# Lanny Wadkins

Jerry Lanston "Lanny" Wadkins Jr. (born December 5, 1949) is an American professional golfer. He won 21 tournaments on the PGA Tour, including one major, the 1977 PGA Championship. He ranked in the top 10 of the Official World Golf Ranking for 86 weeks from the ranking's debut in 1986 to 1988.

## Early life and amateur career

Wadkins was born in Richmond, Virginia. He has a younger brother, Bobby Wadkins, who also became a professional golfer. Wadkins attended Meadowbrook High School in Chesterfield County.
After high school, he attended Wake Forest University on an Arnold Palmer golf scholarship. He joined Kappa Sigma fraternity at Wake Forest. He won the 1970 U.S. Amateur by one stroke ahead of Tom Kite, during the period when the title was played under a strokeplay format.

## Professional career

Wadkins turned professional in 1971. In the summer he won the Greater Bangor Open in Maine for his first professional victory. His first win on the PGA Tour came at the Sahara Invitational in Las Vegas in October 1972 where he finished one stroke ahead of runner-up Palmer, his scholarship benefactor. Wadkins was later voted Rookie of the Year on the tour in 1972. Two more wins followed in 1973 before his form dipped for three years. He bounced back to win his sole major title at the 1977 PGA Championship. He prevailed on the third hole of a sudden-death playoff at Pebble Beach against Gene Littler. It was the first time the sudden-death format was used in a stroke-play major championship.
Wadkins was runner-up in four subsequent majors (U.S. Open in 1986, PGA Championship in 1982, 1984, 1987) and finished third in the Masters three times (1990, 1991, 1993). At The Open Championship his best finish was fourth at St. Andrews in 1984.
On the PGA Tour, Wadkins won 1979 Tournament Players Championship and was voted PGA Player of the Year in 1985. Over his career, he picked up a win more seasons than not until 1992 when he achieved his twenty-first and final PGA Tour victory at the Canon Greater Hartford Open.
Like many star American golfers Wadkins was invited to play in a number of international tournaments. He won the 1978 Victorian PGA Championship on the PGA Tour of Australia and the 1979 Bridgestone Open on the Japan Golf Tour. He also finished runner-up at the 1979 German Open, 1980 Air New Zealand Shell Open, and 1990 Austrian Open. He also won significant events in South America and Canada.
Wadkins played for the United States in the Ryder Cup eight times between 1977 and 1993. Wadkins collected 21⁠1/2⁠ points during his Ryder Cup career, one of the very best records on either side in the history of the competition. He also captained the team in 1995 at Oak Hill Country Club.
Wadkins began play on the Champions Tour in 2000, and picked up a win in his first event at the ACE Group Classic in a four-way playoff. As a senior, he divided his time between competition and broadcasting work and did not become a regular winner at the senior level.

## Broadcasting

Following the retirement of Ken Venturi in June 2002, Wadkins was the lead golf analyst for CBS Sports for over four years, until he was replaced by Nick Faldo after the 2006 season. The lead analyst for the Champions Tour on Golf Channel for 13 years, he will retire in January 2025, and be succeeded by Paul Azinger.

## Honors

Wadkins was elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2009.

## Personal

Lanny is married to Penelope Wadkins and they have three children: Jessica, Travis, and Tucker. Travis played on the Wake Forest University golf team 2006–2010. Tucker played on the University of Arizona golf team from 2011–2015. In 2011, Travis played on the eGolf Tour and made it to the final stage of the PGA Tour's Qualifying School but failed to earn a card.
A nephew, Ron Whittaker, is a professional golfer on the second-tier Web.com Tour with 77 PGA Tour starts.

## Amateur wins

* 1968 Southern Amateur
* 1969 Eastern Amateur
* 1970 U.S. Amateur, Southern Amateur, Western Amateur

