Larry Mize
American professional golfer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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.[2]
| Larry Mize | |
|---|---|
Mize in 2009 | |
| Personal information | |
| Full name | Lawrence Hogan Mize |
| Born | September 23, 1958 Augusta, Georgia, U.S. |
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
| Weight | 165 lb (75 kg; 11.8 st) |
| Sporting nationality |  United States |
| Residence | Columbus, Georgia, U.S. |
| Career | |
| College | Georgia Tech |
| Turned professional | 1980 |
| Current tour | Champions Tour |
| Former tour | PGA Tour |
| Professional wins | 10 |
| Highest ranking | 10 (June 21, 1987)[1] |
| Number of wins by tour | |
| PGA Tour | 4 |
| European Tour | 1 |
| Japan Golf Tour | 3 |
| PGA Tour Champions | 1 |
| Best results in major championships (wins: 1) | |
| Masters Tournament | Won: 1987 |
| PGA Championship | T6: 1984 |
| U.S. Open | T4: 1987 |
| The Open Championship | T11: 1994 |
| Signature | |
 | |
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.[3] Mize 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.[4] In 1986, at the Kemper Open, Mize lost a six-hole playoff to Greg Norman.[5]
At the 1987 Masters Tournament, Mize was tied with Seve Ballesteros and Norman after four rounds.[6] 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.[7] 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.[8]
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.[6]
Mize also won four international events and played for the U.S. teams in the Ryder Cup in 1987[9] 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.[9] 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.[3]
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. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | To par | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jun 26, 1983 | Danny Thomas Memphis Classic | 70-65-69-70=274 | −14 | 1 stroke |  Chip Beck, Sammy Rachels, Fuzzy Zoeller |
| 2 | Apr 12, 1987 | Masters Tournament | 70-72-72-71=285 | −3 | Playoff |  Seve Ballesteros,  Greg Norman |
| 3 | Jan 24, 1993 | Northern Telecom Open | 68-66-70-67=271 | −17 | 2 strokes | Jeff Maggert |
| 4 | Aug 8, 1993 | Buick Open | 64-69-71-68=272 | −16 | 1 stroke | Fuzzy Zoeller |
PGA Tour playoff record (1–3)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1986 | Kemper Open | Greg Norman |
Lost to par on sixth extra hole |
| 2 | 1987 | Masters Tournament | Seve Ballesteros, Greg Norman |
Won with birdie on second extra hole Ballesteros eliminated by par on first hole |
| 3 | 1990 | MCI Heritage Golf Classic | Steve Jones, Payne Stewart |
Stewart won with birdie on second extra hole Jones eliminated by par on first hole |
| 4 | 1998 | Canon Greater Hartford Open | Olin Browne, Stewart Cink |
Browne won with birdie on first extra hole |
PGA of Japan Tour wins (3)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | To par | Margin of victory | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nov 27, 1988 | Casio World Open | 72-71-68-73=284 | −4 | 1 stroke |  Masashi Ozaki |
| 2 | Nov 19, 1989 | Dunlop Phoenix Tournament | 69-64-71-68=272 | −16 | 4 strokes | Naomichi Ozaki |
| 3 | Nov 18, 1990 | Dunlop Phoenix Tournament (2) | 69-65-69-71=274 | −14 | 3 strokes | 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. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | To par | Margin of victory | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jul 4, 2010 | Montreal Championship | 67-68-64=199 | −17 | 1 stroke | John Cook |
Major championships
Wins (1)
| Year | Championship | 54 holes | Winning score | To par | Margin | Runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Masters Tournament | 2 shot deficit | 70-72-72-71=285 | −3 | Playoff1 | Greg Norman, 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.
| Tournament | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | T11 | T47 | T16 | 1 | T45 | T26 | ||||
| U.S. Open | CUT | CUT | T39 | T24 | T4 | T12 | T33 | |||
| The Open Championship | CUT | T46 | T26 | CUT | T19 | |||||
| PGA Championship | T47 | T6 | T23 | T53 | CUT | CUT | T17 |
| Tournament | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | T14 | T17 | T6 | T21 | 3 | CUT | T23 | T30 | CUT | 23 |
| U.S. Open | T14 | T55 | CUT | CUT | CUT | CUT | CUT | T58 | 64 | |
| The Open Championship | T31 | CUT | CUT | T27 | T11 | CUT | T52 | |||
| PGA Championship | T12 | CUT | T40 | CUT | T15 | CUT | T8 | T58 | CUT |
| Tournament | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | T25 | CUT | CUT | CUT | CUT | CUT | T42 | CUT | CUT | T30 |
| U.S. Open | T37 | CUT | ||||||||
| The Open Championship | ||||||||||
| PGA Championship |
| Tournament | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | CUT | CUT | CUT | CUT | 51 | CUT | T52 | 52 | CUT |
| U.S. Open | |||||||||
| The Open Championship | |||||||||
| PGA Championship |
| Tournament | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | CUT | CUT | CUT | CUT | CUT |
| PGA Championship | |||||
| U.S. Open | |||||
| The Open Championship | NT |
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
| Tournament | Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top-5 | Top-10 | Top-25 | Events | Cuts made |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 11 | 40 | 20 |
| PGA Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 16 | 10 |
| U.S. Open | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 18 | 10 |
| The Open Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 12 | 7 |
| Totals | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 23 | 86 | 47 |
- 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
| Tournament | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Players Championship | T13 | T15 | CUT | 2 | T12 | CUT | T70 | CUT | CUT | T54 | CUT | CUT | T8 | T13 | T14 | T31 | T23 | CUT | CUT | CUT |
CUT = missed the halfway cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Results in senior major championships
Results not in chronological order before 2022.
| Tournament | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Tradition | 4 | T25 | T25 | T31 | T46 | T24 | T9 | T42 | T34 | NT | T29 | 74 | T69 | |||
| Senior PGA Championship | 2 | T6 | CUT | T38 | CUT | CUT | WD | T16 | T11 | T38 | T68 | NT | T23 | |||
| U.S. Senior Open | T16 | T8 | T29 | 63 | T30 | T43 | T38 | NT | ||||||||
| Senior Players Championship | T27 | T47 | T33 | T30 | T24 | T28 | T59 | T20 | T35 | T17 | T52 | T48 | WD | |||
| Senior British Open Championship | T6 | T14 | T21 | T47 | T21 | CUT | T38 | CUT | CUT | NT |
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