Andrew Philip Parkin
(born 12 December 1961) is a
Welsh professional golfer
A professional golfer is somebody who receives payments or financial rewards in the sport of golf that are directly related to their skill or reputation. A person who earns money by teaching or playing golf is traditionally considered a "golf pr ...
who has also worked as a golf
commentator and analyst.
Parkin was born in
Doncaster, England, and raised in
Newtown, Powys. He attended
Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, or TAMU) is a public university, public, Land-grant university, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of the Texas A&M Unive ...
in the United States, where he was the first person to receive a full scholarship for the university's golf team. He went on to become the first
Aggie and first European to become 1st Team
All-American. In 1983 he won
The Amateur Championship to add to the
British Youths Open Amateur Championship
The British Youths Open Championship was a youths golf tournament that was played from 1954 to 1994. It was 72-hole stroke-play event for golfers under 22. From 1954 to 1962, it was organised by a committee led by Sam Bunton, a Glasgow architect, ...
won the previous year, becoming the only player to hold both trophies at the same time. He appeared in the
Walker Cup
The Walker Cup is a golf trophy contested in odd-numbered years by leading male amateur sports, amateur golfers in two teams: United States, and United Kingdom, Great Britain and Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The official name is the Walker Cup M ...
later that year,
[ and turned professional after playing in the U.S. Masters in 1984.
Parkin was named the ]Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year
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 fi ...
in his début season 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 fi ...
in 1984, having finished in 65th place on the Order of Merit despite only joining the tour in July. He earned enough money in his first event as a professional, during the 1984 Open Championship
The 1984 Open Championship was a men's major golf championship and the 113th Open Championship, held from 19 to 22 July at the Old Course in St Andrews, Scotland. Seve Ballesteros won his second Open Championship and fourth major title, two st ...
at St Andrews, to become the quickest affiliate member in the history of the European Tour. He ended the 1985 and 1986 seasons inside the top 35, even though he played less than 20 tournaments, both seasons, before he moved to the United States to play on the PGA Tour. He finished tied for 3rd at the PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament
Qualification is either the process of qualifying for an achievement, or a credential attesting to that achievement, and may refer to:
* Professional qualification, attributes developed by obtaining academic degrees or through professional exper ...
to earn his card for 1987. In his rookie season, he finished outside the top 200 on the money list to lose his playing rights, but did also play 14 events on the European Tour and retained his European Tour card. He returned to Europe with more success, twice making the top 100 on the European Tour Order of Merit. His form faded as he was troubled by an eye problem, which ended his playing career at the age of 31.
Parkin represented Wales 47 times on international teams including two World Cup
A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...
s, in 1984 and 1989 placing 4th and 5th respectively, and five Alfred Dunhill Cup
The Alfred Dunhill Cup was a team golf tournament which ran from 1985 to 2000, sponsored by Alfred Dunhill Ltd. It was for three-man teams of professional golfers, one team representing each country, and was promoted as the "World Team Championsh ...
s, reaching two semi-finals. Since leaving the tour, Parkin has worked as a golf coach and as a commentator and analyst for many different broadcasters.
Amateur wins
*1982 British Youths Open Amateur Championship
The British Youths Open Championship was a youths golf tournament that was played from 1954 to 1994. It was 72-hole stroke-play event for golfers under 22. From 1954 to 1962, it was organised by a committee led by Sam Bunton, a Glasgow architect, ...
, Tillman Trophy
*1983 The Amateur Championship
Professional wins (1)
*1986 Welsh Professional Championship
Results in major championships
''Note: Parkin never played in the U.S. Open or the PGA Championship.''
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied
Team appearances
Amateur
*Walker Cup
The Walker Cup is a golf trophy contested in odd-numbered years by leading male amateur sports, amateur golfers in two teams: United States, and United Kingdom, Great Britain and Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The official name is the Walker Cup M ...
(representing Great Britain & Ireland): 1983
The year 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call.
Events January
* January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to TCP/IP is officially completed (this is considered to be the beginning ...
*European Amateur Team Championship
The European Amateur Team Championship is a European amateur team golf championship for men organised by the European Golf Association which was introduced in 1959.
The championship was played in odd-numbered years from 1959 to 2007 and has been ...
(representing Wales): 1983
The year 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call.
Events January
* January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to TCP/IP is officially completed (this is considered to be the beginning ...
*St Andrews Trophy
The St Andrews Trophy is a biennial men's team golf tournament contested between teams of amateur golfers representing Great Britain & Ireland and the Continent of Europe. It takes its name from St Andrews in Scotland.
It was first played in 19 ...
(representing Great Britain & Ireland): 1984 (winners)
Professional
*World Cup
A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...
(representing Wales): 1984
Events
January
* January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888.
* January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast A ...
, 1989
File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress Street Viaduct, Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxo ...
*Hennessy Cognac Cup
The Hennessy Cognac Cup was a biennial team golf tournament contested from 1976 to 1984. The contests in 1976, 1978 and 1980 were between teams of professional male golfers; one team representing Great Britain and Ireland, the other team representi ...
(representing Wales): 1984
*Dunhill Cup
The Alfred Dunhill Cup was a team golf tournament which ran from 1985 to 2000, sponsored by Alfred Dunhill Ltd. It was for three-man teams of professional golfers, one team representing each country, and was promoted as the "World Team Championsh ...
(representing Wales): 1985
The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1
** The Internet's Domain Name System is created.
** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...
, 1986
The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1
**Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles.
** Spain and Portugal ent ...
, 1989
File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress Street Viaduct, Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxo ...
, 1990, 1991
File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Ph ...
See also
*1986 PGA Tour Qualifying School graduates
This is a list of the 1986 PGA Tour Qualifying School graduates. 53 players earned their 1987 PGA Tour card through Q-School in 1986. This was the first year that playing privileges went out to the top 50 and, in addition, those that tied for the ...
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Parkin, Philip
Welsh male golfers
Texas A&M Aggies men's golfers
European Tour golfers
PGA Tour golfers
British sports broadcasters
Golf writers and broadcasters
Sportspeople from Doncaster
People from Newtown, Powys
Sportspeople from Powys
1961 births
Living people