He has finished 1st on the PGA TOUR 2 times.
He ranks T5th in Power Rating on the PGA TOUR.
height5-11
weight190
birthDateApril 26, 1982
age31
birthPlaceCampbellsville, Kentucky
residenceCampbellsville, Kentucky
familyWife, Sara
educationUniversity of Kentucky
splInterestFishing
trndProYear2005
qSchoolYear2005
clubAfflCampbellsville CC (Campbellsville, Kentucky)
cityPlaysFrmCampbellsville; KY; United States
combTourMoney.
jndTourYear2006
exmtStatus80th on 2012 money list
curYearHighMissed four of five cuts to start the season before fracturing his left ankle when he hit a rut in the road on March 9 while rollerblading with his wife. Is expected to miss between eight and 12 weeks. Has used rollerblading as part of his training regimen. Missed much of 2011 following brain surgery.
carHigh2012: Finished T8 at the Northern Trust Open, with rounds of 67-73-70-70. It marked his first top-10 on TOUR since he had brain surgery on September 1, 2011. His last top 10 was the 2011 PLAYERS Championship (T6)...Next top-10 finish of the season came with a T8 at the Shell Houston Open, where he was the runner-up to Paul Casey in 2009. His four consecutive, sub-par rounds at Redstone GC were a first since he did it at the 2011 Waste Management Phoenix Open.
2011: Season cut short due to brain surgery, but he still managed to finish inside the top 125 (No. 62) with just 16 starts under his belt...In his second start of the year, the 2006 and 2008 champion returned to TPC Scottsdale and opened with a 6-under 65 en route to T5 honors at the Waste Management Phoenix Open...One of a PGA TOUR record nine players tied for the lead following the first round of the Northern Trust Open at 4-under. Finished T12...Collected second top 10 of the season with a T5 at the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship. The last player in the field at No. 66 in the Official World Golf Ranking after Tim Clark withdrew, he did not arrive on site until 1 a.m. on the morning of his first match. Led Bubba Watson 5-up through 10 holes in the quarterfinals, but lost holes 11, 13, 14, 15 and 18 and then lost the match on the first extra hole. Victories en route to quarterfinals included wins over Camilo Villegas (4 and 2), Ernie Els (1-up) and Jason day (1-up)...Finished T9 at the Wells Fargo Championship on the strength of a third round 65. Recorded an albatross on the par-5 15th hole with a 5-iron from 213 yards. It was the first double eagle at the Wells Fargo Championship and the first of his TOUR career...Posted his second consecutive top-10 finish and fourth of the year with a T6 at THE PLAYERS. He fired rounds of 68-69-73-69...Began feeling vertigo-like symptoms as early as May and announced on August 22 that he would be undergoing surgery that would sideline him from competition for the rest of the season. Underwent successful brain surgery on September 1 at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Md., to repair Chiari malformations. 2010: Missed only two cuts out of 26 starts and posted three top-10 finishes. Had first season with multiple top-three finishes and recorded his best showing on the money list...Posted his third consecutive top-10 performance at the Northern Trust Open, with a T3 (T6 in 2009 and T7 in 2008), three strokes behind winner Steve Stricker. Was the only player in the field to post four rounds in the 60s...Came back the following week with a T2 at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, one stroke behind winner Dustin Johnson. Tied for the lead at 15-under with Johnson and David Duval but failed to birdie the par-5 18th hole after driving in the right rough. In the next and final group, Johnson birdied the closing hole to win...Attributed much of his success to a new-found confidence in putting after getting instruction from Dave Stockton in late January. Returned to using a standard-length putter at that time...Next top-10 finish came 13 starts later, where a final-round 66 led to a fifth-place finish at the AT&T National. At 6-under, finished four strokes behind champion Justin Rose.
2009: Bounced back from a 2-over 73 in the first round of the Northern Trust Open with rounds of 67-64-68 to finish T6, his first top-10 of the season (six starts). Third-round 64 matched his career-low round...Earned season-best finish after shooting 11-under 277 at Shell Houston Open. Waited 2 hours, 40 minutes after posting his score to join Paul Casey in a playoff. Hit tee shot at first extra hole into water hazard to lose title to Casey's bogey. Was the only player in the field to shoot four rounds below par.
