Brad Faxon
Bradford John Faxon, Jr. is an American professional golfer. He has won eight times on the PGA Tour.
Early years and amateur career
Faxon was born in Oceanport, New Jersey and raised in Barrington, Rhode Island. He attended Furman University, and earned a Bachelor of Economics degree in 1983.At Furman, Faxon was a two-time All-American as a member of the golf team. He played on the 1983 Walker Cup team. Faxon won the Haskins Award for the most outstanding collegiate golfer in the United States in 1983. He also received that same year's Golf Magazine and NCAA Coaches Awards as the nation's outstanding amateur golfer. He turned professional in 1983.
Professional career
PGA Tour
Faxon has won eight times on the PGA Tour and played on two Ryder Cup teams. While admittedly not a great driver of the golf ball or a great ball-striker, Faxon has built a reputation as one of the best pure putters in golf history. He led the PGA Tour in Putting Average in 1996, 1999, and 2000, and finished 13th in 2005 at the age of 44. Faxon explains his success on the greens thus: "My only secret is confidence... I just try to hit every putt as if I've just made a million in a row."Faxon had been one of the most successful players on the PGA Tour throughout the 1990s, a mainstay in the top 20 of the Official World Golf Rankings, but a knee injury began to hamper his effectiveness in 2003, causing him to suffer through his worst season in 14 years in 2004. Faxon bounced back in 2005, though, winning his first tournament in four years and finishing 45th on the PGA Tour Money List. On September 19, 2005, he underwent surgery to repair torn ligaments in his right knee. Faxon returned to competition for the 2006 season, in which he earned over $500,000.
In addition to his success on the PGA Tour Faxon played quite well on the Australasian Tour. He won the 1993 Australian Open, finished second in the 1993 Air New Zealand Shell Open, and finished in third place at the 1995 Greg Norman Holden International.
Champions Tour
Faxon made his Champions Tour debut at the 2011 3M Championship, where he finished T-31. He won his first title in October at the Insperity Championship.Other projects
Charitable work
In addition to being one of the PGA Tour's top players over the past 25 years, Faxon is one of the game's most generous figures. In 1991, Faxon along with fellow Tour pro Billy Andrade, formed Billy Andrade/Brad Faxon Charities for Children, Inc., a non-profit organization that has donated over $3 million to needy children in Rhode Island and southern Massachusetts. For their charity work, Faxon and Andrade were awarded the 1999 Golf Writers Association of America's Charlie Bartlett Award, given to professional golfers for unselfish contributions to society. Since 1999, Andrade and Faxon have also served as hosts of the CVS Charity Classic, a golf tournament held at the Rhode Island Country Club each June, whose proceeds benefit the two players' charity. He also co-chair's Button Hole with Andrade, a short course that serves as a teaching and learning center for children. Faxon also runs his own junior golf foundation.Broadcasting
In 2010, Faxon worked for NBC as an analyst on golf broadcasts during the season. It was announced in July 2014 that Faxon would be joining Fox in 2015 as an on-air commentator along with David Fay.Fight for Furman golf
In 2014, Furman University announced the school was going to discontinue the golf program. Faxon helped lead an alumni drive to save the program.Personal
Faxon resides in Barrington, Rhode Island with his wife, Dory, and their four daughters.Amateur wins (6)
- 1975 Rhode Island Junior
- 1979 Rhode Island Amateur
- 1980 New England Amateur, Rhode Island Amateur
- 1981 New England Amateur
- 1982 Sunnehanna Amateur
Professional wins (21)
PGA Tour wins (8)
PGA Tour playoff record| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
| 1 | 1991 | Buick Open |  Chip Beck | Won with par on first extra hole |
| 2 | 1992 | Infiniti Tournament of Champions |  Steve Elkington | Lost to birdie on first extra hole |
| 3 | 1992 | Buick Open | Steve Elkington, Dan Forsman | Forsman won with par on second extra hole Faxon eliminated with par on first hole |
| 4 | 1996 | United Airlines Hawaiian Open | Jim Furyk | Lost to birdie on third extra hole |
| 5 | 1996 | Sprint International | Clarence Rose | Lost to eagle on third extra hole |
| 6 | 1997 | Greater Greensboro Chrysler Classic |  Frank Nobilo | Lost to par on first extra hole |
| 7 | 1999 | B.C. Open | Fred Funk | Won with par on second extra hole |
| 8 | 2003 | Bell Canadian Open | Bob Tway | Lost to bogey on third extra hole |
| 9 | 2005 | Buick Championship |  Tjaart van der Walt | Won with birdie on first extra hole |
PGA Tour of Australasia wins (1)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runners-up |
| 1 | Nov 28, 1993 | Heineken Australian Open | −13 | 2 strokes | Michael Clayton, Jeff Woodland |
Other wins (10)
- 1985 Rhode Island Open
- 1986 Provident Classic
- 1994 Franklin Funds Shark Shootout
- 1995 Fred Meyer Challenge
- 1996 Fred Meyer Challenge
- 1997 Fred Meyer Challenge
- 1999 Fred Meyer Challenge
- 2001 Fred Meyer Challenge, Franklin Templeton Shootout
- 2002 Franklin Templeton Shootout
Champions Tour wins (2)
Results in major championships
LA = Low AmateurCUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Summary
- Most consecutive cuts made – 13
- Longest streak of top-10s – 1
Results in The Players Championship
DQ = disqualified
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Results in World Golf Championships
1Cancelled due to 9/11QF, R16, R32, R64 = Round in which player lost in match play
"T" = Tied
NT = No tournament
U.S. national team appearances
Amateur- Walker Cup: 1983
- Ryder Cup: 1995, 1997
- Dunhill Cup: 1997
- UBS Cup: 2003