Stanley Frank Utley (born January 16, 1962) is an American

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 played 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 ...

Nationwide Tour The Korn Ferry Tour is the developmental golf tour, tour for the U.S.-based PGA Tour, and features professional golfers who have either not yet reached the PGA Tour, or who have done so but then failed to win enough FedEx Cup points to stay at tha ...

, and

Champions Tour PGA Tour Champions (formerly the Senior PGA Tour and the Champions Tour) is a men's professional senior golf tour, administered as a branch of the PGA Tour. History and format The Senior PGA Championship, founded in 1937, was for many years ...

Early life and education

Utley was born and raised in

Thayer Thayer may refer to: Places ;United States * Thayer, Illinois * Thayer, Indiana * Thayer, Iowa * Thayer, Kansas * Thayer, Michigan * Thayer, Missouri * Thayer, Nebraska *Thayer, West Virginia * Thayer County, Nebraska * Thayer Street, Providence, ...

, a small town in southern

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

. He attended the

University of Missouri The University of Missouri (Mizzou, MU, or Missouri) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus Universit ...

where he was a distinguished member of the

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 ...

team, a three-time all- Big Eight selection and two-time All-American. Utley led Missouri to the Big Eight Championship in 1984. He also led 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 ...

to two

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

appearances where they placed 13th and 14th respectively, in 1983 and 1984. He turned professional in 1984 and joined the PGA Tour in 1989.

PGA Tour

Utley's sole PGA Tour victory came in 1989 at the Chattanooga Classic. He lost his PGA Tour card in 1992 and decided to play on the Nike Tour (now known as the

Korn Ferry Tour The Korn Ferry Tour is the developmental tour for the U.S.-based PGA Tour, and features professional golfers who have either not yet reached the PGA Tour, or who have done so but then failed to win enough FedEx Cup points to stay at that level. Th ...

). In the 1990s, he played primarily in this venue. Utley holds the PGA Tour record for fewest putts in nine holes, with six at the 2002

Air Canada Championship The Greater Vancouver Open was a professional golf tournament in Canada on the PGA Tour, held in southwestern British Columbia from 1996 to 2002. It was played after the majors in late summer, at the Northview Golf & Country Club in Surrey, a s ...

. As his touring career was winding down, Utley began to develop new career strategies for taking advantage of his reputation as one of the best

chippers A tree chipper or woodchipper is a machine used for reducing wood (generally tree limbs or trunks) into smaller woodchips. They are often portable, being mounted on wheels on frames suitable for towing behind a truck or van. Power is general ...

and

putters A putter is a Golf club, club used in the sport of golf to make relatively short and low-speed strokes with the intention of rolling the ball into the hole from a short distance away. It is differentiated from the other clubs (typically, Iron (g ...

in the game. He began a transition into teaching and writing with special focus on his specialty - the short game. Utley has risen to prominence as one of the best instructors in golf. Utley made his

debut when he qualified for the 2012 Toshiba Classic.

Recognition and accolades

Golf Digest ''Golf Digest'' is a monthly golf magazine published by Warner Bros. Discovery through its sports unit under its Warner Bros. Discovery Golf division. It is a generalist golf publication covering recreational golf and men's and women's competiti ...

'' has called Utley one of America's 50 greatest teachers in their annual poll of more than 1,500 teaching professionals from around the country. He ranked 20th on the 2019-2020 list. His list of current and former students on the PGA, Korn Ferry, Champions and LPGA Tours includes

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. ...

Sergio García Sergio García Fernández (; born 9 January 1980) is a Spanish professional golfer. He has played on the European Tour, PGA Tour and LIV Golf Invitational Series. García has won 36 international tournaments as a professional, most notably th ...

Joaquín Niemann Joaquín Niemann (born 7 November 1998) is a Chilean professional golfer. He has won twice on the PGA Tour. He was the number one ranked amateur golfer from May 2017 to April 2018. Amateur career Niemann was the number one ranked golfer in the W ...

