Dillard Pruitt (born September 24, 1961) is an American amateur

golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping wi ...

er, who formerly played professionally on the

PGA Tour The PGA Tour (stylized in all capital letters as PGA TOUR by its officials) is the organizer of professional golf tours in the United States and North America. It organizes most of the events on the flagship annual series of tournaments also k ...

. Pruitt was born and raised in

Greenville, South Carolina Greenville (; locally ) is a city in and the seat of Greenville County, South Carolina, United States. With a population of 70,720 at the 2020 census, it is the sixth-largest city in the state. Greenville is located approximately halfway be ...

. He attended

Clemson University Clemson University () is a public land-grant research university in Clemson, South Carolina. Founded in 1889, Clemson is the second-largest university in the student population in South Carolina. For the fall 2019 semester, the university enro ...

from 1981–1984 and was a distinguished member of the golf team. His leadership was a key part of the

Tigers The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is the largest living cat species and a member of the genus ''Panthera''. It is most recognisable for its dark vertical stripes on orange fur with a white underside. An apex predator, it primarily preys on un ...

rise to prominence in golf in the 1980s. Pruitt was a two-time All-American (first team his senior year), three-time All-ACC and a key member of Clemson's 1982 ACC Championship team. He turned professional in 1985. He played on the

European Tour The European Tour (currently known as the DP World Tour for sponsorship reasons), legally the PGA European Tour is the leading men's professional golf tour in Europe. The organisation also operates the European Senior Tour (for players aged fift ...

in 1986 and 1987 and joined the PGA Tour in 1988. Pruitt played on the PGA Tour from 1988 to 1996. His highest finish on the money list was 63rd in 1991, when he won $271,861 and the Chattanooga Classic, his only PGA Tour victory. Pruitt was the first Clemson alum to win a PGA Tour event. His best finish in a major championship was tied for 13th at the 1992 Masters. Since retiring as a touring professional, Pruitt has work for the PGA Tour as a rules official. Pruitt's amateur status was reinstated by the

United States Golf Association The United States Golf Association (USGA) is the United States national association of golf courses, clubs and facilities and the governing body of golf for the U.S. and Mexico. Together with The R&A, the USGA produces and interprets the rules ...

(USGA) in 2001. He went on to win the 2002

Sunnehanna Amateur The Sunnehanna Amateur, officially the Sunnehanna Amateur Tournament for Champions, is a men's amateur golf tournament. Founded in 1954, it is hosted annually at the Sunnehanna Country Club in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, United States. It is consider ...

and the 2002

Canadian Amateur Championship The Canadian Amateur Championship, begun in 1895, is the men's amateur golf championship of Canada. It is staged annually by Golf Canada. It was played at match play until 1968, went to stroke play beginning in 1969, and reverted to match play in 1 ...

. He was named to the 2003

Walker Cup The Walker Cup is a golf trophy contested in odd-numbered years by leading male amateur golfers in two teams: United States, and Great Britain and Ireland. The official name is the Walker Cup Match (not "Matches" as in Ryder Cup Matches). It is ...

Team. This led to a firestorm of controversy within the golfing world. The USGA was heavily criticized for allowing a former PGA tournament champion to regain his amateur status. Pruitt is the brother-in-law of golfer

Jay Haas Jay Dean Haas (born December 2, 1953) is an American professional golfer formerly of the PGA Tour who now plays on the PGA Tour Champions. Early life and amateur career Haas was born in St. Louis, Missouri, and grew up in Belleville, Illinois. ...

, who is married to his sister Jan.

Amateur wins

*1982 South Carolina State Amateur *1983

*2002

Professional wins (2)

PGA Tour wins (1)

Other wins (1)

*1996

Jerry Ford Invitational The Jerry Ford Invitational was a celebrity pro-am golf tournament hosted by former President Gerald Ford. It was played in Vail, Colorado Vail is a home rule municipality in Eagle County, Colorado, United States. The population of the tow ...

Results in major championships

''Note: Pruitt never played in

The Open Championship The Open Championship, often referred to as The Open or the British Open, is the oldest golf tournament in the world, and one of the most prestigious. Founded in 1860, it was originally held annually at Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland. Later th ...

.'' CUT = Missed the half-way cut
"T" = Tied

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Pruitt, Dillard American male golfers Clemson Tigers men's golfers European Tour golfers PGA Tour golfers Golf administrators Golfers from South Carolina Sportspeople from Greenville, South Carolina 1961 births Living people