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Willie Wood (golfer)

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Willie Wood
Personal information
Full nameWillard West Wood Jr.
Born (1960-10-01) October 1, 1960 (age 64)
Kingsville, Texas
Height5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)
Weight145 lb (66 kg; 10.4 st)
Sporting nationality United States
ResidenceEdmond, Oklahoma
Career
CollegeOklahoma State University
Turned professional1983
Current tour(s)PGA Tour Champions
Former tour(s)PGA Tour
Nationwide Tour
Professional wins7
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour1
PGA Tour Champions2
Other4
Best results in major championships
Masters TournamentT12: 1997
PGA ChampionshipT23: 1985
U.S. OpenT17: 1992
The Open ChampionshipDNP
Achievements and awards
Haskins Award1982

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

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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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Professional wins (8)

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PGA Tour wins (1)

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No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory
Runner-up
1 Jul 21, 1996 Deposit Guaranty Golf Classic −20 (68-67-66-67=268) 1 stroke United States Kirk Triplett

PGA Tour playoff record (0–1)

No. Year Tournament Opponent Result
1 1990 Hardee's Golf Classic United States Joey Sindelar Lost to par on first extra hole

Other wins (4)

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Champions Tour wins (2)

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No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory
Runner-up
1 Aug 19, 2012 Dick's Sporting Goods Open −13 (68-67-68=203) Playoff United States Michael Allen
2 Sep 15, 2012 Pacific Links Hawai'i Championship −14 (68-68-66=202) 1 stroke United States Bill Glasson

Champions Tour playoff record (1–0)

No. Year Tournament Opponent Result
1 2012 Dick's Sporting Goods Open United States Michael Allen Won with par on first extra hole

Results in major championships

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Tournament 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989
Masters Tournament T41
U.S. Open CUT CUT
PGA Championship T23 CUT
Tournament 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
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

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Results not in chronological order prior to 2022.

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

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Amateur

See also

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References

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