# Dan Pohl

Danny Joe Pohl (born April 1, 1955) is an American professional golfer. Pohl played on the PGA Tour and the Champions Tour. He won two PGA Tour tournaments, both in 1986: the Colonial and the World Series of Golf. However, Pohl may be best known for finishing second place at the 1982 Masters Tournament, losing to Craig Stadler in a playoff. Pohl also qualified for the 1987 Ryder Cup representing the American team.

## Early life

Born and raised in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan. He is considered the greatest athlete ever produced by Mt. Pleasant High School, where he has been inducted into its Athletic Hall of Fame, earning All State honors in three sports (golf, baseball and basketball). As a prep baseball player, Pohl was scouted by Major League teams. He was a star point guard on a prep basketball team that went undefeated (20-0) during his senior season.

## Amateur career

Pohl attended the University of Arizona and played for the Wildcats' golf team. Pohl twice won the Michigan Amateur Golf Championship in 1975 and 1977.

## Professional career

Pohl turned pro in 1977 and joined the PGA Tour in 1978. Early in his career, Pohl was one of the top drivers on tour leading the tour in driving distance in 1980 and 1981. During this era, Pohl had much success at the major tournaments. He had a third-place finish at the 1981 PGA Championship. This qualified him for the 1982 Masters Tournament. Pohl finished the tournament tied with Craig Stadler at the end of regulation. Stadler defeated him in the playoff. A few months later he recorded a T-3 at the 1982 U.S. Open.
He won two tournaments on the PGA Tour during his career both of which came in 1986: the Colonial National Invitation and the NEC World Series of Golf. Pohl finished fifth on the money list that year. Pohl had 70 top-10 finishes including more than a dozen second or third-place finishes. A highly ranked player in the world, his career was still ascending in 1987 when he posted the lowest scoring average on the PGA Tour and won the Vardon Trophy. The following year, Pohl began to suffer a series of injuries starting with low back surgery that dramatically altered his competitiveness. He was a member of the 1987 Ryder Cup Team.
Since turning 50 in April 2005, Pohl has played on the Champions Tour. His best finish at this level has been a T-3 at the 2005 Commerce Bank Long Island Classic.

## Awards and honors

* In 1985, Pohl was inducted into Arizona Sports Hall of Fame
* In 1987, he won the PGA Tour's Vardon Trophy
* In 2004, he was inducted into the Michigan Golf Hall of Fame

## Amateur wins

* 1975 Michigan Amateur
* 1977 Michigan Amateur

## Professional wins (3)
### PGA Tour wins (2)

| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner-up |
| 1 | May 18, 1986 | Colonial National Invitation | −5 (68-69-68=205)* | Playoff | Payne Stewart |
| 2 | Aug 24, 1986 | NEC World Series of Golf | −10 (69-66-71-71=277) | 1 stroke | Lanny Wadkins |
*Note: The 1986 Colonial National Invitation was shortened to 54 holes due to rain.
PGA Tour playoff record (1–2)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
| 1 | 1982 | Masters Tournament | Craig Stadler | Lost to par on first extra hole |
| 2 | 1985 | Canon Sammy Davis Jr.-Greater Hartford Open | Phil Blackmar, Jodie Mudd | Blackmar won with birdie on first extra hole |
| 3 | 1986 | Colonial National Invitation | Payne Stewart | Won with birdie on first extra hole |

### Other wins (1)

* 1988 Pebble Beach National Pro-Am Championship (with Dan Marino)

## Results in major championships

| Tournament | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 |
| Masters Tournament | | | 2 | T8 | T35 | | T31 | CUT | T16 | 42 |
| U.S. Open | CUT | | T3 | CUT | | CUT | CUT | T9 | T12 | T29 |
| The Open Championship | | | | | | | CUT | | | |
| PGA Championship | | 3 | T70 | 8 | T39 | T12 | T26 | T14 | 8 | T24 |
CUT = missed the half-way 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 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 6 |
| U.S. Open | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 4 |
| The Open Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| PGA Championship | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 9 |
| Totals | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 12 | 25 | 19 |
* Most consecutive cuts made – 8 (1987 U.S. Open – 1989 PGA)
* Longest streak of top-10s – 3 (1981 PGA – 1982 U.S. Open)

## Results in The Players Championship

| Tournament | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 |
| The Players Championship | T8 | T45 | WD | CUT | T8 | 74 | CUT | T7 | T8 | T50 | | CUT | T35 | WD | CUT | T68 | T62 |
CUT = missed the halfway cut WD = withdrew "T" indicates a tie for a place

## U.S. national team appearances

Professional
* Nissan Cup: 1986
* Ryder Cup: 1987