Larry Mize
Lawrence Hogan Mize (born September 23, 1958) is an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour and currently plays on the Champions Tour. He is well known for one career-defining shot – a chip from off the green at the 11th hole at Augusta to win the playoff for the 1987 Masters Tournament, which was his only major title. He is also the only winner of that tournament to come from Augusta.[2]
Larry Mize | |
---|---|
Personal information | |
Full name | Lawrence Hogan Mize |
Born | Augusta, Georgia | September 23, 1958
Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
Weight | 165 lb (75 kg; 11.8 st) |
Nationality | |
Residence | Columbus, Georgia |
Career | |
College | Georgia Tech |
Turned professional | 1980 |
Current tour(s) | Champions Tour |
Former tour(s) | PGA Tour |
Professional wins | 10 |
Highest ranking | 10 (June 21, 1987)[1] |
Number of wins by tour | |
PGA Tour | 4 |
European Tour | 1 |
Japan Golf Tour | 3 |
PGA Tour Champions | 1 |
Best results in major championships (wins: 1) | |
Masters Tournament | Won: 1987 |
PGA Championship | T6: 1984 |
U.S. Open | T4: 1987 |
The Open Championship | T11: 1994 |
Biography
Mize was born in Augusta, Georgia, attended Georgia Tech, and turned professional in 1980. He finished in the top 125 on the money list (the level needed to retain membership of the tour) for 20 seasons from 1982 to 2001. His first PGA Tour win was the 1983 Danny Thomas Memphis Classic.
At the 1987 Masters, Mize was tied with Seve Ballesteros and Greg Norman after four rounds. Ballesteros was eliminated in the first hole of the playoff. On the second playoff hole, which was Augusta's eleventh, a par four, Mize's second shot landed well off the putting green. It appeared that a birdie would be impossible, and that even making par might be difficult. Meanwhile, Norman's second shot landed on the edge of the green, giving him a potentially makeable birdie putt. On his third shot, Mize hit an incredible, memorable chip shot with a sand wedge from around 140 feet, giving him the birdie. Norman now had an opportunity to tie, but he failed to sink the putt.[3] Mize's win was especially appreciated because he is an Augusta native and had worked on the scoreboard at Augusta National's third hole as a teenager. His Masters win and a tie for fourth at the U.S. Open in June briefly put him in the top-10 of the Official World Golf Ranking.[4]
Mize also won four international events and played for the U.S. teams in the Ryder Cup in 1987 and the Dunhill Cup in 2000. For many years Mize and Coca-Cola sponsored a successful charity golf tournament to benefit cystic fibrosis held at the Atlanta Athletic Club. Mize currently resides in Columbus, Georgia with his wife and three sons. His hobbies are fishing, basketball, and playing the piano. Mize is a Republican.[5]
Professional wins (10)
PGA Tour wins (4)
Legend |
Major championships (1) |
Other PGA Tour (3) |
No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | To par | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Jun 26, 1983 | Danny Thomas Memphis Classic | 70-65-69-70=274 | −14 | 1 stroke | |
2 | Apr 12, 1987 | Masters Tournament | 70-72-72-71=285 | −3 | Playoff | |
3 | Jan 24, 1993 | Northern Telecom Open | 68-66-70-67=271 | −17 | 2 strokes | |
4 | Aug 8, 1993 | Buick Open | 64-69-71-68=272 | −16 | 1 stroke |
PGA Tour playoff record (1–3)
No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1986 | Kemper Open | Lost to par on sixth extra hole | |
2 | 1987 | Masters Tournament | Won with birdie on second extra hole Ballesteros eliminated with par on first hole | |
3 | 1990 | MCI Heritage Golf Classic | Stewart won with birdie on second extra hole Jones eliminated with par on first hole | |
4 | 1998 | Canon Greater Hartford Open | Browne won with birdie on first extra hole |
Japan Golf Tour wins (3)
No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | To par | Margin of victory | Runner-up |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Nov 27, 1988 | Casio World Open | 72-71-68-73=284 | −4 | 1 stroke | |
2 | Nov 19, 1989 | Dunlop Phoenix Tournament | 69-64-71-68=272 | −16 | 4 strokes | |
3 | Nov 18, 1990 | Dunlop Phoenix Tournament (2) | 69-65-69-71=274 | −14 | 3 strokes |
Other wins (2)
- 1993 Johnnie Walker World Golf Championship (unofficial event)
- 2000 Straight Down Fall Classic (with Jim Lehman)
Major championships
Wins (1)
Year | Championship | 54 holes | Winning score | To par | Margin | Runners-up |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1987 | Masters Tournament | 2 shot deficit | 70-72-72-71=285 | −3 | Playoff1 |
1Defeated Norman and Ballesteros in a sudden-death playoff: Mize (4-3), Norman (4-x) and Ballesteros (5).
