Dave Stockton


David Knapp Stockton is an American professional golfer who has won tournaments on both the PGA Tour and the Champions Tour.
Stockton was born in San Bernardino, California. He attended the University of Southern California and turned professional in 1964. His first PGA Tour win came at the 1967 Colonial National Invitation. He was selected by former Colonial champions as one of two Champion's Choice invitations; he is the only Champion's Choice invitee to win the Colonial in the year of the invitation. His best year was 1974, when he won three times, but his two majors, both of which were PGA Championships, came in 1970 and 1976. In 1970 he played the final round with Arnold Palmer, shooting a seventy-three which included an eagle and a double-bogey on the seventh and the eighth holes, and making a bogey on the thirteenth despite putting a ball in the water. In the end, this effort was good enough for a two stroke victory over Palmer and Bob Murphy. Due to rain at the 1976 PGA Championship, which was held at the Congressional Country Club, the final round had to be delayed until Monday. Stockton sank a fifteen-foot par putt at the seventy-second hole to avoid a three-man playoff with Raymond Floyd and Don January.
Stockton joined the Senior PGA Tour in 1991 and enjoyed continued success, topping the Senior Tour money list in 1993 and 1994. His fourteen senior titles include three senior majors, the 1992 and 1994 Senior Players Championships and the 1996 U.S. Senior Open. He remained competitive in his sixties, finishing in the top 50 on the Champions Tour money list for a thirteenth consecutive season in 2004.
Stockton played for the U.S. team in the Ryder Cup in 1971 and 1977. He was the Americans' victorious non-playing captain in the 1991 Ryder Cup at Kiawah Island.
Stockton is married to former Orange Show beauty queen Catherine Hales. They have two children, Dave Jr. and Ron, who both play professional golf.
When he was an active PGA Tour player, Stockton had the reputation of being one of the best putters. In 2009, Stockton was credited with aiding the world's second-ranked golfer, Phil Mickelson with his putting, which helped him win the 2009 Tour Championship. He wrote a guide to putting called "Unconscious Putting," which was released in 2011 and quickly became a top seller.

Professional wins (25)

PGA Tour wins (10)

No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin of
victory		Runner-up
1May 21, 1967Colonial National Invitation−2 2 strokes Charles Coody
2Jun 30, 1968Cleveland Open Invitational−8 2 strokes Bob Dickson
3Jul 14, 1968Greater Milwaukee Open−13 4 strokes Sam Snead
4Aug 16, 1970PGA Championship−1 2 strokes Bob Murphy, Arnold Palmer
5Aug 15, 1971Massachusetts Classic−13 1 stroke Raymond Floyd
6Jul 8, 1973Greater Milwaukee Open −12 1 stroke Homero Blancas, Hubert Green
7Feb 17, 1974Glen Campbell-Los Angeles Open−8 2 strokes John Mahaffey, Sam Snead
8Jul 14, 1974Quad Cities Open−13 1 stroke Bruce Fleisher
9Aug 18, 1974Sammy Davis Jr.-Greater Hartford Open−16 4 strokes Raymond Floyd
10Aug 15, 1976PGA Championship +1 1 stroke Raymond Floyd, Don January

PGA Tour playoff record
No.YearTournamentOpponentResult
11977Phoenix Open Jerry PateLost to birdie on first extra hole

Other wins (1)

No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin of
victory		Runner-up
1Oct 6, 1992Mazda Presents The Senior Players Championship−11 1 stroke J. C. Snead, Lee Trevino
2Apr 25, 1993Muratec Reunion Pro-Am−5 4 strokes Harold Henning
3Jun 13, 1993Southwestern Bell Classic−6 1 stroke Larry Mowry, Walt Zembriski
4Aug 15, 1993Franklin Quest Championship−19 9 strokes Al Geiberger
5Aug 22, 1993GTE Northwest Classic−16 4 strokes Dale Douglass
6Oct 10, 1993The Transamerica−13 1 stroke Simon Hobday, Lee Trevino
7Jun 12, 1994Nationwide Championship−18 1 stroke Bob Murphy
8Jun 26, 1994Ford Senior Players Championship −17 6 strokes Jim Albus
9Aug 21, 1994Burnet Senior Classic−13 1 stroke Jim Albus
10Feb 19, 1995GTE Suncoast Classic−9 2 strokes Bob Charles, Jim Colbert,
J. C. Snead
11May 28, 1995Quicksilver Classic−10 1 stroke Isao Aoki
12Jul 7, 1996U.S. Senior Open−11 2 strokes Hale Irwin
13Aug 11, 1996First of America Classic−10 1 stroke Bob Murphy
14Jul 27, 1997Franklin Quest Championship −15 2 strokes Kermit Zarley

Senior PGA Tour playoff record
No.YearTournamentOpponentResult
11993PING Kaanapali Classic George Archer, Lee TrevinoArcher won with birdie on first extra hole
21994Franklin Quest Championship Tom WeiskopfLost to birdie on first extra hole
31995Hyatt Regency Maui Kaanapali Classic Bob CharlesLost to birdie on third extra hole
21996Las Vegas Senior Classic Bob Charles, Jim ColbertColbert won with par on fourth extra hole
Charles eliminated with par on first hole
51996Emerald Coast Classic Bob Eastwood, David Graham,
Mike Hill, Lee Trevino		Trevino won with birdie on first extra hole
61998Royal Caribbean Classic David GrahamLost to birdie on tenth extra hole

Major championships

Wins (2)

Results timeline

CUT = missed the halfway cut

"T" indicates a tie for a place.

Summary

CUT = missed the halfway cut

"T" indicates a tie for a place

Champions Tour major championships

Wins (3)

U.S. national team appearances

Professional