## Professional wins (33)
### PGA Tour wins (21)

* Legend
* Major championships (1)
* Players Championships (1)
* Other PGA Tour (19)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | To par | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
| 1 | Oct 29, 1972 | Sahara Invitational | 65-69-70-69=273 | −11 | 1 stroke | Arnold Palmer |
| 2 | Apr 29, 1973 | Byron Nelson Golf Classic | 71-68-71-67=277 | −3 | Playoff | Dan Sikes |
| 3 | Aug 19, 1973 | USI Classic | 71-69-70-69=279 | −9 | 2 strokes | Lee Elder, Tom Jenkins, Rik Massengale |
| 4 | Aug 14, 1977 | PGA Championship | 69-71-72-70=282 | −6 | Playoff | Gene Littler |
| 5 | Sep 5, 1977 | World Series of Golf | 69-66-67-65=267 | −13 | 5 strokes | Hale Irwin, Tom Weiskopf |
| 6 | Feb 25, 1979 | Glen Campbell-Los Angeles Open | 66-72-69-69=276 | −8 | 1 stroke | Lon Hinkle |
| 7 | Mar 25, 1979 | Tournament Players Championship | 67-68-76-72=283 | −5 | 5 strokes | Tom Watson |
| 8 | Jan 25, 1982 | Phoenix Open | 65-70-63-65=263 | −21 | 6 strokes | Jerry Pate |
| 9 | Apr 18, 1982 | MONY Tournament of Champions | 67-72-68-73=280 | −8 | 3 strokes | Andy Bean, David Graham, Craig Stadler, Ron Streck |
| 10 | Aug 22, 1982 | Buick Open | 66-71-71-65=273 | −15 | 1 stroke | Tom Kite |
| 11 | Apr 3, 1983 | Greater Greensboro Open | 72-69-67-67=275 | −13 | 5 strokes | Craig Stadler, Denis Watson |
| 12 | Apr 24, 1983 | MONY Tournament of Champions (2) | 67-70-71-72=280 | −8 | 1 stroke | Raymond Floyd |
| 13 | Jan 13, 1985 | Bob Hope Classic | 67-67-68-66-65=333 | −27 | Playoff | Craig Stadler |
| 14 | Jan 27, 1985 | Los Angeles Open (2) | 63-70-67-64=264 | −20 | 7 strokes | Hal Sutton |
| 15 | Oct 13, 1985 | Walt Disney World/Oldsmobile Classic | 68-67-69-63=267 | −21 | 1 stroke | Mike Donald, Scott Hoch |
| 16 | Mar 1, 1987 | Doral-Ryder Open | 75-66-66-70=277 | −11 | 3 strokes | Seve Ballesteros, Tom Kite, Don Pooley |
| 17 | Feb 14, 1988 | Hawaiian Open | 68-71-66-66=271 | −17 | 1 stroke | Richard Zokol |
| 18 | May 22, 1988 | Colonial National Invitation | 67-68-70-65=270 | −10 | 1 stroke | Mark Calcavecchia, Ben Crenshaw, Joey Sindelar |
| 19 | Jul 8, 1990 | Anheuser-Busch Golf Classic | 65-66-67-68=266 | −18 | 5 strokes | Larry Mize |
| 20 | Jan 20, 1991 | United Hawaiian Open (2) | 69-67-69-65=270 | −18 | 4 strokes | John Cook |
| 21 | Aug 2, 1992 | Canon Greater Hartford Open | 68-70-71-65=274 | −6 | 2 strokes | Dan Forsman, Donnie Hammond, Nick Price |
PGA Tour playoff record (3–3)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
| 1 | 1972 | Phoenix Open | Homero Blancas | Lost to birdie on first extra hole |
| 2 | 1973 | Byron Nelson Golf Classic | Dan Sikes | Won with par on first extra hole |
| 3 | 1977 | PGA Championship | Gene Littler | Won with par on third extra hole |
| 4 | 1983 | Joe Garagiola-Tucson Open | Gil Morgan, Curtis Strange | Morgan won with birdie on second extra hole |
| 5 | 1985 | Bob Hope Classic | Craig Stadler | Won with birdie on fifth extra hole |
| 6 | 1987 | PGA Championship | Larry Nelson | Lost to par on first extra hole |

### European Tour wins (1)

* Legend
* Major championships (1)
* Other European Tour (0)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | To par | Margin of victory | Runner-up |
| 1 | Aug 14, 1977 | PGA Championship | 69-71-72-70=282 | −6 | Playoff | Gene Littler |
European Tour playoff record (1–2)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
| 1 | 1977 | PGA Championship | Gene Littler | Won with par on third extra hole |
| 2 | 1987 | PGA Championship | Larry Nelson | Lost to par on first extra hole |
| 3 | 1990 | Austrian Open | Bernhard Langer | Lost to birdie on third extra hole |

### PGA of Japan Tour wins (1)

| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | To par | Margin of victory | Runner-up |
| 1 | Oct 28, 1979 | Bridgestone Tournament | 66-71-69-71=277 | −11 | 1 stroke | Yoshikazu Yokoshima |

### PGA Tour of Australasia wins (1)

| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | To par | Margin of victory | Runner-up |
| 1 | Oct 22, 1978 | Garden State Victorian PGA Championship | 75-68-69-69=281 | −7 | 3 strokes | Bob Shearer |

