# Craig Stadler

Craig Robert Stadler (born June 2, 1953) is an American professional golfer who has won numerous tournaments at both the PGA Tour and Champions Tour level, including one major championship, the 1982 Masters Tournament.

## Early life

Stadler was born in San Diego, California. His father introduced him to golf at age four, and he displayed a talent for golf early in life. Stadler attended La Jolla High School He won the 1973 U.S. Amateur, while attending the University of Southern California, where he was a teammate of future PGA Tour winners Mark Pfeil and Scott Simpson. Stadler was an All-American all four years – first-team his sophomore and junior years; second-team his freshman and senior years. Stadler finished college in 1975 and turned professional in 1976.

## Professional career

Stadler won his first two PGA Tour events in 1980, at the Bob Hope Desert Classic and the Greater Greensboro Open. His career year was 1982 when he won four PGA Tour events including the Masters Tournament after a playoff with Dan Pohl and the World Series of Golf at the end of the year. Stadler won the money list for the only time. His next win was at the 1984 Byron Nelson Classic.
Despite playing relatively well, Stadler did not win a PGA Tour event for over 7 years (May 1984 – November 1991) during the heart of his career. During this period he recorded six runner-up performances and dozens of top-10s on the PGA Tour. He had more success at winning international tournaments. He won the 1985 Swiss Open on the European Tour and the 1987 Dunlop Phoenix Tournament on the Japan Golf Tour. He had great success at the Scandinavian Enterprise Open too, an official event on the European Tour, finishing runner-up at the 1983 and 1986 events until finally winning in 1990. His winless streak in America was broken at the final event of the 1991 season, defeating Russ Cochran in a playoff at the Tour Championship. Stadler won the B.C. Open in 2003, becoming the first player over age 50 to win a PGA Tour event in 28 years and the first player ever to win on the PGA Tour after he had won on the Champions Tour. He won 13 PGA Tour events in all, and played on the 1983 and 1985 Ryder Cup teams. In 1994 he was the featured coach for the Sega Saturn video game Pebble Beach Golf Links. In 1996 he appeared as himself in the film Tin Cup.
Stadler began playing on the Champions Tour upon becoming eligible in June 2003. His greatest successes came during his first two years of eligibility; he was the leading money winner in his first full year on that tour in 2004. Stadler underwent total left-hip-replacement surgery in Los Angeles on September 15, 2010, which limits his playing time. Stadler announced that the 2014 Masters Tournament, his 38th and in which he played with Kevin, was his last.

## Personal life

Very popular with the galleries, Stadler is affectionately called "The Walrus" for his portly build and ample mustache. He lives in Denver, Colorado. His son Kevin is also a PGA Tour champion. Stadler and his son Kevin are the only father and son who have both won on both the PGA Tour and the European Tour. Stadler's brother Gary Stadler is a Billboard-charting recording artist.
In 1984, United Airlines held a promotion for its frequent flyer members in which any member who flew the airline to all 50 states in the United States in a 50-day period would receive free first-class flights for one year. Stadler was one of 78 people who completed the challenge.

## Amateur wins

* 1973 U.S. Amateur
* 1975 Southwestern Amateur

## Professional wins (30)
### PGA Tour wins (13)

* Legend
* Major championships (1)
* Tour Championships (1)
* Other PGA Tour (11)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
| 1 | Jan 13, 1980 | Bob Hope Desert Classic | −17 (69-68-70-69-67=343) | 2 strokes | Tom Purtzer, Mike Sullivan |
| 2 | Apr 6, 1980 | Greater Greensboro Open | −13 (67-69-71-68=275) | 6 strokes | George Burns, Billy Kratzert, Jack Newton, Jerry Pate |
| 3 | May 31, 1981 | Kemper Open | −10 (67-69-66-68=270) | 6 strokes | Tom Watson, Tom Weiskopf |
| 4 | Jan 10, 1982 | Joe Garagiola-Tucson Open | −14 (65-64-66-71=266) | 3 strokes | Vance Heafner, John Mahaffey |
| 5 | Apr 11, 1982 | Masters Tournament | −4 (75-69-67-73=284) | Playoff | Dan Pohl |
| 6 | Jun 6, 1982 | Kemper Open (2) | −13 (72-67-67-69=275) | 7 strokes | Seve Ballesteros |
| 7 | Aug 29, 1982 | World Series of Golf | −2 (70-68-75-65=278) | Playoff | Raymond Floyd |
| 8 | May 13, 1984 | Byron Nelson Golf Classic | −8 (70-71-64-71=276) | 1 stroke | David Edwards |
| 9 | Nov 3, 1991 | The Tour Championship | −5 (68-68-72-71=279) | Playoff | Russ Cochran |
| 10 | Aug 30, 1992 | NEC World Series of Golf (2) | −7 (69-65-69-70=273) | 1 stroke | Corey Pavin |
| 11 | Feb 27, 1994 | Buick Invitational of California | −20 (67-67-68-66=268) | 1 stroke | Steve Lowery |
| 12 | Feb 25, 1996 | Nissan Open | −6 (67-70-73-68=278) | 1 stroke | Mark Brooks, Fred Couples, Scott Simpson, Mark Wiebe |
| 13 | Jul 20, 2003 | B.C. Open | −21 (67-69-68-63=267) | 1 stroke | Alex Čejka, Steve Lowery |
PGA Tour playoff record (3–3)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
| 1 | 1982 | Masters Tournament | Dan Pohl | Won with par on first extra hole |
| 2 | 1982 | World Series of Golf | Raymond Floyd | Won with par on fourth extra hole |
| 3 | 1985 | Bob Hope Classic | Lanny Wadkins | Lost to birdie on fifth extra hole |
| 4 | 1987 | Hawaiian Open | Corey Pavin | Lost to birdie on second extra hole |
| 5 | 1991 | The Tour Championship | Russ Cochran | Won with birdie on second extra hole |
| 6 | 2000 | Shell Houston Open | Robert Allenby | Lost to par on fourth extra hole |