Scott Langley Scott Langley (born April 28, 1989) is an American professional golfer. Langley is notable for making the cut at the 2010 U.S. Open as an amateur. Langley is the first alumnus of The First Tee to make it on the PGA Tour. He turned professional in ...

Kevin Streelman Kevin Streelman (born November 4, 1978) is an American professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour. Early years and amateur career Born in Winfield, Illinois, Streelman, who caddied at famed three-time U.S. Open venue Chicago Golf Club while g ...

Scott Piercy Scott Piercy (born November 6, 1978) is an American professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour. Early life Born and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada, Piercy played college golf at San Diego State and turned professional after graduation in 2001. C ...

Paige Mackenzie Paige Mackenzie (born February 8, 1983) is an American professional golfer who played on the LPGA Tour. Early years Born and raised in Yakima, Washington, Mackenzie is a 2001 graduate of Eisenhower High School, where she was selected as a first- ...

Amanda Blumenherst Amanda Blumenherst (born November 4, 1986) is an American professional golfer who plays on the U.S.-based LPGA Tour. She was a three-time National Player of the Year at Duke University and won the U.S. Women's Amateur title in 2008. In 2013, sh ...

Darren Clarke Darren Christopher Clarke, (born 14 August 1968) is a professional golfer from Northern Ireland who currently plays on the PGA Tour Champions and has previously played on the European Tour and PGA Tour. He has won 21 tournaments worldwide on a ...

Brandt Jobe Brandt William Jobe (born August 1, 1965) is an American professional golfer who currently plays on the PGA Champions Tour. He has also played on the PGA Tour, Nationwide Tour and the Japan Golf Tour. Early life and amateur career Jobe was bor ...

Rocco Mediate Rocco Anthony Mediate (born December 17, 1962) is an American professional golfer who has won List of golfers with most PGA Tour wins, six times on the PGA Tour and three times on the PGA Tour Champions. In the 2008 U.S. Open (golf), 2008 U.S. Ope ...

Alex Norén Alexander Norén (born 12 July 1982) is a Swedish professional golfer who currently plays on the PGA Tour and the European Tour. He has won ten tournaments on the European Tour, including the BMW PGA Championship, the Aberdeen Asset Management Sco ...

Inbee Park Inbee Park (, or ; born 12 July 1988) is a South Korean professional golfer who plays on the LPGA Tour and the LPGA of Japan Tour. She has been the number one ranked player in the Women's World Golf Rankings for four separate runs: April 201 ...

Paul McGinley Paul Noel McGinley (born 16 December 1966) is an Irish professional golfer who has won four events on the European Tour. At the 2002 Ryder Cup, he famously holed a ten-foot putt on the 18th hole in his match against Jim Furyk at The Belfry whic ...

and

Bill Haas William Harlan Haas (born May 24, 1982) is an American professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour and won the 2011 FedEx Cup. He is the son of former PGA Tour player Jay Haas. Early life Haas was born in Charlotte, North Carolina, and was r ...

. Utley was elected to the University of Missouri Athletics Hall of Fame in 1995, the first golfer ever chosen. He is a man of strong Christian faith. He and wife, Elayna, have a daughter and a son. They live in

Scottsdale, Arizona , settlement_type = City , named_for = Winfield Scott , image_skyline = , image_seal = Seal of Scottsdale (Arizona).svg , image_blank_emblem = City of Scottsdale Script Logo.svg , nick ...

Professional wins (7)

PGA Tour wins (1)

Nike Tour wins (3)

Nike Tour playoff record (0–1)

Other wins (3)

*1986 Kansas Open *1988 Missouri Open *1989 Missouri Open

Results in major championships

''Note: Utley never played in the

Masters Tournament The Masters Tournament (usually referred to as simply The Masters, or the U.S. Masters outside North America) is one of the four major championships in professional golf. Scheduled for the first full week of April, the Masters is the first maj ...

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:Utley, Stan American male golfers Missouri Tigers men's golfers PGA Tour golfers PGA Tour Champions golfers Korn Ferry Tour graduates Golfers from Missouri Golfers from Scottsdale, Arizona People from Oregon County, Missouri 1962 births Living people