Who's who: Hal Sutton

  • Nairn GC.jpg
  • Prince's GC, England
  • Peterhead GC
  • 30bb297e-e7f4-4990-93c9-b8c1e64fdd82.JPG
  • Littlestone GC
  • Brora GC
  • Cabot Highlands - Castel Stuart course
  • Torrey Pines - South Course 1

Who's who: Hal Sutton

  • Name:

    Hal Evan Sutton
  • Country:

    USA
  • Born:

    April 28, 1958 in Shreveport, Louisiana.
  • Original/Home Club:

  • Occupation:

    Professional golfer; golf course designer.
  • Turned Pro:

    1981

Roll of Honour

MAJORS (1): US PGA Championship (1983). US Amateur champion (1980). Walker Cup player (1979, '81). Ryder Cup player (1985, '87, '99, 2002). Presidents Cup player (2000). Ryder Cup captain (2004). Total professional wins (15), including PGA Tour (14). PGA Tour leading money winner (1983).

Golf course design

Olde Oaks GC, nr Shreveport, Louisiana.

Did you know?

Sutton enjoyed an impressive amateur career that culminated with victory in the 1980 US Amateur Championship. In the same year he also collected the North & South Amateur, Western Amateur and Northeast Amateur titles, and was part of the winning USA team in the Eisenhower Trophy, a world amateur event.

Success as an amateur flowed into the early part of Sutton's professional career, which included a major championship title in 1983. After a lean period between the mid-1980s and mid-90s, Sutton again found the winning habit with seven wins in six years from 1996 through 2001. Although a regular Champions Tour player from 2008, Sutton failed to find the form that made him such a force on the regular PGA Tour.

Top tournaments won by Hal Sutton

2001
America
278 (-10)
$612,000
Shell

Category

America

Winner (holder)

Sutton, Hal

Score

278 (-10)

Prize money

$612,000

Title sponsor

Shell

Played as the Shell Houston Open (April 19-22). Second-placed Joe Durant (USA) and Lee Janzen (USA) finished 3 shots behind Hal Sutton (USA), who recorded the last of his 14 PGA Tour wins. [Tournament course (known as TPC at The Woodlands), Woodlands CC, nr Houston, TX].

Category

America

Winner (holder)

Sutton, Hal

Score

278 (-10)

Prize money

$1,080,000

Title sponsor

x

Played as The Players Championship (March 23-26). Second-placed Tiger Woods (USA) finished 1 shot behind Sutton (USA). [Stadium Course, TPC Sawgrass, Ponte Vedra Beach, FL].

2000
America
Forest Oaks CC
274 (-14)
$540,000
Chrysler

Category

America

Winner (holder)

Sutton, Hal

Venue

Forest Oaks CC

Score

274 (-14)

Prize money

$540,000

Title sponsor

Chrysler

Played as the Greater Greensboro Chrysler Classic (April 20-23). Second-placed Andrew Magee (USA) finished 3 shots behind Sutton (USA). [Forest Oaks CC, Greensboro, NC].

1999
America
275 (-13)
$450,000
Bell

Category

America

Winner (holder)

Sutton, Hal

Score

275 (-13)

Prize money

$450,000

Title sponsor

Bell

Played as the Bell Canadian Open (Sept 9-12). Second-placed Dennis Paulson (USA) finished 3 shots behind Hal Sutton (USA). [Glen Abbey GC, Oakville, nr Toronto, Ont.].

Category

America

Winner (holder)

Sutton, Hal

Score

274 (-6)

Prize money

$720,000

Title sponsor

x

Played as the Tour Championship (Oct 28-Nov 1). Hal Sutton (USA) beat Vijay Singh (Fiji) with a birdie at the first playoff hole, to claim his tenth PGA Tour win. [East Lake GC, Atlanta, GA].

