# Kevin Stadler

Kevin Stadler (born February 5, 1980) is an American professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour and formerly on the European Tour.

## Early life

Stadler, the son of former Masters champion and 13-time PGA Tour winner Craig Stadler (known affectionately by pros and fans as The Walrus) and Susan Barrett, was born in Reno, Nevada. He moved with his family to Denver, Colorado, where he attended Kent Denver School, excelling on the school's golf team. He graduated from the University of Southern California and turned professional in 2002.

## Professional career

In 2004 Stadler won twice on the second tier Nationwide Tour, and finished 13th on the money list to win a place on the 2005 PGA Tour. In his rookie season on the elite tour he came 168th on the money list, thus losing his playing status.
Early in 2006 Stadler won the Johnnie Walker Classic in Australia, gaining a two-year exemption on the European, Asian, and Australasian tours. Stadler commented, "I am honestly baffled by this win.... It was my intention this year just to play the Nationwide Tour and get my PGA Tour card back but now I have no idea what I will do". His dilemma was that the European Tour, on which he became eligible to play, is much more prestigious and lucrative than the Nationwide Tour, but unlike the Nationwide Tour it did not offer a direct route to his objective of regaining his playing privileges on the PGA Tour. For the remainder of 2006 he divided his time between the two tours, winning twice on the Nationwide Tour, and finishing twelfth on the money list to regain his PGA Tour card with effect from the start of the 2007 season.
During the 2009 season Stadler lost in a playoff at the Wyndham Championship to Ryan Moore. At the time Moore and Stadler were both trying to capture their first PGA Tour title.
On February 2, 2014, Stadler won the Waste Management Phoenix Open marking his first PGA Tour victory. Stadler won after Bubba Watson made bogey on the 18th hole. The event was Stadler's 239th PGA Tour start and would ensure him of his first Masters invitation. Craig and Kevin were the first father-son duo to play at Augusta in the same tournament. Kevin is also the first son of a Masters champion to play in that tournament. Kevin is nicknamed as "Smallrus," a play on his father's nickname of "Walrus." Kevin finished T8 in his Masters debut, ensuring him of making the 2015 field. He missed the cut in 2015. His career-best world ranking was 52nd in 2014.
Stadler was one of the few golfers to employ the use of an anchor putter, which the PGA Tour banned on January 1, 2016. In preparation for the ban, Stadler started putting left-handed.
A broken bone in his left hand limited Stadler to five events during the 2014−15 season. Stadler attempted a comeback on the Web.com Tour's Digital Ally Open in 2017, but he withdrew after the first round. He entered the 2017–18 season with a Major Medical Extension that required him to earn 454.420 FedEx Cup points or $717,890 in 26 starts in order to retain his PGA Tour privileges, but was unable to meet the terms.

## Amateur wins

* 1997 Doug Sanders Junior World Championship

## Professional wins (9)
### PGA Tour wins (1)

| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runners-up |
| 1 | Feb 2, 2014 | Waste Management Phoenix Open | −16 (65-68-67-68=268) | 1 stroke | Graham DeLaet, Bubba Watson |
PGA Tour playoff record (0–1)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponents | Result |
| 1 | 2009 | Wyndham Championship | Jason Bohn, Ryan Moore | Moore won with birdie on third extra hole Bohn eliminated by par on first hole |

### European Tour wins (1)

| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner-up |
| 1 | Feb 12, 2006 | Johnnie Walker Classic$^1$ | −20 (64-69-66-69=268) | 2 strokes | Nick O'Hern |
$^1$Co-sanctioned with the Asian Tour and the PGA Tour of Australasia

### Nationwide Tour wins (4)

| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
| 1 | Jun 27, 2004 | Lake Erie Charity Classic | −9 (66-70-69-74=279) | Playoff | Michael Long, Bubba Watson |
| 2 | Jul 11, 2004 | Scholarship America Showdown | −11 (69-65-67-68=269) | Playoff | Mathew Goggin, Kyle Thompson, Chris Tidland |
| 3 | Aug 13, 2006 | Xerox Classic | −9 (69-68-69-65=271) | 1 stroke | Glen Day |
| 4 | Sep 17, 2006 | Albertsons Boise Open | −20 (64-64-70-66=264) | 1 stroke | Glen Day |
Nationwide Tour playoff record (2–0)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponents | Result |
| 1 | 2004 | Lake Erie Charity Classic | Michael Long, Bubba Watson | Won with par on fourth extra hole Long eliminated by par on first hole |
| 2 | 2004 | Scholarship America Showdown | Mathew Goggin, Kyle Thompson, Chris Tidland | Won with birdie on third extra hole Thompson eliminated by par on second hole Goggin eliminated by par on first hole |

### Challenge Tour wins (1)

| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner-up |
| 1 | Dec 11, 2005 (2006 season) | Abierto Visa de la República$^1$ | −6 (69-66-67-72=274) | 2 strokes | Ángel Cabrera |
$^1$Co-sanctioned by the Tour de las Américas and the PGA of Argentina Tour

### Other wins (2)

| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runners-up |
| 1 | Sep 1, 2002 | Colorado Open | −8 (276) | Playoff | Gary Hallberg, Brian Kortan |
| 2 | Dec 15, 2002 | Office Depot Father/Son Challenge (with father Craig Stadler) | −24 (60-60=120) | Playoff | Hale Irwin and son Steve Irwin |
Other playoff record (2–0)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponents | Result |
| 1 | 2002 | Colorado Open | Gary Hallberg, Brian Kortan | Won with birdie on first extra hole |
| 2 | 2002 | Office Depot Father/Son Challenge (with father Craig Stadler) | Hale Irwin and son Steve Irwin | Won with birdie on first extra hole |

## Results in major championships

| Tournament | 2004 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2010 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 |
| Masters Tournament | | | | | | | T8 | CUT |
| U.S. Open | 65 | CUT | | | | | T63 | |
| The Open Championship | | | T51 | T58 | | | T39 | |
| PGA Championship | | | | | CUT | CUT | T64 | |
CUT = missed the half-way cut "T" = tied

## Results in The Players Championship

| Tournament | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 |
| The Players Championship | T15 | | T58 | CUT | T25 | CUT | CUT |
CUT = missed the halfway cut "T" indicates a tie for a place

## Results in World Golf Championships

| Tournament | 2006 | 2007 | 2014 |
| Match Play | | | R64 |
| Championship | | T68 | T47 |
| Invitational | T13 | | T19 |
| Champions | | | WD |
QF, R16, R32, R64 = Round in which player lost in match play WD = withdrew "T" = Tied Note that the HSBC Champions did not become a WGC event until 2009.