### European Tour wins (3)

* Legend
* Major championships (1)
* Other European Tour (2)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
| 1 | Apr 11, 1982 | Masters Tournament | −4 (75-69-67-73=284) | Playoff | Dan Pohl |
| 2 | Sep 8, 1985 | Ebel European Masters Swiss Open | −21 (68-65-67-67=267) | 2 strokes | David Feherty, Ove Sellberg |
| 3 | Jun 10, 1990 | Scandinavian Enterprise Open | −20 (68-72-67-61=268) | 4 strokes | Craig Parry |
European Tour playoff record (1–1)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
| 1 | 1982 | Masters Tournament | Dan Pohl | Won with par on first extra hole |
| 2 | 1986 | Scandinavian Enterprise Open | Greg Turner | Lost to birdie on first extra hole |

### PGA of Japan Tour wins (1)

| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner-up |
| 1 | Nov 22, 1987 | Dunlop Phoenix Tournament | −11 (71-65-69-72=277) | 1 stroke | Scott Hoch |

### South American Tour wins (1)

* 1992 Argentine Open

### Other wins (4)

| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
| 1 | Apr 9, 1978 | Magnolia State Classic | −12 (67-66-72-63=268) | 1 stroke | Bob Eastwood, Bruce Fleisher |
| 2 | Aug 19, 1986 | Jerry Ford Invitational | −9 (67-68=135) | 2 strokes | Mark O'Meara |
| 3 | Aug 22, 1989 | Fred Meyer Challenge (with Joey Sindelar) | −19 (62-63=125) | 1 stroke | Mark Calcavecchia and Bob Gilder |
| 4 | Dec 15, 2002 | Office Depot Father/Son Challenge (with son Kevin Stadler) | −24 (60-60=120) | Playoff | Hale Irwin and son Steve Irwin |
Other playoff record (1–1)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
| 1 | 1982 | Nedbank Million Dollar Challenge | Raymond Floyd | Lost to par on fourth extra hole |
| 2 | 2002 | Office Depot Father/Son Challenge (with son Kevin Stadler) | Hale Irwin and son Steve Irwin | Won with birdie on first extra hole |

### Champions Tour wins (9)

* Legend
* Champions Tour major championships (2)
* Other Champions Tour (7)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
| 1 | Jul 13, 2003 | Ford Senior Players Championship | −17 (67-73-65-66=271) | 3 strokes | Tom Kite, Jim Thorpe, Tom Watson |
| 2 | Sep 28, 2003 | Greater Hickory Classic at Rock Barn | −15 (66-69-66=201) | 2 strokes | Larry Nelson |
| 3 | Oct 19, 2003 | SBC Championship | −15 (67-64-67=198) | 4 strokes | Bob Gilder |
| 4 | Feb 15, 2004 | ACE Group Classic | −10 (67-67-72=206) | Playoff | Gary Koch, Tom Watson |
| 5 | Jun 27, 2004 | Bank of America Championship | −15 (68-69-64=201) | 4 strokes | Tom Kite, Tom Purtzer, D. A. Weibring |
| 6 | Aug 29, 2004 | JELD-WEN Tradition | −13 (70-70-68-67=275) | 1 stroke | Allen Doyle, Jerry Pate |
| 7 | Sep 5, 2004 | First Tee Open at Pebble Beach | −15 (72-63-66=201) | 3 strokes | Jay Haas |
| 8 | Sep 26, 2004 | SAS Championship | −17 (65-68-66=199) | 6 strokes | Tom Jenkins |
| 9 | Jun 23, 2013 | Encompass Championship | −13 (67-65-71=203) | 1 stroke | Fred Couples |
Champions Tour playoff record (1–2)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponents | Result |
| 1 | 2004 | ACE Group Classic | Gary Koch, Tom Watson | Won with birdie on first extra hole |
| 2 | 2007 | Boeing Classic | R. W. Eaks, David Eger, Gil Morgan, Naomichi Ozaki, Dana Quigley, Denis Watson | Watson won with eagle on second extra hole Eger, Morgan, Ozaki and Quigley eliminated by birdie on first hole |
| 3 | 2009 | Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf (with Jeff Sluman) | Tom Lehman and Bernhard Langer | Lost to par on second extra hole |