1998
America
270 (-18)
$306,000
Westin

Category

America

Winner (holder)

Sutton, Hal

Score

270 (-18)

Prize money

$306,000

Title sponsor

Westin

Played as the Westin Texas Open (Sept 24-27). Second-placed Justin Leonard (USA) and Jay Haas (USA) finished 1 shot behind Hal Sutton (USA). [Resort course, La Cantera GC, San Antonio, TX].

1995
America
269 (-15)
$180,000
x

Category

America

Winner (holder)

Sutton, Hal

Venue

En-Joie

Score

269 (-15)

Prize money

$180,000

Title sponsor

x

Played as the B.C. Open (Sept 14-17). Second-placed Jim McGovern (USA) finished 1 shot behind Sutton (USA). [En-Joie GC, Endicott, NY].

1986
America
271 (-17)
$100,000
x

Category

America

Winner (holder)

Sutton, Hal

Score

271 (-17)

Prize money

$100,000

Title sponsor

x

Played as The Memorial Tournament (May 22-25). Second-placed Don Pooley (USA) finished 4 shots behind Sutton (USA). [Muirfield Village GC, Dublin, nr Columbus, OH].

1986
America
Phoenix CC, AZ
267 (-21)
$90,000
x

Category

America

Winner (holder)

Sutton, Hal

Venue

Phoenix CC, AZ

Score

267 (-21)

Prize money

$90,000

Title sponsor

x

Played as the Phoenix Open (Jan 23-26). Second-placed Tony Sills (USA) and defending champion Calvin Peete (USA) finished 2 shots behind Sutton (USA). [Phoenix CC, Phoenix, AZ].

1985
America
Colonial CC, Tenn
279 (-9)
$90,000
x

Category

America

Winner (holder)

Sutton, Hal

Venue

Colonial CC, Tenn

Score

279 (-9)

Prize money

$90,000

Title sponsor

x

Played as the St Jude Memphis Classic (June 27-30). Sutton (USA) beat David Ogrin (USA) with a birdie at the first playoff hole. [South course, Colonial CC, Cordova, nr Memphis, TN].

1985
America
Boca West CC
260 (-28)
$55,000
Chrysler

Category

America

Winner (holder)

Sutton, Hal

Venue

Boca West CC

Score

260 (-28)

Prize money

$55,000

Title sponsor

Chrysler

Played as the Chrysler Team Invitational (Dec 12-15; PGA Tr post-season two-man better-ball unofficial money event). Winning team of Ray Floyd & Hal Sutton beat Jim Colbert & Tom Purtzer, Charlie Bolling & Brad Fabel, John Fought & Pat McGowan and Gary Hallbert & Scott Hoch with a 12-foot birdie putt at the first playoff hole (200-yard par-3 15th). [No.1 course, Boca West CC, Boca Raton, FL. Earlier rounds also used the No.2 course, and Broken Sound Club, Boca Raton].

1985
America
Fairway Oaks, TX
273 (-15)
$72,000
x

Category

America

Winner (holder)

Sutton, Hal

Venue

Fairway Oaks, TX

Score

273 (-15)

Prize money

$72,000

Title sponsor

x

Played as the Southwest Golf Classic (Sept 19-22). Sutton (USA) beat Mike Reid (USA) with a birdie at the first playoff hole, to record his fifth PGA Tour win. [Fairway Oaks CC, Abilene, TX. Now known as the Fairway course, Abilene CC].

1983
Awards
$426,668
see Score
PGA Tour

Category

Awards

Winner (holder)

Sutton, Hal

Venue

Score

$426,668

Prize money

see Score

Title sponsor

PGA Tour

Sutton (USA) won the Arnold Palmer Award as the PGA Tour 1983 leading money winner, with earnings of $426,668 on the Tour. Fuzzy Zoeller (USA) was second with $417,597; Lanny Wadkins (USA) was third with $319,271.

Category

America

Winner (holder)

Sutton, Hal

Score

283 (-5)

Prize money

$126,000

Title sponsor

x

Played as the Tournament Players Championship (March 24-27). Second-placed Bob Eastwood (USA) finished 1 shot behind Sutton (USA), who recorded his second PGA Tour win. [Stadium Course, TPC Sawgrass, Ponte Vedra Beach, FL].

