Todd Hamilton
American professional golfer (born 1965)
title: "Todd Hamilton" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["american-male-golfers", "oklahoma-sooners-men's-golfers", "pga-tour-golfers", "japan-golf-tour-golfers", "pga-tour-champions-golfers", "winners-of-men's-major-golf-championships", "golfers-from-illinois", "golfers-from-texas", "sportspeople-from-galesburg,-illinois", "people-from-westlake,-texas", "1965-births", "living-people", "20th-century-american-sportsmen"] description: "American professional golfer (born 1965)" topic_path: "sports" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Todd_Hamilton" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary American professional golfer (born 1965) ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox golfer"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Todd Hamilton |
| image | Todd Hamilton.jpg |
| imagesize | 200px |
| fullname | William Todd Hamilton |
| birth_date | |
| birth_place | Galesburg, Illinois, U.S. |
| death_date | |
| height | 6 ft 1 in |
| weight | 195 lb |
| nationality | |
| residence | Westlake, Texas, U.S. |
| children | 3 |
| college | University of Oklahoma |
| yearpro | 1987 |
| retired | |
| tour | Champions Tour |
| extour | PGA Tour |
| Japan Golf Tour | |
| Asia Golf Circuit | |
| prowins | 17 |
| pgawins | 2 |
| eurowins | 1 |
| japwins | 11 |
| asiawins | |
| sunwins | |
| auswins | |
| nwidewins | |
| chalwins | |
| champwins | |
| seneurowins | |
| otherwins | 4 |
| majorwins | 1 |
| masters | T15: 2009 |
| usopen | T36: 2008, 2009 |
| open | Won: 2004 |
| pga | T29: 2003 |
| wghofid | |
| wghofyear | |
| award1 | [Asia Golf Circuit |
| Order of Merit winner](asia-golf-circuit-order-of-merit-winners) | |
| year1 | 1992 |
| award2 | [PGA Tour |
| Rookie of the Year](pga-tour-rookie-of-the-year) | |
| year2 | 2004 |
| awardssection | |
| module | {{Infobox person |
| signature | Todd_Hamilton_signature.jpg |
| :: |
| name = Todd Hamilton | image = Todd Hamilton.jpg | imagesize = 200px | caption = | fullname = William Todd Hamilton | nickname = | birth_date = | birth_place = Galesburg, Illinois, U.S. | death_date = | death_place = | height = 6 ft 1 in | weight = 195 lb | nationality = | residence = Westlake, Texas, U.S. | spouse = | partner = | children = 3 | college = University of Oklahoma | yearpro = 1987 | retired = | tour = Champions Tour | extour = PGA Tour Japan Golf Tour Asia Golf Circuit | prowins = 17 | pgawins = 2 | eurowins = 1 | japwins = 11 | asiawins = | sunwins = | auswins = | nwidewins = | chalwins = | champwins = | seneurowins = | otherwins = 4 | majorwins = 1 | masters = T15: 2009 | usopen = T36: 2008, 2009 | open = Won: 2004 | pga = T29: 2003 | wghofid = | wghofyear = | award1 = Asia Golf Circuit Order of Merit winner | year1 = 1992 | award2 = PGA Tour Rookie of the Year | year2 = 2004 | awardssection = | module = {{Infobox person|embed=yes | signature = Todd_Hamilton_signature.jpg William Todd Hamilton (born October 18, 1965) is an American professional golfer. He is best known for his victory at the 2004 Open Championship.
Early life
Hamilton was born in the small west-central Illinois city of Galesburg. He grew up in an even smaller town, Oquawka, in Henderson County on the Mississippi River. His parents were the owners of a small grocery story called "Hamilton's." He attended Union High School in Biggsville, Illinois (now West Central High School). At the time, the high school did not have a golf team, and Hamilton competed as an individual. He won back to back Class A state titles in 1981–82 and 1982–83. Hamilton then played at the University of Oklahoma, where he was a college All-American.
Professional career
Hamilton turned professional in 1987 but was unable to gain entrance to the PGA Tour. Instead he played internationally for many years, primarily on the Japan Golf Tour after gaining his card as winner of the 1992 Asia Golf Circuit Order of Merit winner. When he left the Japan Golf Tour after 12 seasons, he was the tour's 2nd all-time leading non-Japanese money winner (to USA's David Ishii), with earnings of over 630 million yen (about $6.18 million in 2014 US dollars) with 11 tour wins.
After eight tries, at the age of 38, Hamilton went back to Qualifying School in 2003, where he finally earned his first PGA Tour card.