## Major championships
### Wins (1)

| Year | Championship | 54 holes | Winning score | Margin | Runner-up |
| 1982 | Masters Tournament | 3 shot lead | −4 (75-69-67-73=284) | Playoff$^1$ | Dan Pohl |
$^1$Defeated Pohl with par on first extra hole.

### Results timeline

| Tournament | 1974 | 1975 | 1978 | 1979 |
| Masters Tournament | CUT | CUT | | T7 |
| U.S. Open | CUT | | | CUT |
| The Open Championship | | CUT | | |
| PGA Championship | | | 6 | CUT |
| Tournament | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 |
| Masters Tournament | T26 | T43 | 1 | T6 | T35 | T6 | CUT | T17 | 3 | CUT |
| U.S. Open | T16 | T26 | T22 | T10 | WD | CUT | T15 | T24 | T25 | |
| The Open Championship | T6 | CUT | T35 | T12 | T28 | CUT | WD | T8 | T60 | T13 |
| PGA Championship | T55 | CUT | T16 | T63 | T18 | T18 | T30 | T28 | T15 | T7 |
| Tournament | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 |
| Masters Tournament | T14 | T12 | T25 | T34 | CUT | CUT | T29 | T26 | T41 | T38 |
| U.S. Open | T8 | T19 | T33 | T33 | CUT | | | | | |
| The Open Championship | CUT | T101 | T64 | | T24 | CUT | T45 | CUT | | |
| PGA Championship | T57 | T7 | T48 | CUT | T19 | T8 | CUT | T53 | T38 | CUT |
| Tournament | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 |
| Masters Tournament | CUT | CUT | T32 | 49 | CUT | 50 | CUT | T49 | CUT | CUT |
| U.S. Open | CUT | | T18 | | | | | | | |
| The Open Championship | | | | | | | | | | |
| PGA Championship | T64 | | | | | | | | | |
| Tournament | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 |
| Masters Tournament | CUT | CUT | CUT | CUT | CUT |
| U.S. Open | | | | | |
| The Open Championship | | | | | |
| PGA Championship | | | | | |
CUT = missed the halfway cut (3rd round cut in 1975 and 1985 Open Championships) WD = withdrew "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 | 5 | 9 | 38 | 21 |
| U.S. Open | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 18 | 12 |
| The Open Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 18 | 11 |
| PGA Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 9 | 23 | 18 |
| Totals | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 13 | 32 | 97 | 62 |
* Most consecutive cuts made – 11 (1990 PGA – 1993 U.S. Open)
* Longest streak of top-10s – 2 (twice)

## Results in The Players Championship

| Tournament | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 |
| The Players Championship | CUT | CUT | T67 | T67 | CUT | T6 | T63 | T3 | T13 | CUT | CUT | T45 | T21 |
| Tournament | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 |
| The Players Championship | T61 | CUT | CUT | CUT | CUT | T14 | T41 | CUT | T31 | T62 | CUT | CUT | T36 | | T66 |
CUT = missed the halfway cut "T" indicates a tie for a place

## Results in World Golf Championships

| Tournament | 1999 | 2001 |
| Match Play | R32 | QF |
| Championship | | NT$^1$ |
| Invitational | | |
$^1$Cancelled due to 9/11
QF, R16, R32, R64 = Round in which player lost in match play NT = No tournament

## Senior major championships
### Wins (2)

| Year | Championship | Winning score | Margin | Runners-up |
| 2003 | Ford Senior Players Championship | −17 (67-73-65-66=271) | 3 strokes | Tom Kite, Jim Thorpe, Tom Watson |
| 2004 | JELD-WEN Tradition | −13 (70-70-68-67=275) | 1 stroke | Allen Doyle, Jerry Pate |

## U.S. national team appearances

Amateur
* Walker Cup: 1975 (winners)
Professional
* Ryder Cup: 1983 (winners), 1985
* UBS Cup: 2003 (tie), 2004 (winners)
* Wendy's 3-Tour Challenge (representing Champions Tour): 2003, 2004, 2005 (winners), 2006