2008: Recorded 19 made cuts in 26 events, including his second career win and a career-best nine top-25 finishes. Finished a career-best 32nd on the money list to break the $2-million barrier for the first time...Sank a 13-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole to force a playoff and then birdied it again from 8 feet on the first playoff hole to beat Phil Mickelson and win the FBR Open. At the site where he won his first PGA TOUR title as a rookie in 2006, lost a four-stroke lead and was one shot behind going to the 18th. Smashed a 350-yard drive in the left rough on the finishing hole on the way to a tying birdie and then a 359-yarder on the first playoff hole...Kept momentum going two weeks later when a second-round 66 and a third-round 69 landed a T7 finish at the Northern Trust Open...Recorded his third top-10 of the season with a T10 finish at THE PLAYERS. Finished second in the field in birdies (19) and had three of the four longest drives of the week (352, 362 and 372 yards, all on No. 1)...Earned 2.5 points to help lead the United States Team to a victory at the 37th Ryder Cup, including a Singles victory over Soren Hansen. One of six rookies on the 2008 Ryder Cup team.
2007: Recorded three top-10s to finish 118th on the money list...Finished T4 in first appearance in the Mercedes-Benz Championship. One of four first-time participants to finish among the top-10...His next top-10 finish was a T8 at the PODS Championship...Ended the year on a high note with a T9 finish at the Children's Miracle Network Classic presented by Walmart...Was third in Driving Distance on TOUR, averaging 312.6 yards.
2006: Rookie won early in the season at the FBR Open and collected more than $1.4 million...Opened the year with a T10 finish at the Sony Open in Hawaii, his first start as a TOUR member. Was only two back of the leaders through 36 holes, but could not catch a hot David Toms (61-65) on the weekend...In fourth start of the season, fifth as a professional, earned his first TOUR victory at the FBR Open. Led J.J. Henry and Ryan Palmer by one stroke through 54 holes prior to winning by seven strokes, the largest victory margin in a player's first TOUR win since Jose Maria Olazabal won the 1990 NEC World Series of Golf by 12 strokes. Tied with Ryan Palmer through 10 holes, took one-stroke lead after Palmer's bogey on the par-4 11th hole. Increased lead to six with eagle on par-5 15th hole, while Palmer posted triple bogey. Posted all four rounds in the 60s. Recorded a career-best 64 in the second round. Became first rookie to win on TOUR that season and topped Retief Goosen's record of becoming the fastest player to win $1 million in TOUR history as a member—four events. Went from not being ranked in Official World Golf Ranking at beginning of season to World No. 77 after the win...Also finished T13 at the INTERNATIONAL and T21 at the FUNAI Classic at Walt Disney World Resort...Placed second behind Bubba Watson in Driving Distance on TOUR, averaging 318.8 yards per drive to Watson's 319.6.
2005: Medalist at the PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament. Made it through all three stages in his first trip to Q-School. Finished at 24-under 408 at the finals to defeat Alex Cejka by three strokes...Made his first career TOUR start as a professional, at the Southern Farm Bureau Classic (missed the cut), before going to Q-school.
Amateur: Turned professional in summer of 2005 after helping the United States win the Walker Cup in August...Led University of Kentucky to its first SEC golf championship...Earned first team (2004), second team (2005), third team (2002) and honorable mention (2003) All-America honors...Was 2005 SEC Player of the Year and first-team all-SEC in 2002 and 2004-05...Academic All-America in 2004-05...Member of the winning 2005 Walker Cup team and 2005 Palmer Cup team...Made PGA TOUR debut, at the 2003 U.S. Open (missed the cut).
personalGrew up playing baseball until he played his first junior golf tournament and won his first four golf tournaments...Was on Taylor County (Ky.) High School golf team as a third-grader, was No. 1 or No. 2 man by fifth grade and won Kentucky high school title as a sophomore. Known for his compact swing and long drives...Had his 2011 season cut short due to brain surgery on September 1 at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore to repair Chiari malfunctions. In his second week back, finished T45 at the Waste Management Phoenix Open, site of his only two PGA TOUR wins (2006 and 2008)...One of six members inducted into the University of Kentucky Sports Hall of Fame 2012 class.
ntlTeamsRyder Cup (1), 2008; Walker Cup (1), 2005.