Hamilton captured his first PGA Tour win at the 2004 Honda Classic. He birdied the final two holes to beat Davis Love III by one stroke at 12 under par. Later that year, he won a major championship in one of golf's all-time upsets when he defeated Ernie Els in a four-hole playoff to win The Open Championship at Royal Troon Golf Club. After shooting an opening round 71, he fired a second round 67 to move to -4 and a fifth-place tie with future World Golf Hall of Famers Els, Vijay Singh and Colin Montgomerie as well as future US Open winner Michael Campbell. He again shot a 67 in the third round to take a one-shot lead over Els. Entering the tournament's 72nd hole, he held a one-shot lead over Els but bogeyed, leaving Els with a 12-foot birdie putt for the win, which he missed. Els and Hamilton headed for the four-hole aggregate playoff, in which Hamilton carded four pars while Els managed three pars and a bogey, and Hamilton took the win.
These two victories in his first season on the PGA Tour led to Hamilton being named the 2004 PGA Tour Rookie of the Year and reaching a peak world ranking of 16. In his 187 subsequent tour starts, he missed the cut 111 times and had just three top-10 finishes. In 2006, Hamilton captained the American team in ITV's celebrity golf tournament, the All*Star Cup.
He lost his full exempt status on the PGA Tour in 2010. Hamilton played on the Web.com Tour in 2014 and 2015. Hamilton became eligible to play on the Champions Tour after turning fifty years of age in October 2015.
Personal life
Hamilton lives in Westlake, Texas.
Professional wins (17)
PGA Tour wins (2)
::data[format=table]
| Legend |
|---|
| Major championships (1) |
| Other PGA Tour (1) |
| :: |
::data[format=table] | No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner-up | |---|---|---|---|---|---| | 1 | Mar 14, 2004 | The Honda Classic | −12 (68-66-68-74=276) | 1 stroke | USA Davis Love III | | 2 | Jul 18, 2004 | The Open Championship | −10 (71-67-67-69=274) | Playoff | ZAF Ernie Els | ::
PGA Tour playoff record (1–0) ::data[format=table]
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2004 | The Open Championship | ZAF Ernie Els | Won four-hole aggregate playoff; |
| Hamilton: E (4-4-3-4=15), | ||||
| Els: +1 (4-4-4-4=16) | ||||
| :: |
Japan Golf Tour wins (11)
::data[format=table] | No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up | |---|---|---|---|---|---| | 1 | Aug 23, 1992 | Maruman Open | −16 (65-67-67-73=272) | 1 stroke | JPN Masashi Ozaki | | 2 | Aug 15, 1993 | Acom International | 40 pts (7-15-3-15=40) | 2 points | AUS Craig Warren | | 3 | Jul 3, 1994 | PGA Philanthropy Tournament | −10 (74-69-68-67=278) | Playoff | JPN Eiji Mizoguchi | | 4 | Sep 4, 1994 | Japan PGA Match-Play Championship Promise Cup | 8 and 7 | JPN Ikuo Shirahama | | | 5 | Mar 12, 1995 | Token Corporation Cup | −7 (70-71-68-72=281) | 1 stroke | AUS Peter Senior | | 6 | Jun 30, 1996 | PGA Philanthropy Tournament (2) | −13 (69-69-68-69=275) | 2 strokes | JPN Kazuhiro Takami | | 7 | Sep 27, 1998 | Gene Sarazen Jun Classic | −18 (71-66-68-65=270) | 2 strokes | AUS Craig Parry | | 8 | May 11, 2003 | Fujisankei Classic | −17 (67-67-65-68=267) | 5 strokes | JPN Tetsuji Hiratsuka, JPN Shigeru Nonaka | | 9 | Jun 1, 2003 | Diamond Cup Tournament | −12 (67-72-72-65=276) | 3 strokes | AUS Steven Conran | | 10 | Jun 29, 2003 | Gateway to The Open Mizuno Open | −10 (67-72-72-65=278) | 1 stroke | AUS Brendan Jones | | 11 | Sep 7, 2003 | Japan PGA Match-Play Championship (2) | 3 and 2 | NZL David Smail | | ::
Japan Golf Tour playoff record (1–4) ::data[format=table]
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1994 | PGA Philanthropy Tournament | JPN Eiji Mizoguchi | Won with birdie on first extra hole |
| 2 | 1996 | Fujisankei Classic | USA Brian Watts | Lost to par on first extra hole |
| 3 | 1996 | Mitsubishi Galant Tournament | JPN Masashi Ozaki | Lost to par on first extra hole |
| 4 | 1996 | Pocari Sweat Yomiuri Open | JPN Kazuhiro Fukunaga | Lost to birdie on second extra hole |
| 4 | 2002 | Munsingwear Open KSB Cup | JPN Yoshimitsu Fukuzawa, JPN Kenichi Kuboya | Kuboya won with birdie on fourth extra hole |
| Fukuzawa eliminated by birdie on second hole | ||||
| :: |
Asia Golf Circuit wins (2)
::data[format=table] | No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner-up | |---|---|---|---|---|---| | 1 | Apr 19, 1992 | Maekyung Open | −8 (68-70-69-73=280) | Playoff | TWN Lin Chie-hsiang | | 2 | Feb 5, 1995 | Thai Airways Thailand Open | −17 (68-68-70-65=271) | Playoff | USA Steve Veriato | ::
