Don Pooley

Don Pooley
— Golfer —
Personal information
Full name	Sheldon George Pooley, Jr.
Nickname	Don
Born	(1951-08-27) August 27, 1951 Phoenix, Arizona
Height	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight	195 lb (88 kg; 13.9 st)
Nationality	United States
Residence	Tucson, Arizona
Career
College	University of Arizona
Turned professional	1973
Current tour(s)	Champions Tour
Former tour(s)	PGA Tour
Professional wins	6
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour	2
Champions Tour	2
Best results in major championships
Masters Tournament	T5: 1988
U.S. Open	T15: 1985
The Open Championship	T16: 1988
PGA Championship	T5: 1987
Achievements and awards
Vardon Trophy	1985
Byron Nelson Award	1985

Sheldon George "Don" Pooley, Jr. (born August 27, 1951) is an American professional golfer who has won tournaments on both the PGA Tour and the Champions Tour.

Pooley was born in Phoenix, Arizona. He grew up in Riverside, California. He attended the University of Arizona in Tucson, where he was a member of the golf team. He turned pro in 1973.

Despite winning the 1980 B.C. Open and the 1987 Memorial Tournament, Pooley is probably best remembered in his PGA Tour career for his dramatic million-dollar hole-in-one at the 1987 Bay Hill Classic. Pooley received $500,000 as did Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children and Women in Orlando, Florida because of this once-in-a-lifetime shot. In 1985, he won the Vardon Trophy, awarded annually by the PGA to the Tour leader in scoring average. His best finish in a major was T-5 in consecutive major championships – the 1987 PGA Championship and the 1988 Masters Tournament.

Late in his PGA Tour career, Pooley began to experience many debilitating ailments, and missed several years of playing time as a result; however, he has enjoyed a resurgence in his career after turning 50 in August 2001 when he began play on the Champions Tour. The biggest win in his golf career was his first on the Champions Tour. In 2002, he won on the biggest stage in men's senior golf, the U.S. Senior Open.

Pooley is a spiritual man of deep religious faith. He has been involved in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the PGA Tour Bible study group throughout his career. He lives in Tucson, Arizona.

Professional wins

PGA Tour wins

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning Score	Margin of Victory	Runner-up
1	Aug 31, 1980	B.C. Open	−17 (68-69-66-68=271)	1 stroke	Peter Jacobsen
2	May 31, 1987	Memorial Tournament	−16 (70-67-65-70=272)	3 strokes	Curt Byrum

Other wins

• 1989 Ebel Match Play
• 1992 Amoco Centel Championship

Champions Tour wins

Legend

Champions Tour major championships (1)

Other Champions Tour (1)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning Score	Margin of Victory	Runner(s)-up
1	Jun 30, 2002	U.S. Senior Open	−10 (71-70-63-70=274)	Playoff	Tom Watson
2	Aug 24, 2003	Allianz Championship	−13 (66-67-67=200)	3 strokes	Bruce Fleisher, Bruce Lietzke, Jim Thorpe

Champions Tour playoff record (1–2)

No.	Year	Tournament	Opponent(s)	Result
1	2002	U.S. Senior Open	Tom Watson	Won with birdie on fifth extra hole after 3-hole playoff (Pooley:12, Watson:12)
2	2005	Boeing Classic	Mark McNulty, Tom Purtzer	McNulty won with birdie on second extra hole
3	2009	AT&T Classic	Dan Forsman	Lost to birdie on first extra hole

Results in major championships

Tournament	1977	1978	1979
Masters Tournament	DNP	DNP	DNP
U.S. Open	CUT	DNP	DNP
The Open Championship	DNP	DNP	DNP
PGA Championship	DNP	CUT	DNP

Tournament	1980	1981	1982	1983	1984	1985	1986	1987	1988	1989
Masters Tournament	DNP	T19	CUT	DNP	DNP	DNP	41	T45	T5	T14
U.S. Open	DNP	CUT	CUT	DNP	DNP	T15	T24	T24	CUT	T26
The Open Championship	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	T16	T19
PGA Championship	T46	T19	T67	T23	T34	T62	T16	T5	T58	T34

Tournament	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999
Masters Tournament	T42	T46	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
U.S. Open	CUT	DNP	T44	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	CUT	DNP
The Open Championship	T39	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	T101	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
PGA Championship	T8	T73	DNP	DNP	DNP	CUT	DNP	T29	DNP	DNP

Tournament	2000	2001	2002	2003
Masters Tournament	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
U.S. Open	CUT	DNP	DNP	CUT
The Open Championship	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
PGA Championship	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP

DNP = Did not play
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Yellow background for top-10

Summary

Tournament	Wins	2nd	3rd	Top-5	Top-10	Top-25	Events	Cuts made
Masters Tournament	0	0	0	1	1	3	8	7
U.S. Open	0	0	0	0	0	3	13	5
The Open Championship	0	0	0	0	0	2	4	4
PGA Championship	0	0	0	1	2	5	15	13
Totals	0	0	0	2	3	13	40	29

• Most consecutive cuts made – 12 (1982 PGA – 1988 Masters)
• Longest streak of top-10s – 2 (1987 PGA – 1988 Masters)

Champions Tour major championships

Wins (1)

Year	Championship	Winning Score	Margin	Runner-up
2002	U.S. Senior Open	−10 (71-70-63-70=274)	Playoff1	Tom Watson

¹In a three-hole playoff, Pooley and Watson tied (three pars each), on the first sudden-death hole Pooley won with a birdie to Watson's par.

Results timeline

Results not in chronological order before 2012.

Tournament	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013
Senior PGA Championship	T18	CUT	DNP	T54	T57	WD	T6	T28	T23	DNP	DNP	DNP
The Tradition	T9	T14	T53	T36	T9	T40	46	T8	T29	WD	DNP	T66
Senior Players Championship	T22	T40	T13	T18	T11	T23	T27	T34	T57	DNP	DNP	DNP
U.S. Senior Open	1	T43	T15	T22	T51	DNP	T18	T47	T40	DNP	DNP	T47
Senior British Open Championship	-	T27	T5	DNP	T13	DNP	DNP	T8	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP

The Senior British Open was not a Champions Tour major until 2003.
DNP = Did not play
CUT = missed the halfway cut
WD = withdrew from tournament
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10.

External links

• Don Pooley at the PGA Tour official site