Tom Lehman
American professional golfer (born 1959)
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Thomas Edward Lehman (born March 7, 1959) is an American professional golfer. A former #1 ranked golfer, his tournament wins include one major title, the 1996 Open Championship. He is also the only golfer in history to have been awarded the Player of the Year honor on all three PGA Tours: the developmental Ben Hogan Tour, the regular PGA Tour, and the senior PGA Tour Champions.[2]
| Tom Lehman | |
|---|---|
Lehman in 2006 | |
| Personal information | |
| Full name | Thomas Edward Lehman |
| Born | March 7, 1959 Austin, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Weight | 215 lb (98 kg; 15.4 st) |
| Sporting nationality |  United States |
| Residence | Scottsdale, Arizona, U.S. |
| Spouse | Melissa Lehman |
| Children | 4 |
| Career | |
| College | University of Minnesota |
| Turned professional | 1982 |
| Current tours | PGA Tour Champions European Senior Tour |
| Former tours | PGA Tour Ben Hogan Tour |
| Professional wins | 35 |
| Highest ranking | 1 (April 20, 1997)[1] (1 week) |
| Number of wins by tour | |
| PGA Tour | 5 |
| European Tour | 2 |
| Japan Golf Tour | 1 |
| Korn Ferry Tour | 4 |
| PGA Tour Champions | 12 |
| European Senior Tour | 2 |
| Other | 11 |
| Best results in major championships (wins: 1) | |
| Masters Tournament | 2nd: 1994 |
| PGA Championship | T10: 1997 |
| U.S. Open | T2: 1996 |
| The Open Championship | Won: 1996 |
| Achievements and awards | |
| (For a full list of awards, see here) | |
| Signature | |
 | |
Amateur career
In 1959, Lehman was born in Austin, Minnesota. He was raised in Alexandria, Minnesota.
Lehman played college golf at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis–Saint Paul.[3] He graduated with a degree in business/accounting.[4]
Professional career
In 1982, Lehman turned professional. It took Lehman many years to become a leading tour professional. He played on the PGA Tour with little success from 1983 to 1985 and was then obliged to play elsewhere for the following six seasons. This included time on the Asia Golf Circuit and Southern African Tour and on the second-tier Ben Hogan Tour in the United States. He regained his PGA Tour card by topping the Ben Hogan Tour's 1991 money list, and enjoyed unbroken membership of the PGA Tour from 1992 until shortly after he joined the Champions Tour. He was named PGA Tour Player of the Year in 1996.
From 1995 to 1997, Lehman held the 54-hole lead at the U.S. Open, but each time failed to win. During this period he won his only major championship to date, The Open Championship in 1996.[5][6] In April 1997, he was #1 in the Official World Golf Ranking for what would be only one week. He has won five times on the PGA Tour, but in addition to his Open win these wins have included the season-ending Tour Championship and Memorial Tournament, and he has won at least nineteen professional events in total.
Although Lehman did not win a lot of tournaments on the PGA Tour he was one of the most consistent players on tour with 19 runner-up finishes between 1992 and 2006.[7]
Unusually for a star American golfer, Lehman won almost as many regular tour events internationally as he did in the United States. His most well-known victory was at the 1996 Open Championship in England. He also won the 1993 Casio World Open on the Japan Golf Tour and the 1997 Gulfstream Loch Lomond World Invitational on the European Tour. He also recorded runner-up finishes at the 1989 South African Open[8] and the 2000 Scottish Open, the European Tour event he won three years previous.
Lehman was captain of the Ryder Cup team in 2006, which lost 18½ to 9½ to Europe at the K Club in Ireland.
In April 2009, Lehman became the 13th Champions Tour player to win his debut tournament. He teamed with Bernhard Langer to win the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf in a playoff over Jeff Sluman and Craig Stadler.[9] On May 30, 2010, Lehman won the Senior PGA Championship in a playoff over Fred Couples and David Frost for his first Champions Tour major championship. In 2011, Lehman topped the Champions Tour money list and was voted the Champions Tour Player of the Year. He is the first golfer to win "Player of the Year" honors on all three tours operated by the PGA Tour.[2]
In June 2012, Lehman defended his title at the Regions Tradition, to win his third senior major championship. He won by two strokes from Germany's Bernhard Langer and Taiwan's Lu Chien-soon. In his next major appearance at the Senior Players Championship, he finished runner-up, two strokes behind Joe Daley.
