  | T6  | NT  |  |  |
Senior PGA Championship | T45  | T12  |  | T39  | T40  | CUT  | CUT  | CUT  |  | NT  | T34  |  | T63
U.S. Senior Open | T29  |  | T35  | T49  | T38  |  |  |  | CUT  | NT  |  | T53  |
Senior Players Championship |  | T12  | T47  | T35  | T10  | T44  | T46  | T28  | 68  | T19  | T52  |  |
Senior British Open Championship | CUT  |  | T45  | T34  |  | T63  | T31  |  |  | NT  |  |  |

Top 10

Did not play

CUT = missed the halfway cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
NT = No tournament due to COVID-19 pandemic

## U.S. national team appearances

[edit]

Amateur

* Walker Cup: 1983 (winners)

## See also

[edit]

* 1983 PGA Tour Qualifying School graduates
* 1992 PGA Tour Qualifying School graduates

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Golf Major Championships".
2. ^ Sorrow dashed Wood's career

## External links

[edit]

* Willie Wood at the PGA Tour official site
* Willie Wood at the Official World Golf Ranking official site