Scott William Simpson (born September 17, 1955) is an American professional golfer.
Amateur career Simpson was born in San Diego, California, and played college golf at the University of Southern California, where he was two-time medalist at the NCAA Championship in 1976 and 1977. At the end of 1976 Golf Digest ranked Simpson the #1 amateur in the country.
Professional career He turned professional in 1977 and graduated in 1978. He played on the PGA Tour from 1979, and won seven PGA Tour events between 1980 and 1998.
The highlight of Simpson's career was the U.S. Open in 1987 at the Olympic Club in San Francisco, his only major title. He birdied the 14th, 15th, and 16th holes of the final round to overtake Tom Watson by one stroke and finished with a three under par total of 277.
Simpson became eligible to play senior golf in 2005 and won his first and only Champions Tour title in 2006.
In team competition, Simpson played for the United States in the Walker Cup in 1977 and the Ryder Cup in 1987. He lists bible study among his interests and attributes his success to it. He and his wife Cheryl have two children: Brea Yoshiko and Sean.
Simpson was previously a Democrat (during Bill Clinton's presidency he was the only PGA Tour player vocally to support him), but became a Republican later on and supported George W. Bush.
Amateur wins this list may be incomplete 1976 NCAA Division I Championship, Porter Cup 1977 NCAA Division I Championship
Professional wins (16) PGA Tour wins (7) LegendMajor championships (1)Other PGA Tour (6) No.DateTournamentWinning scoreTo parMargin ofvictoryRunner(s)-up1 Jul 6, 1980Western Open 70-69-70-72=281−75 strokes Andy Bean2Jun 10, 1984Manufacturers Hanover Westchester Classic66-68-70-65=269−155 strokes David Graham, Jay Haas, Mark O'Meara3Apr 5, 1987Greater Greensboro Open70-73-69-70=282−62 strokes Clarence Rose4Jun 21, 1987U.S. Open71-68-70-68=277−3 1 stroke Tom Watson5May 28, 1989BellSouth Atlanta Golf Classic72-68-71-67=278−10 Playoff Bob Tway6May 16, 1993GTE Byron Nelson Golf Classic65-66-68-71=270−10 1 stroke Billy Mayfair, Corey Pavin, D. A. Weibring7Feb 8, 1998Buick Invitational69-71-64=204−12Playoff Skip Kendall
PGA Tour playoff record (2–3) No.YearTournamentOpponent(s)Result11983Kemper Open Chen Tze-chung, Fred Couples Barry Jaeckel, Gil MorganCouples won with birdie on second extra holeJaeckel eliminated by par on first hole21989BellSouth Atlanta Golf Classic Bob TwayWon with par on first extra hole31991U.S. Open Payne StewartLost 18-hole playoff;Stewart: +3 (75),Simpson: +5 (77)41994 Southwestern Bell Colonial Nick PriceLost to birdie on first extra hole51998Buick Invitational Skip KendallWon with birdie on first extra hole
PGA of Japan Tour wins (3) No.DateTournamentWinning scoreTo parMargin ofvictoryRunner(s)-up1Apr 29, 1984Chunichi Crowns68-73-67-67=275−5Playoff Isao Aoki2Nov 18, 1984Dunlop Phoenix Tournament71-71-72-68=282−6Playoff Bernhard Langer3May 1, 1988The Crowns (2)71-69-71-67=278−23 strokes David Ishii, Masashi Ozaki
PGA of Japan Tour playoff record (2–0) No.YearTournamentOpponentResult11984Chunichi Crowns Isao AokiWon with par on first extra hole21984Dunlop Phoenix Tournament Bernhard LangerWon with par on second extra hole
Other wins (5) 1979 Hawaii State Open 1981 Hawaii State Open 1990 Perrier Invitational (Europe, not a European Tour event) 1993 Hawaii State Open 1994 Hawaii State Open
Champions Tour wins (1) No.DateTournamentWinning scoreTo parMargin ofvictoryRunners-up1Sep 3, 2006 Wal-Mart First Tee Open at Pebble Beach67-69-68=204−121 stroke David Edwards, Jay Haas
Major championships Wins (1) YearChampionship54 holesWinning scoreMarginRunner-up 1987 U.S. Open 1 shot deficit −3 (71-68-70-68=277) 1 stroke Tom Watson
Results timeline Tournament1980198119821983198419851986198719881989Masters TournamentCUT1140T41T25T27CUTT38U.S. OpenT45T23T15T13T25T15CUT1T6T6The Open ChampionshipT65T62T26PGA ChampionshipT30CUTT32T9T6T12T41T47CUTT53
Tournament199019911992199319941995199619971998Masters TournamentT7T22T13T11T27T29CUTU.S. OpenT142T64T46T55T28T40CUT58The Open ChampionshipT39T57T9CUTCUTT33PGA ChampionshipT66CUTT6CUTT54CUTCUT
CUT = missed the halfway cut "T" indicates a tie for a place.
Summary Tournament Wins 2nd 3rd Top-5 Top-10 Top-25 Events Cuts madeMasters Tournament 0 0 0 0 1 6 15 12U.S. Open 1 1 0 2 4 10 19 17The Open Championship 0 0 0 0 1 1 9 7PGA Championship 0 0 0 0 3 4 17 11Totals 1 1 0 2 9 21 60 47 Most consecutive cuts made – 12 (1982 U.S. Open – 1986 Masters) Longest streak of top-10s – 2 (1993 Open Championship – 1993 PGA)
Results in The Players Championship Tournament19791980198119821983198419851986198719881989The Players ChampionshipCUTT51CUTT2T61T33T33CUTT4CUTCUT Tournament1990199119921993199419951996199719981999200020012002The Players ChampionshipCUTT17CUTCUTT11CUTCUTCUTCUTT63
CUT = missed the halfway cut "T" indicates a tie for a place
U.S. national team appearances Amateur Walker Cup: 1977 (winners)
Professional Ryder Cup: 1987 Kirin Cup: 1987 (winners)
See also Fall 1978 PGA Tour Qualifying School graduates
Notes
References
External links