Personal life
Lehman and his wife Melissa have lived for many years in Scottsdale, Arizona, and they have four children: two daughters and two sons. Lehman is a devout Christian.[10][11]
Awards and honors
- In 1991, Lehman earned Ben Hogan Tour Player of the Year honors and won the money list.
- In 1996, earned the PGA Tour Player of the Year honors and won the money list.
- In 1996, Lehman also earned PGA of America Player of the Year, the Byron Nelson Award, and the Vardon Trophy.
- In 2011, Lehman was the Champions Tour Charles Schwab Cup winner, won the money list, and earned Player of the Year honors.
- In 2012, he was the Champions Tour Player of the Year and was the Charles Schwab Cup winner.
Amateur wins
Professional wins (35)
PGA Tour wins (5)
| Legend |
|---|
| Major championships (1) |
| Tour Championships (1) |
| Other PGA Tour (3) |
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | To par | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | May 22, 1994 | Memorial Tournament | 67-67-67-67=268 | −20 | 5 strokes |  Greg Norman |
| 2 | May 28, 1995 | Colonial National Invitation | 67-68-68-68=271 | −9 | 1 stroke | Craig Parry |
| 3 | Jul 21, 1996 | The Open Championship | 67-67-64-73=271 | −13 | 2 strokes |  Ernie Els,  Mark McCumber |
| 4 | Oct 28, 1996 | The Tour Championship | 66-67-64-71=268 | −12 | 6 strokes | Brad Faxon |
| 5 | Jan 30, 2000 | Phoenix Open | 63-67-73-67=270 | −14 | 1 stroke | Robert Allenby, Rocco Mediate |
PGA Tour playoff record (0–3)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1997 | Mercedes Championships | Tiger Woods |
Lost to birdie on first extra hole |
| 2 | 1999 | Bay Hill Invitational | Tim Herron |
Lost to birdie on second extra hole |
| 3 | 2006 | The International | Dean Wilson |
Lost to birdie on second extra hole |
European Tour wins (2)
| Legend |
|---|
| Major championships (1) |
| Other European Tour (1) |
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | To par | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jul 21, 1996 | The Open Championship | 67-67-64-73=271 | −13 | 2 strokes | Ernie Els, Mark McCumber |
| 2 | Jul 12, 1997 | Gulfstream Loch Lomond World Invitational | 65-66-67-67=265 | −19 | 4 strokes | Ernie Els |
PGA of Japan Tour wins (1)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | To par | Margin of victory |
Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nov 28, 1993 | Casio World Open | 69-69-67-69=274 | −14 | 1 stroke | Phil Mickelson |
Ben Hogan Tour wins (4)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | To par | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aug 26, 1990 | Ben Hogan Reflection Ridge | 66-69-67=202 | −14 | 1 stroke | Greg Whisman |
| 2 | Mar 17, 1991 | Ben Hogan Gulf Coast Classic | 66-71=137[a] | −7 | Playoff | Tim Straub, John Wilson |
| 3 | May 5, 1991 | Ben Hogan South Carolina Classic | 67-66-69=202 | −14 | Playoff | Ray Pearce |
| 4 | Oct 13, 1991 | Ben Hogan Santa Rosa Open | 69-67-71=207 | −9 | 1 stroke | Mike Foster, Brad Greer, Webb Heintzelman, Jeff Woodland |
Ben Hogan Tour playoff record (2–2)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1991 | Ben Hogan Gulf Coast Classic | Tim Straub, John Wilson |
Won with par on eighth extra hole Straub eliminated by par on first hole |
| 2 | 1991 | Ben Hogan South Carolina Classic | Ray Pearce |
Won with birdie on first extra hole |
| 3 | 1991 | Ben Hogan Tulsa Open | Frank Conner |
Lost to birdie on second extra hole |
| 4 | 1991 | Ben Hogan Reno Open | Rob Boldt, John Flannery, Esteban Toledo |
Flannery won with birdie on fourth extra hole Boldt and Lehman eliminated by birdie on first hole |
Tour de las Américas wins (1)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | To par | Margin of victory |
Runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dec 6, 2009 | Torneo de Maestros1 | 71-66-67-70=274 | −10 | 5 strokes |  Miguel Ángel Carballo, Daniel Vancsik |
