Gene Sauers
| Gene Sauers | |
|---|---|
| — Golfer — | |
| Personal information | |
| Full name | Gene Craig Sauers |
| Born | August 22, 1962 Savannah, Georgia |
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) |
| Weight | 150 lb (68 kg; 11 st) |
| Nationality |  United States |
| Career | |
| College | Georgia Southern University |
| Turned professional | 1984 |
| Current tour(s) | Champions Tour |
| Former tour(s) | PGA Tour |
| Professional wins | 8 |
| Number of wins by tour | |
| PGA Tour | 3 |
| Web.com Tour | 1 |
| Best results in major championships |
|
| Masters Tournament | T33: 1987 |
| U.S. Open | T58: 1987 |
| The Open Championship | T52: 1989 |
| PGA Championship | T2: 1992 |
| Achievements and awards | |
| PGA Tour Comeback Player of the Year |
2002 |
Gene Craig Sauers (born August 22, 1962) is an American professional golfer who has played on the PGA Tour and currently plays on the Champions Tour.
Sauers was born in Savannah, Georgia. His father started him playing golf at the age of 9. He attended Georgia Southern University in Statesboro, Georgia. He turned pro and joined the PGA Tour in 1984.
Sauers has four dozen top-10 finishes in PGA Tour events including three official wins. His first win was at the 1986 Bank of Boston Classic; his second came at the 1989 Hawaiian Open; his third, which came after a 13-year hiatus, was at the 2002 Air Canada Championship. He also won the 1990 Deposit Guaranty Golf Classic before that became an official money event. Sauers also finished two other tournaments in a tie for first place at the end of regulation: the 1992 Bob Hope Chrysler Classic, which he lost on the fourth extra hole of a playoff to John Cook, and the 1994 Federal Express St. Jude Classic, which he and Hal Sutton lost to Tour rookie Dicky Pride. He received the 2002 PGA Comeback Player of the Year award. His best finish in a major was T-2 at the 1992 PGA Championship.[1]
Sauers lost his Tour card in 1995 and had to play primarily on the Nationwide Tour before gaining a two-year exemption as a result of his victory in the Air Canada Championship. He recorded one victory on the Nationwide Tour at the 1998 NIKE South Carolina Classic, and about a dozen top-10 finishes.[2]
Sauers competed on the PGA Tour until 2005. From 2006 to 2010, he did not compete professionally after he was diagnosed with a rare, painful skin condition Stevens-Johnson syndrome, and he was given only a 25-percent chance of survival.[3] His condition had worsened when blood vessels in his arms and legs clogged, causing his skin to burn from the inside out. Although he eventually recovered after many debilitating months, his forearms show the scars of numerous skin grafts.[4]
He finally overcame the disease and played a limited Nationwide Tour schedule in 2011 and 2012 before making his Champions Tour debut at the 2012 Boeing Classic. He earned two top-10 finishes in 2012. Playing a full season in 2013, he was twice a runner-up, including a playoff loss to Esteban Toledo at the Insperity Invitational. He finished 19th on the Champions Tour money list.[3]
In the first six months of 2014, he played in 11 Champions Tour events, with six top-25 finishes and a best of T-15 at the Allianz Championship in early February.[5] On July 13 in the U.S. Senior Open, he finished tied for first with Colin Montgomerie and lost in a three-hole playoff.[6]
Contents
Professional wins (8)
PGA Tour wins (3)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sep 14, 1986 | Bank of Boston Classic | −10 (70-71-64-69=274) | Playoff | Blaine McCallister |
| 2 | Feb 12, 1989 | Hawaiian Open | −19 (65-67-65=197) | 1 stroke | David Ogrin |
| 3 | Sep 1, 2002 | Air Canada Championship | −15 (69-65-66-69=269) | 1 stroke | Steve Lowery |
PGA Tour playoff record (1–3)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1986 | Bank of Boston Classic | Blaine McCallister |
Won with birdie on third extra hole |
| 2 | 1991 | KMart Greater Greensboro Open | Mark Brooks |
Lost to par on third extra hole |
| 3 | 1992 | Bob Hope Chrysler Classic | John Cook, Rick Fehr, Tom Kite, Mark O'Meara |
Cook won with eagle on fourth extra hole Fehr eliminated with birdie on second hole Kite and O'Meara eliminated with birdie on first hole |
| 4 | 1994 | Federal Express St. Jude Classic | Dicky Pride, Hal Sutton |
Pride won with birdie on first extra hole |
Nike Tour wins (1)
Other wins (4)
- 1983 Georgia Open
- 1985 Georgia Open
- 1986 Georgia Open
- 1990 Deposit Guaranty Golf Classic
References
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External links
- Gene Sauers at the PGA Tour official site
