| Fullname | David Knapp Stockton |
|---|---|
| Birth date | November 2, 1941 (age 84) |
| Birth place | San Bernardino, California, U.S. |
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) |
| Weight | 190 lb (86 kg; 14 st) |
| Residence | Redlands, California, U.S. |
| College | University of Southern California |
| Yearpro | 1964 |
| Extour | PGA Tour Champions Tour |
| Prowins | 25 |
| Pgawins | 10 |
| Champwins | 14 |
| Otherwins | 1 |
| Majorwins | 2 |
| Masters | T2: 1974 |
| Usopen | T2: 1978 |
| Open | T11: 1971 |
| Pga | Won: 1970, 1976 |
| Award 1 | Senior PGA Tour Rookie of the Year |
| Year 1 | 1992 |
| Award 2 | Senior PGA Tour money list winner |
| Year 2 | 1993, 1994 |
| Award 3 | Senior PGA Tour Player of the Year |
| Year 3 | 1993 |
David Knapp Stockton (born November 2, 1941) is an American retired professional golfer who has won tournaments on both the PGA Tour and the Champions Tour.
Early life and amateur career
In 1941, Stockton was born in San Bernardino, California.[1][2] He attended the University of Southern California.
Professional career
In 1964, Stockton turned professional. His first PGA Tour win came at the 1967 Colonial National Invitation. Stockton 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.
Stockton's 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, respectively, 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.[3] 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.[4]
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.
Senior career
In 1991, Stockton joined the Senior PGA Tour 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.
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.[5]
Personal life
Stockton is married to former Orange Show beauty queen Catherine Hales. They have two children, Dave Jr. and Ron, who both play professional golf.
Professional wins (25)
PGA Tour wins (10)
| Legend |
|---|
| Major championships (2) |
| Other PGA Tour (8) |
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | May 21, 1967 | Colonial National Invitation | −2 (65-66-74-73=278) | 2 strokes | Charles Coody |
| 2 | Jun 30, 1968 | Cleveland Open Invitational | −8 (69-68-67-72=276) | 2 strokes | Bob Dickson |
| 3 | Jul 14, 1968 | Greater Milwaukee Open | −13 (68-67-71-69=275) | 4 strokes | Sam Snead |
| 4 | Aug 16, 1970 | PGA Championship | −1 (70-70-66-73=279) | 2 strokes | Bob Murphy, Arnold Palmer |
| 5 | Aug 15, 1971 | Massachusetts Classic | −13 (71-69-69-66=275) | 1 stroke | Raymond Floyd |
| 6 | Jul 8, 1973 | Greater Milwaukee Open (2) | −12 (69-63-71-73=276) | 1 stroke | Homero Blancas, Hubert Green |
| 7 | Feb 17, 1974 | Glen Campbell-Los Angeles Open | −8 (68-68-71-69=276) | 2 strokes | John Mahaffey, Sam Snead |
| 8 | Jul 14, 1974 | Quad Cities Open | −13 (68-68-71-64=271) | 1 stroke | Bruce Fleisher |
| 9 | Aug 18, 1974 | Sammy Davis Jr.-Greater Hartford Open | −16 (65-65-69-69=268) | 4 strokes | Raymond Floyd |
| 10 | Aug 15, 1976 | PGA Championship (2) | +1 (70-72-69-70=281) | 1 stroke | Raymond Floyd, Don January |
PGA Tour playoff record (0–1)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1977 | Phoenix Open | Jerry Pate | Lost to birdie on first extra hole |
Other wins (1)
- 1967 Haig & Haig Scotch Foursome (with Laurie Hammer)
Senior PGA Tour wins (14)
| Legend |
|---|
| Senior PGA Tour major championships (3) |
| Other Senior PGA Tour (11) |
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oct 6, 1992 | The Senior Players Championship | −11 (71-67-70-69=277) | 1 stroke | J. C. Snead, Lee Trevino |
| 2 | Apr 25, 1993 | Muratec Reunion Pro-Am | −5 (73-72-66=211) | 4 strokes | Harold Henning |
| 3 | Jun 13, 1993 | Southwestern Bell Classic | −6 (65-68-71=204) | 1 stroke | Larry Mowry, Walt Zembriski |
| 4 | Aug 15, 1993 | Franklin Quest Championship | −19 (68-66-63=197) | 9 strokes | Al Geiberger |
| 5 | Aug 22, 1993 | GTE Northwest Classic | −16 (65-68-67=200) | 4 strokes | Dale Douglass |
| 6 | Oct 10, 1993 | The Transamerica | −13 (68-71-64=203) | 1 stroke | Simon Hobday, Lee Trevino |
| 7 | Jun 12, 1994 | Nationwide Championship | −18 (67-66-65=198) | 1 stroke | Bob Murphy |
| 8 | Jun 26, 1994 | Ford Senior Players Championship (2) | −17 (66-66-71-68=271) | 6 strokes | Jim Albus |
| 9 | Aug 21, 1994 | Burnet Senior Classic | −13 (68-66-69=203) | 1 stroke | Jim Albus |
| 10 | Feb 19, 1995 | GTE Suncoast Classic | −9 (70-66-68=204) | 2 strokes | Bob Charles, Jim Colbert, J. C. Snead |
| 11 | May 28, 1995 | Quicksilver Classic | −10 (72-69-67=206) | 1 stroke | Isao Aoki |
| 12 | Jul 7, 1996 | U.S. Senior Open | −11 (70-67-67-73=277) | 2 strokes | Hale Irwin |
