Craig Stadler Explained

Craig Stadler
Fullname:	Craig Robert Stadler
Nickname:	The Walrus
Birth Date:	June 2, 1953
Birth Place:	San Diego, California, U.S.
Weight:	250lb
Residence:	Denver, Colorado, U.S.
Spouse:	Jan Zumbrunnen
Children:	2, including Kevin
College:	University of Southern California
Yearpro:	1976
Extour:	PGA Tour Champions Tour
Prowins:	30
Pgawins:	13
Eurowins:	3
Japwins:	1
Champwins:	9
Otherwins:	5
Majorwins:	1
Masters:	Won: 1982
Usopen:	T8: 1990
Open:	T6: 1980
Pga:	6th: 1978
Award1:	PGA Tour money list winner
Year1:	1982
Award2:	Champions Tour Rookie of the Year
Year2:	2003
Award3:	Champions Tour money list winner
Year3:	2004
Award4:	Champions Tour Player of the Year
Year4:	2004
Award5:	Champions Tour Byron Nelson Award
Year5:	2004

Craig Robert Stadler (born June 2, 1953) is an American professional golfer who has won numerous tournaments at both the PGA Tour and Champions Tour level, including one major championship, the 1982 Masters Tournament.

Early life

Stadler was born in San Diego, California. His father introduced him to golf at age four, and he displayed a talent for golf early in life. Stadler attended La Jolla High School^[1] He won the 1973 U.S. Amateur, while attending the University of Southern California, where he was a teammate of future PGA Tour winners Mark Pfeil and Scott Simpson. Stadler was an All-American all four years – first-team his sophomore and junior years; second-team his freshman and senior years.^[2] Stadler finished college in 1975 and turned professional in 1976.^[3]

Professional career

Stadler won his first two PGA Tour events in 1980, at the Bob Hope Desert Classic and the Greater Greensboro Open. His career year was 1982 when he won four PGA Tour events including the Masters Tournament after a playoff with Dan Pohl and the World Series of Golf at the end of the year. Stadler won the money list for the only time. His next win was at the 1984 Byron Nelson Classic.

Despite playing relatively well, Stadler did not win a PGA Tour event for over 7 years (May 1984 – November 1991) during the heart of his career. During this period he recorded six runner-up performances and dozens of top-10s on the PGA Tour.^[3] He had more success at winning international tournaments. He won the 1985 Swiss Open on the European Tour and the 1987 Dunlop Phoenix Tournament on the Japan Golf Tour. He had great success at the Scandinavian Enterprise Open too, an official event on the European Tour, finishing runner-up at the 1983 and 1986 events until finally winning in 1990. His winless streak in America was broken at the final event of the 1991 season, defeating Russ Cochran in a playoff at the Tour Championship. Stadler won the B.C. Open in 2003, becoming the first player over age 50 to win a PGA Tour event in 28 years and the first player ever to win on the PGA Tour after he had won on the Champions Tour. He won 13 PGA Tour events in all, and played on the 1983 and 1985 Ryder Cup teams. In 1994 he was the featured coach for the Sega Saturn video game Pebble Beach Golf Links. In 1996 he appeared as himself in the film Tin Cup.

Stadler began playing on the Champions Tour upon becoming eligible in June 2003. His greatest successes came during his first two years of eligibility; he was the leading money winner in his first full year on that tour in 2004. Stadler underwent total left-hip-replacement surgery in Los Angeles on September 15, 2010, which limits his playing time.^[3] Stadler announced that the 2014 Masters Tournament, his 38th and in which he played with Kevin, was his last.

Personal life

Very popular with the galleries, Stadler is affectionately called "The Walrus" for his portly build and ample mustache. He lives in Denver, Colorado. His son Kevin is also a PGA Tour champion.^[3] Stadler and his son Kevin are the only father and son who have both won on both the PGA Tour and the European Tour. Stadler's brother Gary Stadler is a Billboard-charting recording artist.^[4]

Amateur wins

• 1973 U.S. Amateur
• 1975 Southwestern Amateur

Professional wins (30)

PGA Tour wins (13)

