Dan Pohl

Danny Joe Pohl (born April 1, 1955) is an American professional golfer who has played on the PGA Tour and the Champions Tour. He won two PGA Tour tournaments (the 1986 Colonial and the 1986 World Series of Golf at Firestone Country Club) 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.

Dan Pohl
Personal information
Full nameDanny Joe Pohl
Nickname"Pohlcat"
Born (1955-04-01) April 1, 1955
Mount Pleasant, Michigan
Height5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight175 lb (79 kg; 12.5 st)
Nationality United States
ResidencePhoenix, Arizona
Career
CollegeUniversity of Arizona
Turned professional1977
Former tour(s)PGA Tour
Champions Tour
Professional wins3
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour2
Best results in major championships
Masters Tournament2nd: 1982
PGA Championship3rd: 1981
U.S. OpenT3: 1982
The Open ChampionshipCUT: 1986
Achievements and awards
Vardon Trophy1987

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 (golf, baseball and basketball). 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 (20-0) during his senior season. He twice won the Michigan Amateur Golf Championship (1975 and 1978). 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.[1]

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
  • 1975 Michigan Amateur
  • 1977 Michigan Amateur

Professional wins (3)

PGA Tour wins (2)
No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin of
victory		Runner-up
1 May 18, 1986 Colonial National Invitation −5 (68-69-68=205) Playoff Payne Stewart
2 Aug 24, 1986 NEC World Series of Golf −10 (69-66-71-71=277) 1 stroke Lanny Wadkins

PGA Tour playoff record (1–2)

No.YearTournamentOpponent(s)Result
1 1982 Masters Tournament Craig Stadler Lost to par on first extra hole
2 1985 Canon Sammy Davis Jr.-Greater Hartford Open Phil Blackmar, Jodie Mudd Blackmar won with birdie on first extra hole
3 1986 Colonial National Invitation Payne Stewart Won with birdie on first extra hole

Other wins (1)
  • 1988 Pebble Beach National Pro-Am Championship (with Dan Marino)

Results in major championships
Tournament 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989
Masters Tournament 2 T8 T35 T31 CUT T16 42
U.S. Open CUT T3 CUT CUT CUT T9 T12 T29
The Open Championship CUT
PGA Championship 3 T70 8 T39 T12 T26 T14 8 T24
  Top 10
  Did not play

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

Summary
TournamentWins2nd3rdTop-5Top-10Top-25EventsCuts made
Masters Tournament01012376
U.S. Open00112384
The Open Championship00000010
PGA Championship00113699
Totals01237122519
  • Most consecutive cuts made – 8 (1987 U.S. Open – 1989 PGA)
  • Longest streak of top-10s – 3 (1981 PGA – 1982 U.S. Open)

Results in The Players Championship
Tournament 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996
The Players Championship T8 T45 WD CUT T8 74 CUT T7 T8 T50 CUT T35 WD CUT T68 T62
  Top 10
  Did not play

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

U.S. national team appearances
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References
  1. "Golf Major Championships".
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