| 13 | Aug 11, 1996 | First of America Classic | −10 (68-69-69=206) | 1 stroke | Bob Murphy |
| 14 | Jul 27, 1997 | Franklin Quest Championship (2) | −15 (69-64-68=201) | 2 strokes | Kermit Zarley |
Senior PGA Tour playoff record (0–6)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1993 | Ping Kaanapali Classic | George Archer, Lee Trevino | Archer won with birdie on first extra hole |
| 2 | 1994 | Franklin Quest Championship | Tom Weiskopf | Lost to birdie on first extra hole |
| 3 | 1995 | Hyatt Regency Maui Kaanapali Classic | Bob Charles | Lost to birdie on third extra hole |
| 2 | 1996 | Las Vegas Senior Classic | Bob Charles, Jim Colbert | Colbert won with par on fourth extra hole Charles eliminated by par on first hole |
| 5 | 1996 | Emerald Coast Classic | Bob Eastwood, David Graham, Mike Hill, Lee Trevino | Trevino won with birdie on first extra hole |
| 6 | 1998 | Royal Caribbean Classic | David Graham | Lost to birdie on tenth extra hole |
Major championships
Wins (2)
| Year | Championship | 54 holes | Winning score | Margin | Runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | PGA Championship | 3 shot lead | −1 (70-70-66-73=279) | 2 strokes | Bob Murphy, Arnold Palmer |
| 1976 | PGA Championship (2) | 4 shot deficit | +1 (70-72-69-70=281) | 1 stroke | Raymond Floyd, Don January |
Results timeline
| Tournament | 1968 | 1969 |
|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | 18 | |
| U.S. Open | T9 | T25 |
| The Open Championship | ||
| PGA Championship | T17 | T35 |
| Tournament | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | T5 | T9 | T10 | T14 | T2 | T26 | T39 | CUT | CUT | |
| U.S. Open | CUT | CUT | T39 | T40 | T43 | CUT | CUT | T2 | T36 | |
| The Open Championship | T11 | T31 | ||||||||
| PGA Championship | 1 | T40 | T40 | T12 | T26 | CUT | 1 | T31 | T19 | T35 |
| Tournament | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | T26 | T31 | ||||||||
| U.S. Open | T51 | CUT | T45 | CUT | ||||||
| The Open Championship | ||||||||||
| PGA Championship | CUT | T43 | CUT | CUT | T39 | T59 | T53 | CUT | T48 | T68 |
| Tournament | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | ||||||||
| U.S. Open | CUT | |||||||
| The Open Championship | ||||||||
| PGA Championship | CUT | CUT |
CUT = missed the halfway cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place.
Summary
| Tournament | Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top-5 | Top-10 | Top-25 | Events | Cuts made |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 12 | 10 |
| U.S. Open | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 16 | 9 |
| The Open Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| PGA Championship | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 24 | 17 |
| Totals | 2 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 8 | 15 | 54 | 38 |
- Most consecutive cuts made – 10 (1972 Open Championship – 1975 U.S. Open)
- Longest streak of top-10s – 3 (1970 Masters – 1971 Masters)
Results in The Players Championship
| Tournament | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Players Championship | T30 | 2 | T17 | CUT | CUT | T35 | T45 | T19 | T77 | CUT | CUT | T48 | 70 |
CUT = missed the halfway cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Champions Tour major championships
Wins (3)
| Year | Championship | Winning score | Margin | Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Mazda Presents The Senior Players Championship | −11 (71-67-70-69-277) | 1 stroke | J. C. Snead Lee Trevino |
| 1994 | Ford Senior Players Championship (2) | −17 (66-66-71-68=271) | 6 strokes | Jim Albus |
| 1996 | U.S. Senior Open | −11 (70-67-67-73=277) | 2 strokes | DeWitt Weaver |
U.S. national team appearances
Professional
- Ryder Cup: 1971 (winners), 1977 (winners), 1991 (winners, non-playing captain)
- World Cup: 1970, 1976
- Wendy's 3-Tour Challenge (representing Senior PGA Tour): 1994
See also
References
- ^ Brewster, Louis (2014-03-29). "Dave Stockton tops impressive list of San Bernardino County pro athletes". Daily Bulletin. Retrieved 2025-03-26.
- ^ Bohannan, Larry. "Ex-PGA star Dave Stockton uses love of golf, hunting at his job". The Desert Sun. Retrieved 2025-03-26.
- ^ "Stockton prevails over Arnie – and his army". Eugene Register-Guard. Associated Press. August 17, 1970. p. 3B. Retrieved August 16, 2012. – via Google News Archive.
- ^ "Stockton snatches PGA". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. August 17, 1976. p. 12. – via Google News Archive.
- ^ Stockton, Dave & Rudy, Matthew (September 15, 2011). Unconscious Putting: Dave Stockton's Guide to Unlocking Your Signature Stroke. Avery. ISBN 978-1592406609.