Woody Austin
Albert Woody Austin II is an American professional golfer who played the majority of his career on the PGA Tour, but now plays on the PGA Tour Champions.
Austin was born in Tampa, Florida. He attended the University of Miami, where he was a member of the golf team coached by Norman C. Parsons Jr. He graduated in 1986 with a degree in Business Administration and turned professional later that year.
Austin won PGA Tour Rookie of the Year honors in 1995. He has won four times on tour: the 1995 Buick Open, the 2004 Buick Championship, the 2007 Stanford St. Jude Championship shooting a final round 62, and the 2013 Sanderson Farms Championship.
During the 1997 Verizon Heritage, Austin intentionally struck his head with his putter five times. He hit his head so hard that the shaft bent.
After the second round of the 2007 PGA Championship, Austin joked that he was named after actor Woody Harrelson. He went on to finish 2nd behind Tiger Woods, his best major finish. This achievement moved Austin into the top 50 of the Official World Golf Rankings. Austin's career high ranking was 29th in 2008. During the 2007 Presidents Cup, Austin fell into a pond while attempting to hit a shot with one foot in the water. This incident led to Woody's nickname "Aquaman". During his singles match against 2007 U.S. Open Champion Ángel Cabrera, he wore a pair of swimming goggles.
After struggling for years with limited PGA Tour status as a past champion, Austin won the 2013 Sanderson Farms Championship, his first PGA Tour win in six years. In that season's PGA Championship, Austin was given a four-stroke penalty for having fifteen clubs in his bag; he would miss the cut by one stroke. Although Austin didn't do well enough to earn entry into the FedEx Cup, his win earned him a tour card through 2015. Despite his exemption, Austin decided to focus on the PGA Tour Champions.
In March 2016, Austin won his maiden title on the PGA Tour Champions with a one stroke victory at the Tucson Conquistadores Classic; he followed that victory up with two additional PGA Tour Champions wins in 2016. On October 21, 2018, Austin won the Dominion Energy Charity Classic. Austin closed with a three-under-par 69 on a cool day to record his fourth senior victory, but first since 2016. The tournament was held at the Country Club of Virginia in Richmond, Virginia.
Austin was inducted into the University of Miami Sports Hall of Fame at its 40th Annual Banquet held February 13, 2008 at Miami's Jungle Island. He resides in Derby, Kansas.
Professional wins (10)
PGA Tour wins (4)
PGA Tour playoff recordNo. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
1 | 1995 | Buick Open | Mike Brisky | Won with par on second extra hole |
2 | 2003 | MCI Heritage | Davis Love III | Lost to birdie on fourth extra hole |
3 | 2004 | Buick Championship | Tim Herron | Won with birdie on first extra hole |
4 | 2013 | Sanderson Farms Championship | Cameron Beckman, Daniel Summerhays | Won with birdie on first extra hole |
Other wins (2)
- 1993 Waterloo Open Golf Classic
- 2007 Merrill Lynch Shootout
PGA Tour Champions wins (4)
No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
1 | 2016 | Mitsubishi Electric Classic | Wes Short Jr. | Won with par on second extra hole |
2 | 2016 | Boeing Classic | Bernhard Langer, Kevin Sutherland | Langer won with birdie on first extra hole |
3 | 2019 | Hoag Classic | Kirk Triplett | Lost to eagle on second extra hole |
Other senior wins (1)
- 2017 Diamond Resorts Invitational
Playoff record
No. | Year | Tournament | Opponents | Result |
1 | 1998 | Nike Permian Basin Open | Jeff Barlow, Stiles Mitchell | Mitchell won with par on first extra hole |
Results in major championships
CUT = missed the halfway cut"T" indicates a tie for a place.
Summary
- Most consecutive cuts made – 6
- Longest streak of top-10s – 1
Results in The Players Championship
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Results in World Golf Championships
QF, R16, R32, R64 = Round in which player lost in match play"T" = tied
U.S. national team appearances
- Presidents Cup: 2007