Legend
Major championships (1)
Tour Championships (1)
Other PGA Tour (11)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up
1	Jan 13, 1980	Bob Hope Desert Classic	−17 (69-68-70-69-67=343)	2 strokes	Tom Purtzer, Mike Sullivan
2	Apr 6, 1980	Greater Greensboro Open	−13 (67-69-71-68=275)	6 strokes	George Burns, Billy Kratzert, Jack Newton, Jerry Pate
3	May 31, 1981	Kemper Open	−10 (67-69-66-68=270)	6 strokes	Tom Watson, Tom Weiskopf
4	Jan 10, 1982	Joe Garagiola-Tucson Open	−14 (65-64-66-71=266)	3 strokes	Vance Heafner, John Mahaffey
5	Apr 11, 1982	Masters Tournament	−4 (75-69-67-73=284)	Playoff	Dan Pohl
6	Jun 6, 1982	Kemper Open (2)	−13 (72-67-67-69=275)	7 strokes	Seve Ballesteros
7	Aug 29, 1982	World Series of Golf	−2 (70-68-75-65=278)	Playoff	Raymond Floyd
8	May 13, 1984	Byron Nelson Golf Classic	−8 (70-71-64-71=276)	1 stroke	David Edwards
9	Nov 3, 1991	The Tour Championship	−5 (68-68-72-71=279)	Playoff	Russ Cochran
10	Aug 30, 1992	NEC World Series of Golf (2)	−7 (69-65-69-70=273)	1 stroke
11	Feb 27, 1994	Buick Invitational of California	−20 (67-67-68-66=268)	1 stroke	Steve Lowery
12	Feb 25, 1996	Nissan Open	−6 (67-70-73-68=278)	1 stroke
13	Jul 20, 2003	B.C. Open	−21 (67-69-68-63=267)	1 stroke	Alex Čejka, Steve Lowery

PGA Tour playoff record (3–3)

No.	Year	Tournament	Opponent	Result
1	1982	Masters Tournament	Dan Pohl	Won with par on first extra hole
2	1982	World Series of Golf	Raymond Floyd	Won with par on fourth extra hole
3	1985	Bob Hope Classic	Lanny Wadkins	Lost to birdie on fifth extra hole
4	1987	Hawaiian Open	Corey Pavin	Lost to birdie on second extra hole
5	1991	The Tour Championship	Russ Cochran	Won with birdie on second extra hole
6	2000	Shell Houston Open	Robert Allenby	Lost to par on fourth extra hole

European Tour wins (3)

Legend
Major championships (1)
Other European Tour (2)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up
1	Apr 11, 1982	Masters Tournament	−4 (75-69-67-73=284)	Playoff	Dan Pohl
2	Sep 8, 1985	Ebel European Masters Swiss Open	−21 (68-65-67-67=267)	2 strokes	David Feherty, Ove Sellberg
3	Jun 10, 1990	Scandinavian Enterprise Open	−20 (68-72-67-61=268)	4 strokes	Craig Parry

European Tour playoff record (1–1)

No.	Year	Tournament	Opponent	Result
1	1982	Masters Tournament	Dan Pohl	Won with par on first extra hole
2	1986	Scandinavian Enterprise Open	Greg Turner	Lost to birdie on first extra hole

South American Tour wins (1)

• 1992 Argentine Open

Other wins (4)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up
1	Apr 9, 1978	Magnolia State Classic	−12 (67-66-72-63=268)	1 stroke	Bob Eastwood, Bruce Fleisher
2	Aug 19, 1986	Jerry Ford Invitational	−9 (67-68=135)	2 strokes	Mark O'Meara
3	Aug 22, 1989	Fred Meyer Challenge (with Joey Sindelar)	−19 (62-63=125)	1 stroke	Mark Calcavecchia and Bob Gilder
4	Dec 15, 2002	Office Depot Father/Son Challenge (with son Kevin Stadler)	−24 (60-60=120)	Playoff	Hale Irwin and son Steve Irwin

Other playoff record (1–1)

No.	Year	Tournament	Opponent(s)	Result
1	1982	Nedbank Million Dollar Challenge	Raymond Floyd	Lost to par on fourth extra hole
2	2002	Office Depot Father/Son Challenge (with son Kevin Stadler)	Hale Irwin and son Steve Irwin	Won with birdie on first extra hole

Champions Tour wins (9)

Legend
Champions Tour major championships (2)
Other Champions Tour (7)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up
1		Ford Senior Players Championship	−17 (67-73-65-66=271)	3 strokes	Tom Kite, Jim Thorpe, Tom Watson
2	Sep 28, 2003	Greater Hickory Classic at Rock Barn	−15 (66-69-66=201)	2 strokes	Larry Nelson
3	Oct 19, 2003	SBC Championship	−15 (67-64-67=198)	4 strokes	Bob Gilder
4			−10 (67-67-72=206)	Playoff	Gary Koch, Tom Watson
5	Jun 27, 2004	Bank of America Championship	−15 (68-69-64=201)	4 strokes	Tom Kite, Tom Purtzer, D. A. Weibring
6	Aug 29, 2004	JELD-WEN Tradition	−13 (70-70-68-67=275)	1 stroke	Allen Doyle, Jerry Pate
7	Sep 5, 2004	First Tee Open at Pebble Beach	−15 (72-63-66=201)	3 strokes	Jay Haas
8	Sep 26, 2004	SAS Championship	−17 (65-68-66=199)	6 strokes	Tom Jenkins
9	Jun 23, 2013	Encompass Championship	−13 (67-65-71=203)	1 stroke	Fred Couples

