Dan Pohl


Danny Joe Pohl is an American professional golfer who has played on the PGA Tour and the Champions Tour. He won two PGA Tour tournaments and tied Craig Stadler for first place in the 1982 Masters Tournament before losing in a playoff. Pohl competed for his country as a member of the 1987 Ryder Cup team at Muirfield Village Golf Club.

Amateur career

Born and raised in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan, Pohl attended the University of Arizona in Tucson, and played for the Wildcats' golf team. He was inducted into the Arizona Sports Hall of Fame in 1985. He is considered the greatest athlete ever produced by Mt. Pleasant High School, where he has been inducted into its Athletic Hall of Fame, earning All State honors in three sports. He played high school golf for Steve Robbins, father of 9-time LPGA winner Kelly Robbins, who also coached PGA Tour player Doug LaBelle II and LPGA player Cindy Figg, all of whom followed Pohl. As a prep baseball player, Pohl was scouted by Major League teams and considered a top prospect as a pitcher/shortstop/outfielder. He was a star point guard on a prep basketball team that went undefeated during his senior season. He twice won the Michigan Amateur Golf Championship. He was inducted into the Michigan Golf Hall of Fame in 2004.

Professional career

Pohl turned pro in 1977 and joined the PGA Tour in 1978. He won two tournaments on the PGA Tour during his career both of which came in 1986, when he finished fifth on the money list: the Colonial National Invitation and the NEC World Series of Golf. Pohl had 70 top-10 finishes including more than a dozen second or third-place finishes. A highly ranked player in the world, his career was still ascending in 1987 when he posted the lowest scoring average on the PGA Tour and won the Vardon Trophy. The following year, Pohl began to suffer a series of injuries starting with low back surgery in 1987 that dramatically altered his competitiveness.
Pohl has seven top-10 finishes in major tournaments. His best finish in a major was 2nd at the 1982 Masters Tournament which he lost to Craig Stadler in a playoff. He also had a third-place finish at the 1981 PGA Championship and a T-3 at the 1982 U.S. Open.
In 1980, Pohl led the tour in driving average at 274.1 yards, and again in 1981 with a 280.1 yard average. He was a member of the 1987 Ryder Cup Team. He won the Vardon Trophy in 1987 and was inducted into the Michigan Golf Hall of Fame in May 2004.
Since turning 50 in April 2005, Pohl has played on the Champions Tour. His best finish at this level has been a T-3 at the 2005 Commerce Bank Long Island Classic. Following his back injury, Pohl served as an on-course TV golf analyst for NBC Sports working with Dick Enberg and Johnny Miller along with Roger Maltbie and others for several years. He has designed a golf course in Michigan, the PohlCat, in the town where he was born. He lives in Phoenix, Arizona, and enjoys hunting, fishing and spending time with his children Michelle, Joshua, and Taylor. He has a regular weekly radio show in Phoenix, "Arizona Golf" and is involved with Hopkins Golf as an executive in a golf club company founded by Greg Hopkins, the former CEO of Cleveland Golf.

Amateur wins

PGA Tour wins (2)

PGA Tour playoff record
No.YearTournamentOpponentResult
11982Masters Tournament Craig StadlerLost to par on first extra hole
21985Canon Sammy Davis Jr.-Greater Hartford Open Phil Blackmar, Jodie MuddBlackmar won with birdie on first extra hole
31986Colonial National Invitation Payne StewartWon with birdie on first extra hole

Other wins (1)

CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place

Summary

CUT = missed the halfway cut

WD = withdrew

"T" indicates a tie for a place

U.S. national team appearances