1Co-sanctioned by the TPG Tour
Other wins (10)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | To par | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jul 20, 1986 | Waterloo Open Golf Classic | 63-67=130 | −14 | 2 strokes | John Benda |
| 2 | Jul 30, 1989 | Minnesota State Open | 67-71-67=205 | −11 | 2 strokes | John Harris (a) |
| 3 | Jul 29, 1990 | Minnesota State Open (2) | 69-74-73=206 | −10 | 4 strokes | Jon Chaffee, Tim Herron (a) |
| 4 | Dec 10, 1995 | Diners Club Matches (with Duffy Waldorf) |
1 up | John Huston and Kenny Perry | ||
| 5 | Nov 15, 1996 | MasterCard PGA Grand Slam of Golf | 68-66=134 | −10 | 2 strokes | Steve Jones |
| 6 | Dec 15, 1996 | Diners Club Matches (2) (with Duffy Waldorf) |
2 and 1 | Scott Hoch and Kenny Perry | ||
| 7 | Nov 30, 1997 | Skins Game | $300,000 | $60,000 | Mark O'Meara | |
| 8 | Nov 22, 1998 | Callaway Golf Pebble Beach Invitational | 66-70-69-68=273 | −15 | 2 strokes | Rocco Mediate, Kirk Triplett |
| 9 | Jan 2, 2000 | Williams World Challenge | 68-65-67-67=267 | −13 | 3 strokes | David Duval |
| 10 | Dec 17, 2000 | Hyundai Team Matches (3) (with Duffy Waldorf) |
20 holes | Mark Calcavecchia and Fred Couples | ||
Other playoff record (0–1)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponents | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2019 | PNC Father-Son Challenge (with son Thomas Lehman) |
Retief Goosen and son Leo Goosen, Bernhard Langer and son Jason Langer |
Team Langer won with eagle on first extra hole |
PGA Tour Champions wins (12)
| Legend |
|---|
| PGA Tour Champions major championships (3) |
| Tour Championships (1) |
| Other PGA Tour Champions (8) |
PGA Tour Champions playoff record (3–2)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2009 | Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf (with Bernhard Langer) |
Jeff Sluman and Craig Stadler |
Won with par on second extra hole |
| 2 | 2010 | Senior PGA Championship | Fred Couples, David Frost |
Won with par on first extra hole |
| 3 | 2011 | Regions Tradition | Peter Senior |
Won with par on second extra hole |
| 4 | 2015 | Insperity Invitational | Kenny Perry,  Ian Woosnam |
Woosnam won with birdie on first extra hole |
| 5 | 2018 | Bass Pro Shops Legends of Golf (with Bernhard Langer) |
 Paul Broadhurst and Kirk Triplett |
Lost to birdie on first extra hole |
European Senior Tour wins (2)
| Legend |
|---|
| Senior major championships (1) |
| Tour Championships (1) |
| Other European Senior Tour (0) |
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | To par | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | May 30, 2010 | Senior PGA Championship | 68-71-71-71=281 | −7 | Playoff | Fred Couples, David Frost |
| 2 | Dec 11, 2011 | MCB Tour Championship | 65-68-71=204 | −12 | 1 stroke | David Frost |
European Senior Tour playoff record (1–0)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponents | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2010 | Senior PGA Championship | Fred Couples, David Frost |
Won with par on first extra hole |
Major championships
Wins (1)
| Year | Championship | 54 holes | Winning score | Margin | Runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | The Open Championship | 6 shot lead | −13 (67-67-64-73=271) | 2 strokes | Ernie Els, Mark McCumber |
Results timeline
| Tournament | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | ||||
| U.S. Open | CUT | CUT | ||
| The Open Championship | ||||
| PGA Championship |
| Tournament | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | T3 | 2 | 40 | T18 | T12 | CUT | T31 | |||
| U.S. Open | CUT | T6 | T19 | T33 | 3 | T2 | 3 | T5 | T28 | |
| The Open Championship | T59 | T24 | 1 | T24 | CUT | CUT | ||||
| PGA Championship | CUT | T39 | CUT | T14 | T10 | T29 | T34 |