Champions Tour playoff record (1–2)

No.	Year	Tournament	Opponents	Result
1	2004	ACE Group Classic	Gary Koch, Tom Watson	Won with birdie on first extra hole
2	2007	Boeing Classic	R. W. Eaks, David Eger, Gil Morgan, Naomichi Ozaki, Dana Quigley, Denis Watson	Watson won with eagle on second extra hole Eger, Morgan, Ozaki and Quigley eliminated by birdie on first hole
3	2009	Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf (with Jeff Sluman)	Tom Lehman and Bernhard Langer	Lost to par on second extra hole

Major championships

Wins (1)

¹Defeated Pohl with par on first extra hole.

Results timeline

Tournament	1974	1975	1976	1977	1978	1979
Masters Tournament	CUT	CUT				T7
U.S. Open	CUT					CUT
The Open Championship		CUT
PGA Championship					6	CUT

Tournament	1980	1981	1982	1983	1984	1985	1986	1987	1988	1989
Masters Tournament	T26	T43	1	T6	T35	T6	CUT	T17	3	CUT
U.S. Open	T16	T26	T22	T10	WD	CUT	T15	T24	T25
The Open Championship	T6	CUT	T35	T12	T28	CUT	WD	T8	T60	T13
PGA Championship	T55	CUT	T16	T63	T18	T18	T30	T28	T15	T7

Tournament	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999
Masters Tournament	T14	T12	T25	T34	CUT	CUT	T29	T26	T41	T38
U.S. Open	T8	T19	T33	T33	CUT
The Open Championship	CUT	T101	T64		T24	CUT	T45	CUT
PGA Championship	T57	T7	T48	CUT	T19	T8	CUT	T53	T38	CUT

Tournament	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009
Masters Tournament	CUT	CUT	T32	49	CUT	50	CUT	T49	CUT	CUT
U.S. Open	CUT		T18
The Open Championship
PGA Championship	T64

Tournament	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014
Masters Tournament	CUT	CUT	CUT	CUT	CUT
U.S. Open
The Open Championship
PGA Championship

CUT = missed the halfway cut (3rd round cut in 1975 and 1985 Open Championships)
WD = withdrew
"T" indicates a tie for a place.

Summary

Tournament	Wins	2nd	3rd	Top-5	Top-10	Top-25	Events	Cuts made
	1	0	1	2	5	9	38	21
	0	0	0	0	2	9	18	12
	0	0	0	0	2	5	18	11
PGA Championship	0	0	0	0	4	9	23	18
Totals	1	0	1	2	13	32	97	62

• Most consecutive cuts made – 11 (1990 PGA – 1993 U.S. Open)
• Longest streak of top-10s – 2 (twice)

Results in The Players Championship

CUT = missed the halfway cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place

Results in World Golf Championships

Tournament	1999	2000	2001
Match Play	R32		QF
Championship			NT^1
Invitational

¹Cancelled due to 9/11
QF, R16, R32, R64 = Round in which player lost in match play
NT = No tournament

Senior major championships

Wins (2)

Year	Championship	Winning score	Margin	Runners-up
2003		−17 (67-73-65-66=271)	3 strokes	Tom Kite, Jim Thorpe, Tom Watson
2004		−13 (70-70-68-67=275)	1 stroke	Allen Doyle, Jerry Pate

U.S. national team appearances

Amateur

• Walker Cup

1975 (winners)

Professional

• Ryder Cup

1983 (winners), 1985

• UBS Cup

2003 (tie), 2004 (winners)

• Wendy's 3-Tour Challenge (representing Champions Tour): 2003, 2004, 2005 (winners), 2006

See also

• Spring 1976 PGA Tour Qualifying School graduates
• List of golfers with most PGA Tour wins

Notes and References

1. Web site: Corey Pavin, Craig Stadler welcomed into SCGA Hall of Fame November 13, 2014 . Southern California Golf Association . 3 December 2018 . 13 November 2014.
2. Web site: Men's Golf All-Americans . USC Trojans Athletics official site . December 8, 2007 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20071126052758/http://usctrojans.cstv.com/sports/m-golf/archive/usc-m-golf-scallamerican.html . November 26, 2007 .
3. Web site: Craig Stadler – Profile . PGA Tour . October 4, 2019.
4. Billboard Magazine, April 28, 2001 through May 17, 2001 - Fairy HeartMagic by Gary Stadler on Sequoia Records, chart position # 24 on Top 25 New Age Albums