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Larry Mize

American professional golfer


American professional golfer

FieldValue
nameLarry Mize
imageLarry Mize.jpg
imagesize250px
captionMize in 2009
fullnameLawrence Hogan Mize
birth_date
birth_placeAugusta, Georgia, U.S.
death_date
height
weight165 lb
nationality
residenceColumbus, Georgia, U.S.
collegeGeorgia Tech
yearpro1980
retired
tourChampions Tour
extourPGA Tour
prowins10
pgawins4
eurowins1
japwins3
champwins1
seneurowins
otherwins
majorwins1
mastersWon: 1987
usopenT4: 1987
openT11: 1994
pgaT6: 1984
wghofid
wghofyear
award1
year1
awardssection

Lawrence Hogan Mize (born September 23, 1958) is an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour and currently plays on the Champions Tour. He is well known for one career-defining shot – a chip from off the green at the 11th hole at Augusta to win the playoff for the 1987 Masters Tournament, which is his only major title to date. He is also the only winner of that tournament to come from Augusta.

Early life and amateur career

In 1958, Mize was born in Augusta, Georgia. He worked during his teenage years at the Masters Tournament as a scoreboard operator on the 3rd hole. Mike attended Georgia Tech.

Professional career

In 1980, Mize turned professional. He finished in the top 125 on the money list (the level needed to retain membership of the tour) for 20 seasons from 1982 to 2001. His first PGA Tour win was the 1983 Danny Thomas Memphis Classic. In 1986, at the Kemper Open, Mize lost a six-hole playoff to Greg Norman.

At the 1987 Masters Tournament, Mize was tied with Seve Ballesteros and Norman after four rounds. Ballesteros was eliminated in the first hole of the playoff after missing a 5-footer for par. On the second playoff hole, Augusta's par-4 11th, Mize's second shot landed well to the right of the green. It appeared a birdie would be impossible and even a par would be a challenge. Meanwhile, Norman's second shot landed on the edge of the green leaving him a lengthy birdie putt. On his third shot, Mize holed a memorable chip shot with a sand wedge from around 140 feet, giving him the birdie. Norman now had an opportunity to tie, but he failed to sink the putt. His Masters win and a tie for fourth at the U.S. Open in June briefly put him in the top-10 of the Official World Golf Ranking.

Mize won twice more on the PGA Tour, at tournaments in Tucson, Arizona, in 1993, at the Northern Telecom Open, and at the Buick Open in Flint, Michigan, also in 1993. He also won on the Champions Tour victory in 2010, in Montreal.

Mize also won four international events and played for the U.S. teams in the Ryder Cup in 1987 and the Dunhill Cup in 2000.

For many years Mize and Coca-Cola sponsored a successful charity golf tournament to benefit cystic fibrosis held at the Atlanta Athletic Club. As of April 2022, he has played in 39 consecutive Masters Tournaments, 34 of which have been since earning a lifetime invitation because of his 1987 win.

Personal life

Mize currently resides in Columbus, Georgia with his wife and three sons. His hobbies are fishing, basketball, and playing the piano.

Professional wins (10)

PGA Tour wins (4)

Legend
Major championships (1)
Other PGA Tour (3)
No.DateTournamentWinning scoreTo parMargin of
victoryRunner(s)-up
1Jun 26, 1983Danny Thomas Memphis Classic70-65-69-70=274−141 strokeUSA Chip Beck, USA Sammy Rachels,
USA Fuzzy Zoeller
2Apr 12, 1987Masters Tournament70-72-72-71=285−3PlayoffESP Seve Ballesteros, AUS Greg Norman
3Jan 24, 1993Northern Telecom Open68-66-70-67=271−172 strokesUSA Jeff Maggert
4Aug 8, 1993Buick Open64-69-71-68=272−161 strokeUSA Fuzzy Zoeller

PGA Tour playoff record (1–3)

No.YearTournamentOpponent(s)Result
11986Kemper OpenAUS Greg NormanLost to par on sixth extra hole
21987Masters TournamentESP Seve Ballesteros, AUS Greg NormanWon with birdie on second extra hole
Ballesteros eliminated by par on first hole
31990MCI Heritage Golf ClassicUSA Steve Jones, USA Payne StewartStewart won with birdie on second extra hole
Jones eliminated by par on first hole
41998Canon Greater Hartford OpenUSA Olin Browne, USA Stewart CinkBrowne won with birdie on first extra hole

PGA of Japan Tour wins (3)

No.DateTournamentWinning scoreTo parMargin of
victoryRunner-up
1Nov 27, 1988Casio World Open72-71-68-73=284−41 strokeJPN Masashi Ozaki
2Nov 19, 1989Dunlop Phoenix Tournament69-64-71-68=272−164 strokesJPN Naomichi Ozaki
3Nov 18, 1990Dunlop Phoenix Tournament (2)69-65-69-71=274−143 strokesJPN Naomichi Ozaki

