Gary Christian
English professional golfer (born 1971)
title: "Gary Christian" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["english-male-golfers", "auburn-tigers-men's-golfers", "pga-tour-golfers", "english-expatriate-golfers-in-the-united-states", "korn-ferry-tour-graduates", "people-from-carshalton", "sportspeople-from-the-london-borough-of-sutton", "1971-births", "living-people"] description: "English professional golfer (born 1971)" topic_path: "sports" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Christian" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary English professional golfer (born 1971) ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox golfer"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Gary Christian |
| imagesize | |
| fullname | Gary John Christian |
| birth_date | |
| birth_place | Carshalton, England |
| death_date | |
| height | |
| weight | 165 lb |
| nationality | |
| residence | Chelsea, Alabama |
| college | Wallace State Community College |
| Auburn University | |
| yearpro | 1997 |
| extour | PGA Tour |
| Web.com Tour | |
| Gateway Tour | |
| various mini-tours | |
| prowins | Over 30 |
| eurowins | |
| japwins | |
| asiawins | |
| sunwins | |
| auswins | |
| nwidewins | 2 |
| chalwins | |
| champwins | |
| seneurowins | |
| otherwins | Over 30 |
| majorwins | |
| wghofid | |
| wghofyear | |
| awardssection | |
| :: |
| name = Gary Christian | image = | imagesize = | caption = | fullname = Gary John Christian | nickname = | birth_date = | birth_place = Carshalton, England | death_date = | death_place = | height = | weight = 165 lb | nationality = | residence = Chelsea, Alabama | spouse = | partner = | children = | college = Wallace State Community College Auburn University | yearpro = 1997 | tour = | extour = PGA Tour Web.com Tour Gateway Tour various mini-tours | prowins = Over 30 | pgawins = | eurowins = | japwins = | asiawins = | sunwins = | auswins = | nwidewins = 2 | chalwins = | champwins = | seneurowins = | otherwins = Over 30 | majorwins = | masters = | usopen = | open = | pga = | wghofid = | wghofyear = | award1 = | year1 = | awardssection = Gary John Christian (born 7 August 1971) is an English professional golfer who has played on the Web.com Tour and the PGA Tour.
Early life and amateur career
Christian was born in Carshalton, England. He is named after Gary Player. As a junior, he played golf at Addington Palace Golf Club, England.
Christian went to college in the United States, first on an academic scholarship to Wallace State Community College in Alabama after being spotted by talent scouts at a trial. He was later offered a place at Auburn University, again on a scholarship. He spent two years at Auburn, graduating in 1995.
Professional career
In 1997, Christian turned professional and won four times in his first year on the TearDrop Tour. He was a member of the Nationwide Tour in 1999 and for several seasons from 2006. Christian picked up his first win on tour at the 2009 Northeast Pennsylvania Classic, where he defeated Mathias Grönberg in a playoff that went to nine holes, equaling a Nationwide Tour record for longest playoff.
At age 40, Christian finally graduated to the PGA Tour after finishing ninth on the Nationwide Tour's money list. Christian had never played in a PGA Tour event until 2012. He played in 28 events in 2012, making 18 cuts and having a best finish of T-10 at the RBC Canadian Open.
Christian has played on several mini-tours during his career, winning over 30 events. The tours he has won on include the Gateway Tour, Dakotas Tour, Emerald Coast Tour, DP Tour, TearDrop Tour and the Tight Lies Tour. He was the leading money winner on the Dakotas Tour in 2002 and 2005.
Christian appeared on the TV show The Weakest Link in 2001. After Christian's touring career ended, he became a commentator on The Golf Channel.
Professional wins
Nationwide Tour wins (2)
::data[format=table] | No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner-up | |---|---|---|---|---|---| | 1 | 30 Aug 2009 | Northeast Pennsylvania Classic | −15 (68-70-63-64=265) | Playoff | SWE Mathias Grönberg | | 2 | 4 Sep 2011 | Mylan Classic | −17 (68-63-69-67=267) | 1 stroke | USA John Mallinger | ::
Nationwide Tour playoff record (1–0) ::data[format=table]
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2009 | Northeast Pennsylvania Classic | SWE Mathias Grönberg | Won with birdie on ninth extra hole |
| :: |
Gateway Tour wins (4)
::data[format=table] | No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner-up | |---|---|---|---|---|---| | 1 | 11 Feb 2005 | RTJT Series at Magnolia Grove | −6 (71-70-70-71=282) | 2 strokes | USA Dustin Bray | | 2 | 18 Feb 2005 | RTJT Series at Cambrian Ridge | −20 (63-63-67-71=264) | 14 strokes | USA Chip Deason | | 3 | 4 Mar 2005 | RTJT Series at Capital Hill (Legislator) | −1 (73-71-72-71=287) | 3 strokes | USA Daniel Ozley | | 4 | 29 Apr 2005 | RTJT Series at The Shoals | −1 (72-72-68-75=287) | Playoff | USA Tommy Gainey | ::
Tarheel Tour wins (1)
::data[format=table] | No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner-up | |---|---|---|---|---|---| | 1 | 9 Jun 2005 | Eagle Chase Classic | −11 (68-70-67=205) | 1 stroke | USA Rich Mudd | ::
Other wins
- 1995 Holiday Beach Club tournament (Emerald Coast Tour, as an amateur)
- 1997–98 four wins on the TearDrop Tour
- 2001 MGC Great Plains Open (Dakotas Tour)
- 2002 Sprint PCS Open at Chennault Park (Tight Lies Tour), Stylecraft/Camp Foster Pro-Am (Dakotas Tour), Red Mike Pro-Am (Dakotas Tour), Western North Dakota Charity Pro-Am (Dakotas Tour)
- 2004 Nebraska Open, San Juan Open, Western North Dakota Pro-Am (Dakotas Tour)
- 2005 Western North Dakota Charity Pro-Am (Dakotas Tour)
References
References
- (11 January 2012). "A long road to tour for 40-year-old Englishman". The Washington Times.
- [https://www.usatoday.com/sports/golf/2009-08-30-1524739914_x.htm Christian wins on record-equaling 9th playoff hole]
- (14 February 2012). "Gary Christian makes PGA Tour after selling knives and sleeping in van". The Guardian.
- (2008). "Official Nationwide Tour Media Guide". PGA Tour.
- "Final 2002 Dakotas Tour Money List". Dakotas Tour.
- "2005 Dakotas Tour Total Prize Money including Bonus Cash". Dakotas Tour.
- "PGA Nebraska: History of Nebraska Open". PGA Nebraska.
- Smith, Mark. (June 28, 2004). "Christian Conquers San Juan Course". Albuquerque Journal.
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