Results timeline
Tournament | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | T11 | T47 | T16 | 1 | T45 | T26 | ||||
U.S. Open | CUT | CUT | T39 | T24 | T4 | T12 | T33 | |||
The Open Championship | CUT | T46 | T26 | CUT | T19 | |||||
PGA Championship | T47 | T6 | T23 | T53 | CUT | CUT | T17 |
Tournament | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | T14 | T17 | T6 | T21 | 3 | CUT | T23 | T30 | CUT | 23 |
U.S. Open | T14 | T55 | CUT | CUT | CUT | CUT | CUT | T58 | 64 | |
The Open Championship | T31 | CUT | CUT | T27 | T11 | CUT | T52 | |||
PGA Championship | T12 | CUT | T40 | CUT | T15 | CUT | T8 | T58 | CUT |
Tournament | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | T25 | CUT | CUT | CUT | CUT | CUT | T42 | CUT | CUT | T30 |
U.S. Open | T37 | CUT | ||||||||
The Open Championship | ||||||||||
PGA Championship |
Tournament | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | CUT | CUT | CUT | CUT | 51 | CUT | T52 | 52 | CUT |
U.S. Open | |||||||||
The Open Championship | |||||||||
PGA Championship |
Tournament | 2019 |
---|---|
Masters Tournament | CUT |
PGA Championship | |
U.S. Open | |
The Open Championship |
CUT = missed the half-way cut (3rd round cut in 1984 Open Championship)
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Summary
Tournament | Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top-5 | Top-10 | Top-25 | Events | Cuts made |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 11 | 36 | 20 |
PGA Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 16 | 10 |
U.S. Open | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 18 | 10 |
The Open Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 12 | 7 |
Totals | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 23 | 82 | 47 |
- Most consecutive cuts made – 11 (1984 PGA – 1987 Open Championship)
- Longest streak of top-10s – 2 (1987 Masters – 1987 U.S. Open)
Results in The Players Championship
Tournament | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
The Players Championship | T13 | T15 | CUT | 2 | T12 | CUT | T70 | CUT | CUT | T54 | CUT | CUT | T8 | T13 | T14 | T31 | T23 | CUT | CUT | CUT |
CUT = missed the halfway cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
U.S. national team appearances
Professional
References
- "Week 25 1987 Ending 21 Jun 1987" (pdf). OWGR. Retrieved December 20, 2018.
- http://www.wrdw.com/home/headlines/2598236.html
- Ballard, Sarah (April 20, 1987). "My, Oh Mize". Sports Illustrated. pp. 36–43. Retrieved January 3, 2013.
- "69 Players Who Have Reached The Top-10 In World Ranking" (PDF). Retrieved January 3, 2013.
- https://www.opensecrets.org/donor-lookup/results?name=LARRY+MIZE&cycle=&state=&zip=&employ=golfer&cand=
External links
- Larry Mize at the PGA Tour official site
- Larry Mize at the Japan Golf Tour official site
- Larry Mize at the Official World Golf Ranking official site