Asia Golf Circuit playoff record (2–1) ::data[format=table]
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1992 | Sanyang Republic of China Open | TWN Lin Chie-hsiang, USA Craig McClellan | Lin won with birdie on first extra hole |
| 2 | 1992 | Maekyung Open | TWN Lin Chie-hsiang | Won with par on first extra hole |
| 3 | 1995 | Thai Airways Thailand Open | USA Steve Veriato | Won with par on second extra hole |
| :: |
Other wins (2)
::data[format=table] | No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up | |---|---|---|---|---|---| | 1 | Mar 22, 1992 | Rolex Masters | −10 (70-67-66-71=274) | 4 strokes | USA Gerry Norquist, USA Lee Porter | | 2 | Aug 29, 1999 | Oklahoma Open | −12 (66-68-64=198) | 1 stroke | USA Greg Gregory | ::
Major championships
Wins (1)
::data[format=table]
| Year | Championship | 54 holes | Winning score | Margin | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | The Open Championship | 1 shot lead | −10 (71-67-67-69=274) | Playoff1 | RSA Ernie Els |
| :: |
1Defeated Ernie Els in 4-hole playoff; Hamilton (4-4-3-4=15), Els (4-4-4-4=16).
Results timeline
::data[format=table]
| Tournament | 1988 | 1989 |
|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | ||
| U.S. Open | CUT | |
| The Open Championship | ||
| PGA Championship | ||
| :: |
::data[format=table]
| Tournament | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | ||||||||||
| U.S. Open | ||||||||||
| The Open Championship | CUT | T45 | ||||||||
| PGA Championship | ||||||||||
| :: |
::data[format=table]
| Tournament | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | 40 | T39 | CUT | CUT | T36 | T15 | ||||
| U.S. Open | CUT | CUT | CUT | CUT | T36 | T36 | ||||
| The Open Championship | CUT | 1 | CUT | T68 | CUT | T32 | CUT | |||
| PGA Championship | T29 | T37 | T47 | CUT | T66 | CUT | ||||
| :: |
::data[format=table]
| Tournament | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | CUT | ||||||||
| U.S. Open | T60 | ||||||||
| The Open Championship | CUT | CUT | CUT | T73 | CUT | CUT | CUT | CUT | CUT |
| PGA Championship | |||||||||
| :: |
::data[format=table]
| Tournament | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | ||||||
| PGA Championship | ||||||
| U.S. Open | ||||||
| The Open Championship | NT | CUT | ||||
| :: |
CUT = missed the half way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place.
NT = no tournament due to the COVID-19 pandemic
Summary
::data[format=table]
| Tournament | Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top-5 | Top-10 | Top-25 | Events | Cuts made | Totals | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 40 | 16 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 4 | |||||||||
| U.S. Open | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 3 | |||||||||
| The Open Championship | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 19 | 5 | |||||||||
| PGA Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 4 | |||||||||
| :: |
- Most consecutive cuts made – 4 (2007 PGA – 2008 Open Championship)
- Longest streak of top-10s – 1
Results in The Players Championship
::data[format=table]
| Tournament | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Players Championship | T58 | CUT | CUT | T75 | T54 | CUT |
| :: |
CUT = missed the halfway cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Results in World Golf Championships
::data[format=table]
| Tournament | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Match Play | R64 | ||
| Championship | 72 | T6 | |
| Invitational | 21 | ||
| :: |
QF, R16, R32, R64 = Round in which player lost in match play
"T" = Tied
Results in senior major championships
Results not in chronological order before 2017. ::data[format=table]
| Tournament | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Tradition | T23 | T40 | T48 | NT | ||||||
| Senior PGA Championship | CUT | CUT | T33 | CUT | NT | CUT | CUT | CUT | CUT | CUT |
| Senior Players Championship | T61 | T63 | 49 | |||||||
| U.S. Senior Open | T37 | T40 | CUT | NT | ||||||
| Senior British Open Championship | CUT | T61 | CUT | NT | ||||||
| :: |
"T" indicates a tie for a place
CUT = missed the halfway cut
NT = no tournament due to COVID-19 pandemic
References
References
- "Records & History: Boys Golf Medalists". Illinois High School Association.
- Edmund, Nick. (1993). "Heineken World of Golf 93". Stanley Paul.
- "Troon – 2004 Results". The Open.
- "Todd Hamilton - Advanced Statistics".
- Rosaforte, Tim. (July 29, 2013). "The Anonymous Champion".
- "Todd Hamilton Tournament Results – 2014". ESPN.
::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::