Ben Bates (born June 12, 1961) is an American professional golfer who has played on the Nationwide Tour and the PGA Tour.
Amateur career Bates was a member of the NCAA Division II championship team at Troy State University and won five collegiate tournaments.
Professional career Bates has primarily played on the PGA Tour's developmental tour. He was a member of the tour from 1990 to 1997 and from 2001 to 2009. Bates is the tour's all-time leader in cuts (226) and starts (410). He played in his 1,000th round on tour in 2007. Bates won two events on tour including the 1997 Wichita Open where he defeated Carl Paulson, Jeff Brehaut and Chris Smith in a four-man playoff. He also won The Reese's Cup Classic in a playoff in 2004.
Bates was also a member of PGA Tour from 1998 to 2001. He made his first PGA Tour appearance since 2001 at the 2010 Transitions Championship.
Personal life Bates now resides in Pensacola, Florida.
Professional wins (2) Nationwide Tour wins (2) No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin ofvictoryRunner(s)-up1Jul 27, 1997Nike Wichita Open−19 (67-72-64-66=269)Playoff Jeff Brehaut, Carl Paulson, Chris Smith2Jul 4, 2004Reese's Cup Classic−6 (70-69-66-73=278)Playoff Paul Gow
Nationwide Tour playoff record (2–0) No.YearTournamentOpponent(s)Result11997Nike Wichita Open Jeff Brehaut, Carl Paulson, Chris SmithWon with birdie on first extra hole22004Reese's Cup Classic Paul GowWon with par on eighth extra hole
Results in major championships Tournament2001U.S. OpenCUT Note: Bates only played in the U.S. Open. CUT = missed the half-way cut
See also 1997 Nike Tour graduates 1999 PGA Tour Qualifying School graduates
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