1983
Awards
x
n/a
PGA of America

Category

Awards

Winner (holder)

Sutton, Hal

Venue

Score

x

Prize money

n/a

Title sponsor

PGA of America

Sutton (USA) won the PGA of America Player of the Year Award (based on points allocated for PGA Tour wins, money-list position and scoring average).

1983
Majors
274 (-10)
$100,000
PGA of America

Category

Majors

Winner (holder)

Sutton, Hal

Score

274 (-10)

Prize money

$100,000

Title sponsor

PGA of America

The US PGA Championship (65th) (Aug 4-7). Second-placed Jack Nicklaus (USA) finished 1 shot behind wire-to-wire winner Sutton (USA), who recorded his first and only major championship win. [Riviera CC, Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles, CA].

1982
America
269 (-19)
$72,000
Disney World

Category

America

Winner (holder)

Sutton, Hal

Score

269 (-19)

Prize money

$72,000

Title sponsor

Disney World

Played as the Walt Disney World Golf Classic (Oct 28-31; tournament reverted to individual format after eight years as a two-man team event). 24-year-old Hal Sutton (USA) beat Bill Britton (USA) with a birdie at the fourth playoff hole, to record his first PGA Tour win. [Magnolia course, Walt Disney World, Orlando, FL. Earlier rounds also played on the Palm course].

1980
Amateur
North Carolina CC
9 & 8
amateur
USGA

Category

Amateur

Winner (holder)

Sutton, Hal

Venue

North Carolina CC

Score

9 & 8

Prize money

amateur

Title sponsor

USGA

The US Amateur Championship (80th) (Aug 26-31). Hal Sutton (USA) beat Bob Lewis (USA) 9 and 8 in the 36-hole final. [Dogwood course, CC of North Carolina, Pinehurst, NC].

Find a course

Or

Tournaments

The Sentry: known for many years as the Tournament of Champions, the PGA Tour’s 2025 season-opener gets underway on Kapalua’s Plantation course (Jan 2-5). Chris Kirk defends.

Tournament of Champions: the LPGA Tour’s 2025 season is launched at Lake Nona with the their Tournament of Champions (Jan 30-Feb 2). The 2024 edition gave Lydia Ko her 20th LPGA Tour title.

Who's Who

Attahya Thitikul: also known as “Jeeno”, the Thai golfer won the LPGA Tour’s 2024 CME Group Tour Championship … and an eye-watering $4 million, the richest first-prize in women’s golf.

Rory McIlroy: scooped the 2024 European (DP World) Tour season-long Order of Merit title, joining Seve Ballesteros as a six-time winner of this prestigious award.

Marco Simone Golf & Country Club

Marco Simone Golf & Country Club: With a clubhouse that might befit a Roman Emperor, and a golf course to match, you can be sure of a memorable outing at Rome's most talked about golf facility.

Jim Fazio's original layout was much changed to create a modern Ryder Cup course ... now one of the Eternal City's (and Italy's) most revered.

Prince's Golf Club, Kent (UK)

Here at Prince’s Golf Club you'll find 27 excellent holes of links golf. Just over the fence and sharing similar terrain is Royal St George’s; but Prince’s is far from overshadowed by its venerable neighbour. The three nine-hole loops at Prince's, laid out over gently undulating terrain, are sure to bring a smile of satisfaction to all lovers of links golf.

Stay&Play at Prince's: excellent onsite Lodge accommodation available

Popular videos

You can subscribe to the Where2Golf channel on YT if you like to see more video content. You'll find a "Subscribe" button on any of our YouTube videos. Or if you want a quick and direct access subscribe here. Once done, any new published videos will show up in your Subscriptions feed.

Whistling Straits (Wisconsin, US)

Hamburger GC - Falkenstein, Germany

Littlestone Golf Club (Kent, UK)