| Tournament | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | 6 | T18 | CUT | CUT | T13 | CUT | ||||
| U.S. Open | T23 | T24 | T45 | CUT | CUT | T47 | ||||
| The Open Championship | T4 | CUT | CUT | T46 | CUT | T23 | CUT | T51 | T32 | T60 |
| PGA Championship | WD | CUT | T29 | CUT | CUT | CUT | T69 | T42 | T60 |
| Tournament | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | |||||||||
| U.S. Open | CUT | ||||||||
| The Open Championship | T14 | T22 | CUT | T58 | CUT | CUT | CUT | ||
| PGA Championship | T55 |
| Tournament | 2019 |
|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | |
| PGA Championship | |
| U.S. Open | |
| The Open Championship | CUT |
WD = Withdrew
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Summary
| Tournament | Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top-5 | Top-10 | Top-25 | Events | Cuts made |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 13 | 9 |
| PGA Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 17 | 10 |
| U.S. Open | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 18 | 12 |
| The Open Championship | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 24 | 13 |
| Totals | 1 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 11 | 24 | 72 | 44 |
- Most consecutive cuts made – 8 (1996 Masters – 1997 PGA)
- Longest streak of top-10s – 2 (1996 U.S. Open – 1996 Open Championship)
Results in The Players Championship
| Tournament | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Players Championship | T13 | T11 | CUT | T14 | T8 | 6 | T2 | CUT |
| Tournament | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Players Championship | 8 | T12 | T28 | T39 | CUT | T2 | T27 | T23 | T6 |
CUT = missed the halfway cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Results in World Golf Championships
| Tournament | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Match Play | R64 | R32 | R16 | QF | R64 | R32 | 4 | |
| Championship | T25 | NT1 | T39 | 61 | ||||
| Invitational | T15 | T31 | T38 | T41 | T42 |
1Cancelled due to 9/11
QF, R16, R32, R64 = Round in which player lost in match play
"T" = tied
NT = No tournament
Senior major championships
Wins (3)
| Year | Championship | 54 holes | Winning score | Margin | Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Senior PGA Championship | Tied for the lead | −7 (68-71-71-71=281) | Playoff | Fred Couples, David Frost |
| 2011 | Regions Tradition | 2 shot deficit | −13 (67-71-68-69=275) | Playoff | Peter Senior |
| 2012 | Regions Tradition (2) | 2 shot lead | −14 (69-69-68-68=274) | 2 strokes | Bernhard Langer,  Lu Chien-soon |
Results timeline
Results not in chronological order.
| Tournament | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Tradition | T8 | T4 | 1 | 1 | T22 | T3 | T5 | T35 | T6 | T27 | T16 | NT | T68 | T44 | T71 | T67 | |
| Senior PGA Championship | T22 | 1 | T22 | T29 | T48 | T26 | T16 | T15 | CUT | T28 | NT | T50 | T43 | CUT | CUT | CUT | |
| Senior Players Championship | 4 | 2 | T16 | T20 | T20 | T25 | T18 | T43 | T11 | T43 | T25 | T70 | WD | ||||
| U.S. Senior Open | T8 | T12 | T23 | T2 | T9 | T24 | T23 | T11 | T4 | CUT | T11 | NT | T21 | T60 | CUT | ||
| Senior British Open Championship | T58 | T11 | T21 | T10 | T26 | T22 | T14 | T23 | T6 | T36 | NT | T11 |
CUT = missed the halfway cut
WD = withdrew
"T" indicates a tie for a place
NT = no tournament due to COVID-19 pandemic
Awards
Lehman has won the following awards:
- 1991
- 1996
- 2010
- 2011
- 2012
U.S. national team appearances
- Ryder Cup: 1995, 1997, 1999 (winners), 2006 (non-playing captain)
- Presidents Cup: 1994 (winners), 1996 (winners), 2000 (winners)
- World Cup: 1996
- Alfred Dunhill Cup: 1999, 2000
- UBS Warburg Cup: 2002 (winners)
- Wendy's 3-Tour Challenge (representing PGA Tour): 1997 (winners), 1999, 2012 (ChampionsTour)
See also
Notes
- Shortened to 36 holes due to weather.