### Canadian Tour wins (1)

| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | To par | Margin of victory | Runners-up |
| 1 | Aug 20, 1978 | Labatt's International Golf Classic | 69-68-64-69=270 | −18 | 12 strokes | Dale Hayes, Simon Owen |

### Other wins (8)

* 1971 Virginia Open, Greater Bangor Open
* 1980 PGA Grand Slam of Golf (United States - unofficial event)
* 1981 Caribbean Open (Colombia)
* 1984 World Nissan Championship (Japan)
* 1990 Fred Meyer Challenge (with Bobby Wadkins)
* 1991 Shark Shootout (with Tom Purtzer)
* 2015 PNC Father Son Challenge (with son Tucker)

### Senior PGA Tour wins (1)

| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | To par | Margin of victory | Runners-up |
| 1 | Feb 13, 2000 | ACE Group Classic | 67-68-67=202 | −14 | Playoff | José María Cañizares, Walter Hall, Tom Watson |
Senior PGA Tour playoff record (1–0)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponents | Result |
| 1 | 2000 | ACE Group Classic | José María Cañizares, Walter Hall, Tom Watson | Won with par on third extra hole Hall and Watson eliminated by par on first hole |

## Major championships
### Wins (1)

| Year | Championship | 54 holes | Winning score | Margin | Runner-up |
| 1977 | PGA Championship | 6 shot deficit | −6 (69-71-72-70=282) | Playoff$^1$ | Gene Littler |
$^1$Defeated Littler with a par on the third extra hole.

### Results timeline

| Tournament | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 |
| Masters Tournament | CUT | CUT | T19 | T29 | CUT | | | | T18 | T7 |
| U.S. Open | | T13 | T25 | T7 | T26 | T38 | | | CUT | T19 |
| The Open Championship | | | | T7 | T22 | CUT | | | CUT | |
| PGA Championship | | | T16 | T3 | CUT | | CUT | 1 | T34 | 70 |
| Tournament | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 |
| Masters Tournament | CUT | T21 | T33 | T8 | CUT | T18 | T31 | T12 | T11 | T26 |
| U.S. Open | CUT | T14 | T6 | 7 | T11 | T5 | T2 | T36 | T12 | CUT |
| The Open Championship | | | | T29 | T4 | CUT | | T29 | T34 | T26 |
| PGA Championship | T30 | T33 | 2 | CUT | T2 | T10 | T11 | 2 | T25 | CUT |
| Tournament | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1999 |
| Masters Tournament | T3 | T3 | T48 | T3 | T18 | CUT | | | |
| U.S. Open | T51 | T63 | CUT | | | | | | |
| The Open Championship | CUT | T73 | T45 | CUT | | | | | |
| PGA Championship | CUT | T43 | T40 | T14 | T61 | T63 | CUT | T58 | T34 |
| Tournament | 2000 | 2001 |
| Masters Tournament | | |
| U.S. Open | | |
| The Open Championship | | |
| PGA Championship | CUT | CUT |
CUT = missed the halfway cut (3rd round cut in 1985 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 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 12 | 23 | 17 |
| U.S. Open | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 11 | 20 | 16 |
| The Open Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 14 | 9 |
| PGA Championship | 1 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 10 | 28 | 20 |
| Totals | 1 | 4 | 4 | 11 | 18 | 36 | 85 | 62 |
* Most consecutive cuts made – 13 (1985 PGA – 1989 Masters)
* Longest streak of top-10s – 3 (twice)

## The Players Championship
### Wins (1)

| Year | Championship | 54 holes | Winning score | Margin | Runner-up |
| 1979 | Tournament Players Championship | 3 shot lead | −5 (67-68-76-72=283) | 5 strokes | Tom Watson |

### Results timeline

| Tournament | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 |
| The Players Championship | WD | T65 | T34 | CUT | 1 | T45 | CUT | CUT | CUT | T5 | CUT | T40 | CUT | T6 | T41 | CUT | 62 | T29 | CUT | CUT | CUT | CUT |
CUT = missed the halfway cut WD = withdrew "T" indicates a tie for a place.

## U.S. national team appearances

Amateur
* Walker Cup: 1969 (winners), 1971
* Eisenhower Trophy: 1970 (winners)
Professional
* Ryder Cup: 1977 (winners), 1979 (winners), 1983 (winners), 1985, 1987, 1989 (tie), 1991 (winners), 1993 (winners), 1995 (captain)
* World Cup: 1977, 1984, 1985
* Dunhill Cup: 1986
* Four Tours World Championship: 1985 (winners), 1987 (winners), 1991
* US v Japan: 1982, 1983