Irwin, Hale S.
Golf
b. June 3, 1945, Joplin, MO
PGA Senior Tournament Victories
Irwin was a quarterback and defensive back on the University of Colorado football team that was ranked twentieth in the nation in 1966 and he won the 1967 NCAA golf championship. After graduating in 1968, Irwin joined the PGA tour.
His first tour victory came in the 1971 Heritage Classic. Irwin won the 1974 U. S. Open with a 287. At the 1979 Open, he held a 6-stroke lead after rounds of 74, 68 and 67 and won by 2 shots over Gary Player despite shooting a 75 on the final day.
Irwin won his third U. S. Open in 1990, beating Mike Donald in the longest playoff in the tournament's history. They were tied for first place at 280 after 72 holes and they both shot 74 in an 18-hole playoff. Then they went to sudden death and Irwin won by shooting a birdie 3 to Donald's par on the first hole. Irwin is the only golfer to win three U. S. Opens; four players have won it four times.
An exceptionally consistent golfer, the 6-foot, 180-pound Irwin earned more than $100,000 every year from 1972 through 1992. He once made the cut in 86 consecutive tournaments, placing him third behind Jack Nicklaus and Byron Nelson.
After turning 50 in 1995, Irwin joined the PGA Senior Tour. He has become the tour's most successful player, winning 36 tournaments and nearly $20 million. He won the U. S. Senior Open in 1998 and 2000 and finished second in the event two years in a row, 1996 and 1997. He also won the Senior PGA three times, in consecutive years, 1996-98.