Craig Robert Stadler (born June 2, 1953) is an American professional golfer who has won numerous tournaments at both the PGA Tour and Champions Tour level. He is known to fans as "The Walrus" because of his distinct mustache and heavyset build.
Stadler was born in San Diego, California and attended La Jolla High School. He displayed a talent for golf early in life. He won the 1973 U.S. Amateur, while attending the University of Southern California where he was an All-American all four years — first-team his sophomore and junior years; second-team his freshman and senior years.[1] He turned professional in 1976.
Stadler won his first two PGA Tour events in 1980, at the Bob Hope Desert Classic and the Greater Greensboro Open. His career year was 1982 when he won four PGA Tour events including The Masters after a playoff with Dan Pohl.
Stadler won the Byron Nelson Golf Classic in 1984, and the 1991 Tour Championship. He won the NEC World Series of Golf again in 1992, and the Buick Invitational of California in 1994. He also won the Nissan Open in 1996 and the B.C. Open in 2003, becoming the first player over age 50 to win a PGA Tour event in 28 years. He won 13 PGA Tour events in all. He played on the 1983 and 1985 Ryder Cup teams.
Stadler began playing on the Champions Tour upon becoming eligible in June 2003; he was the leading money winner in his first full year on that tour in 2004.
Very popular with the galleries, Stadler is affectionately called "The Walrus" for his portly build and his ample moustache. He currently lives in Denver, Colorado. His son Kevin is also a professional golfer. His brother Gary Stadler is a Billboard-charting recording artist.[2]
Professional wins (29)
PGA Tour wins (13)
| No. |
Date |
Tournament |
Winning Score |
Margin of Victory |
Runner(s)-up |
| 1 |
Jan 13, 1980 |
Bob Hope Desert Classic |
-17 (69-68-70-69-67=343) |
2 strokes |
 Tom Purtzer, Mike Sullivan |
| 2 |
Apr 6, 1980 |
Greater Greensboro Open |
-13 (67-69-71-68=275) |
6 strokes |
George Burns, Billy Kratzert,
 Jack Newton |
| 3 |
May 31, 1981 |
Kemper Open |
-18 (67-69-66-68=270) |
6 strokes |
Tom Watson, Tom Weiskopf |
| 4 |
Jan 10, 1982 |
Joe Garagiola-Tucson Open |
-14 (65-64-66-71=266) |
3 strokes |
Vance Heafner |
| 5 |
Apr 11, 1982 |
The Masters |
-4 (75-69-67-73=284) |
Playoff |
Dan Pohl |
| 6 |
Jun 6, 1982 |
Kemper Open |
-18 (72-67-67-69=275) |
7 strokes |
 Seve Ballesteros |
| 7 |
Aug 29, 1982 |
World Series of Golf |
-2 (70-68-75-65=278) |
Playoff |
Raymond Floyd |
| 8 |
May 13, 1984 |
Byron Nelson Golf Classic |
-8 (70-71-64-71=276) |
1 stroke |
David Edwards |
| 9 |
Nov 3, 1991 |
Tour Championship |
-7 (66-68-72-71=277) |
Playoff |
Russ Cochran |
| 10 |
Aug 30, 1992 |
NEC World Series of Golf |
-7 (69-65-69-70=273) |
1 stroke |
Corey Pavin |
| 11 |
Feb 27, 1994 |
Buick Invitational of California |
-20 (67-67-68-66=268) |
1 stroke |
Steve Lowery |
| 12 |
Feb 25, 1996 |
Nissan Open |
-6 (67-70-73-68=278) |
1 stroke |
Mark Brooks, Fred Couples,
Scott Simpson, Mark Wiebe |
| 13 |
Jul 20, 2003 |
B.C. Open |
-21 (67-69-68-63=267) |
1 stroke |
 Alex Čejka, Steve Lowery |
European Tour wins (2)
Japan Golf Tour wins (1)
Other wins (3)
Champions Tour wins (8)
| Legend |
| Champions Tour Major Championships (2) |
| Other Champions Tour (6) |
|
| No. |
Date |
Tournament |
Winning Score |
Margin of
Victory |
Runner(s)-up |
| 1 |
Jul 13, 2003 |
Ford Senior Players Championship |
-17 (67-73-65-66=271) |
3 strokes |
Tom Kite, Jim Thorpe, Tom Watson |
| 2 |
Sep 28, 2003 |
Greater Hickory Classic at Rock Barn |
-15 (66-69-66=201) |
2 strokes |
Larry Nelson |
| 3 |
Oct 19, 2003 |
SBC Championship |
-15 (67-64-67=198) |
4 strokes |
Bob Gilder |
| 4 |
Feb 15, 2004 |
The ACE Group Classic |
-10 (67-67-72=206) |
Playoff |
Gary Koch, Tom Watson |
| 5 |
Jun 27, 2004 |
Bank of America Championship |
-15 (68-69-64=201) |
4 strokes |
Tom Kite, Tom Purtzer, D. A. Weibring |
| 6 |
Aug 29, 2004 |
JELD-WEN Tradition |
-13 (70-70-68-67=275) |
1 stroke |
Allen Doyle, Jerry Pate |
| 7 |
Sep 5, 2004 |
The First Tee Open at Pebble Beach |
-15 (72-63-66=201) |
3 strokes |
Jay Haas |
| 8 |
Sep 26, 2004 |
SAS Championship |
-17 (65-68-66=199) |
6 strokes |
Tom Jenkins |
Other senior wins (1)
Major championships
Wins (1)
| Year |
Championship |
54 Holes |
Winning Score |
Margin |
Runner(s)-up |
| 1982 |
The Masters |
3 shot lead |
-4 (75-69-67-73=284) |
Playoff1 |
Dan Pohl |
1Defeated Pohl with par on first extra hole.
Results timeline
DNP = Did not play
WD = Withdrew
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10
See also
References
External links
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