Other wins (2)

  • 1993 Johnnie Walker World Golf Championship (unofficial event)
  • 2000 Straight Down Fall Classic (with Jim Lehman)

Champions Tour wins (1)

No.DateTournamentWinning scoreTo parMargin of
victoryRunner-up
1Jul 4, 2010Montreal Championship67-68-64=199−171 strokeUSA John Cook

Major championships

Wins (1)

YearChampionship54 holesWinning scoreTo parMarginRunners-up
1987Masters Tournament2 shot deficit70-72-72-71=285−3Playoff1AUS Greg Norman, ESP Seve Ballesteros

1Defeated Norman and Ballesteros in a sudden-death playoff: Mize (4-3), Norman (4-x) and Ballesteros (5).

Results timeline

Results not in chronological order in 2020.

Tournament1980198119821983198419851986198719881989
Masters TournamentT11T47T161T45T26
U.S. OpenCUTCUTT39T24T4T12T33
The Open ChampionshipCUTT46T26CUTT19
PGA ChampionshipT47T6T23T53CUTCUTT17
Tournament1990199119921993199419951996199719981999
Masters TournamentT14T17T6T213CUTT23T30CUT23
U.S. OpenT14T55CUTCUTCUTCUTCUTT5864
The Open ChampionshipT31CUTCUTT27T11CUTT52
PGA ChampionshipT12CUTT40CUTT15CUTT8T58CUT
Tournament2000200120022003200420052006200720082009
Masters TournamentT25CUTCUTCUTCUTCUTT42CUTCUTT30
U.S. OpenT37CUT
The Open Championship
PGA Championship
Tournament201020112012201320142015201620172018
Masters TournamentCUTCUTCUTCUT51CUTT5252CUT
U.S. Open
The Open Championship
PGA Championship
Tournament20192020202120222023
Masters TournamentCUTCUTCUTCUTCUT
PGA Championship
U.S. Open
The Open ChampionshipNT

CUT = missed the half-way cut (3rd round cut in 1984 Open Championship)

"T" indicates a tie for a place

NT = No tournament due to COVID-19 pandemic

Summary

TournamentWins2nd3rdTop-5Top-10Top-25EventsCuts madeTotals10136238647
Masters Tournament10123114020
PGA Championship0000261610
U.S. Open0001141810
The Open Championship000002127
  • Most consecutive cuts made – 11 (1984 PGA – 1987 Open Championship)
  • Longest streak of top-10s – 2 (1987 Masters – 1987 U.S. Open)

Results in The Players Championship

Tournament19831984198519861987198819891990199119921993199419951996199719981999200020012002
The Players ChampionshipT13T15CUT2T12CUTT70CUTCUTT54CUTCUTT8T13T14T31T23CUTCUTCUT

CUT = missed the halfway cut

"T" indicates a tie for a place

Results in senior major championships

Results not in chronological order before 2022.

Tournament2008200920102011201220132014201520162017201820192020202120222023
The Tradition4T25T25T31T46T24T9T42T34NTT2974T69
Senior PGA Championship2T6CUTT38CUTCUTWDT16T11T38T68NTT23
U.S. Senior OpenT16T8T2963T30T43T38NT
Senior Players ChampionshipT27T47T33T30T24T28T59T20T35T17T52T48WD
Senior British Open ChampionshipT6T14T21T47T21CUTT38CUTCUTNT

CUT = missed the half-way cut

WD = withdrew

"T" indicates a tie for a place

NT = No tournament due to COVID-19 pandemic

U.S. national team appearances

Professional

  • Ryder Cup: 1987
  • Alfred Dunhill Cup: 2000

References

References

  1. Kirby, Bill. "Sept. 23, 1958: Larry Mize, Augusta native and Masters champ born this day". The Augusta Chronicle.
  2. Colgan, James. (November 12, 2020). "How a 62-year-old is in the hunt at the 2020 Masters".
  3. Townsend, Mark. (March 27, 2020). "'People can think what they want – it wasn't a fluke'".
  4. Feinstein, John. (March 29, 2017). "A Chip Down Memory Lane".
  5. Smits, Garry. (March 31, 2012). "Steve Melnyk had best seat in house for Larry Mize's magical Masters moment in 1987". The Florida Times-Union.
  6. Ballard, Sarah. (April 20, 1987). "My, Oh Mize".
  7. "69 Players Who Have Reached The Top-10 In World Ranking". Official World Golf Ranking.
  8. Tremlett, Sam. (2019-04-03). "8 Things You Didn't Know About Larry Mize".
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