# Steve Pate

Stephen Robert Pate (born May 26, 1961) is an American professional golfer who has played on both the PGA Tour, the Nationwide Tour and Champions Tour.

## Career

Pate was born in Ventura, California. He attended UCLA and was a member of the golf team; one teammate was Corey Pavin, who joined Pate on the PGA Tour. Pate helped lead the team to the 1983 Pac-10 Championship, and earned All-American honors that year. He turned pro and joined the PGA Tour later that year.
Pate has won six PGA Tour events. His first victory was at the 1987 Southwest Golf Classic; and his most recent win was at the 1998 CVS Charity Classic. His best years in professional golf were 1988 when he won twice and finished 12th on the money list; and 1991, when he had five top-3 finishes including a win at the Honda Classic, earned $727,997 and finished 6th on the money list. His best finish in a major is a T-3 at both the 1988 U.S. Open and the 1991 Masters. Pate has had more than 70 top-10 finishes in PGA Tour events. He has featured in the top-50 of the Official World Golf Ranking.
Pate's golf career is riddled by injuries. At the height of his career, playing some of the best golf on the PGA Tour, he was in a three vehicle pile up at the 1991 Ryder Cup and mainly cheered his teammates on from the sidelines. In 1996, he was in a nearly fatal car accident, where he shattered his wrist. Pate was not sure he would ever compete again at the highest level. He did return to the PGA Tour and in 1999, he finished T-4 in the Masters, setting the record, which holds today, of seven consecutive birdies in his third round (later to be tied by Tiger Woods). Finishing 13th on the 1999 money list, Pate was named the PGA Tour's Comeback Player of the Year.
Pate was a member of two winning Ryder Cup teams, 1991 and 1999. As he entered his 40s, he began to split his playing time between the PGA Tour and the Nationwide Tour. He has one victory on the Nationwide Tour, the 2010 Pacific Rubiales Bogotá Open, which he won at age 48. It was his first professional win since 1998.
Pate made his Champions Tour debut on May 26, 2011, his 50th birthday, in the Senior PGA Championship.
Pate lives in Westlake Village, California. He acquired the nickname "Volcano" due to his eruptions on the golf course. In 2006, Pate teamed with Damian Pascuzzo completing numerous golf course design projects, including a recent remodel of La Costa.

## Professional wins (8)
### PGA Tour wins (6)

| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
| 1 | Sep 27, 1987 | Southwest Golf Classic | −15 (67-71-68-67=273) | 1 stroke | Mark O'Meara, Bob Eastwood, Dan Halldorson, David Edwards |
| 2 | Jan 17, 1988 | MONY Tournament of Champions | −14 (66-66-70=202)* | 1 stroke | Larry Nelson |
| 3 | Feb 21, 1988 | Shearson Lehman Hutton Andy Williams Open | −19 (68-66-67-68=269) | 1 stroke | Jay Haas |
| 4 | Mar 10, 1991 | Honda Classic | −9 (69-65-70-75=279) | 3 strokes | Paul Azinger, Dan Halldorson |
| 5 | Feb 23, 1992 | Buick Invitational of California (2) | −16 (64-69-67=200)* | 1 stroke | Chip Beck |
| 6 | Jul 26, 1998 | CVS Charity Classic | −15 (70-65-67-67=269) | 1 stroke | Bradley Hughes, Scott Hoch |
*Note: Tournament shortened to 54 holes due to rain.
PGA Tour playoff record (0–3)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
| 1 | 1985 | Georgia-Pacific Atlanta Golf Classic | Wayne Levi | Lost to birdie on second extra hole |
| 2 | 1991 | BellSouth Atlanta Golf Classic | Corey Pavin | Lost to par on second extra hole |
| 3 | 1999 | GTE Byron Nelson Classic | Loren Roberts | Lost to par on first extra hole |

### Nationwide Tour wins (1)

| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner-up |
| 1 | Mar 7, 2010 | Pacific Rubiales Bogotá Open | −11 (70-66-66-71=273) | Playoff | Aaron Watkins |
Nationwide Tour playoff record (1–0)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
| 1 | 2010 | Pacific Rubiales Bogotá Open | Aaron Watkins | Won with par on second extra hole |

### Other wins (1)

| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runners-up |
| 1 | Dec 6, 1998 | JCPenney Classic (with Meg Mallon) | −29 (61-66-66-62=255) | 4 strokes | Rachel Hetherington and Rocco Mediate |
Other playoff record (0–1)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
| 1 | 1989 | Isuzu Kapalua International | Peter Jacobsen | Lost to birdie on third extra hole |

## Playoff record

PGA of Japan Tour playoff record (0–1)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
| 1 | 1990 | The Crowns | Noboru Sugai | Lost to par on first extra hole |

## Results in major championships

| Tournament | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 |
| Masters Tournament | | | T36 | T26 |
| U.S. Open | | T24 | T3 | T51 |
| The Open Championship | | | CUT | T13 |
| PGA Championship | T53 | T61 | T62 | T41 |
| Tournament | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1998 | 1999 |
| Masters Tournament | | T3 | T6 | CUT | | | | T4 |
| U.S. Open | T33 | T49 | CUT | T19 | T21 | CUT | T32 | T34 |
| The Open Championship | T8 | T64 | 4 | CUT | | | | T45 |
| PGA Championship | T31 | T7 | T48 | 70 | | T58 | CUT | T8 |
| Tournament | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 |
| Masters Tournament | T49 | | |
| U.S. Open | CUT | | CUT |
| The Open Championship | T20 | | |
| PGA Championship | T41 | 75 | |
CUT = missed the half-way cut "T" = tied

### Summary

| Tournament | Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top-5 | Top-10 | Top-25 | Events | Cuts made |
| Masters Tournament | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 6 |
| U.S. Open | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 13 | 9 |
| The Open Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 8 | 6 |
| PGA Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 13 | 12 |
| Totals | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 8 | 13 | 41 | 33 |
* Most consecutive cuts made – 13 (1988 PGA – 1992 Masters)
* Longest streak of top-10s – 2 (1992 PGA – 1992 Masters)

## Results in The Players Championship

| Tournament | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 |
| The Players Championship | T72 | CUT | 57 | T34 |
| Tournament | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 |
| The Players Championship | T11 | T27 | T40 | CUT | CUT | CUT | | | T42 | T58 |
| Tournament | 2000 | 2001 |
| The Players Championship | T27 | T58 |
CUT = missed the halfway cut "T" indicates a tie for a place.

## Results in World Golf Championships

| Tournament | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 |
| Match Play | 4 | R64 | R64 |
| Championship | T46 | | NT$^1$ |
| Invitational | T12 | 37 | |
$^1$Cancelled due to 9/11
QF, R16, R32, R64 = Round in which player lost in match play "T" = Tied NT = No tournament

## U.S. national team appearances

* Kirin Cup: 1988 (winners)
* Dunhill Cup: 1991
* Ryder Cup: 1991, 1999