David Wayne Toms (born January 4, 1967) 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 p ...

who currently plays on the

PGA Tour Champions 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 year ...

. From 1992 to 2017, Toms was a member of 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 ...

, where he won 13 events, including one

major Major ( commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicato ...

, the

2001 PGA Championship The 2001 PGA Championship was the 83rd PGA Championship, held August 16–19 at the Atlanta Athletic Club in Duluth, Georgia, a suburb northeast of Atlanta. David Toms won his only major championship, one stroke ahead of runner-up Phil Micke ...

. He was in the top 10 of the

Official World Golf Ranking The Official World Golf Ranking is a system for rating the performance level of professional golfers. It was started in 1986. The rankings are based on a player's position in individual tournaments (i.e. not pairs or team events) over a "rolli ...

for 175 weeks between 2001 and 2006, and ranked as high as fifth in 2002 and 2003.

Early life and amateur career

Toms was born in Monroe in northeastern

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is bord ...

. He is the son of Thomas Edward "Buster" Toms of

Minden Minden () is a middle-sized town in the very north-east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, the greatest town between Bielefeld and Hanover. It is the capital of the district (''Kreis'') of Minden-Lübbecke, which is part of the region of De ...

in northwestern Louisiana. Toms won the 15-17 Boys' event at the 1984

Junior World Golf Championships The IMG Academy Junior World Golf Championships are held in San Diego, California, United States each year, currently in July and conducted by the San Diego Junior Golf Association. They include tournaments for six age groups ranging from under-6 to ...

. Toms also played little league baseball with future

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (A ...

players

Albert Belle Albert Jojuan Belle (born August 25, 1966), known until 1990 as Joey Belle, is an American former Major League Baseball outfielder who played from 1989 to 2000, most notably for the Cleveland Indians. Known for his fierce, competitive temperame ...

and Ben McDonald. After graduating from Airline High School in

Bossier City, Louisiana Bossier City ( ) is a city in Bossier Parish in the northwestern region of the U.S. state of Louisiana in the United States. It is the second most populous city in the Shreveport–Bossier City metropolitan statistical area. In 2020, it had a ...

, he attended

Louisiana State University Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 n ...

Baton Rouge Baton Rouge ( ; ) is a city in and the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. Located the eastern bank of the Mississippi River, it is the parish seat of East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana's most populous parish—the equivalent of counti ...

, where he was a member of the golf team.

Professional career

1989–98: Early years and first win

In 1991, Toms finished T23 at the

qualifying school In professional golf, the term qualifying school is used for the annual qualifying tournaments for leading golf tours such as the U.S.-based PGA and LPGA Tours and the European Tour. A fixed number of players in the event win membership of the ...

to earn his first full tour card for the 1992 season. Toms made his first three cuts on tour including a third-place finish at the Northern Telecom Open, although this was the only top 10 he would earn all season. The following season was also a struggle for Toms as he made just 12 of 32 cuts for the season, of which three were top-10 finishes. In 1994, Toms' lack of success continued on the PGA Tour and he lost his playing rights for the 1995 season. In 1995, Toms played the entire season on the Nike Tour (now the Korn Ferry Tour) with greater success, winning two tournaments, the Greater Greenville Classic and the Wichita Open. This success earned Toms his PGA Tour card for the 1996 season. Upon his return to the PGA Tour in 1996, Toms had a disappointing season with just two top 10s. However, he did manage to qualify for his first major championship of his career at the 1996 U.S. Open, where he missed the cut. In 1997, Toms won his first PGA Tour event at the Quad City Classic, winning by three strokes over Brandel Chamblee. He followed this success in the 1998 season with a runner-up finish at the Tucson Chrysler Classic. At his first visit to Augusta National, he recorded his best finish in a major championship at the time with a T-6 at the Masters. In his defense of the Quad City Classic title, Toms finished fourth.

1999–2000: Three more wins

In 1999, Toms enjoyed seven top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour. In September, he won his second title at the Sprint International, by three strokes over David Duval. Toms almost added another title the following week when he narrowly missed out at the Reno-Tahoe Open, finishing in T-2 behind

Notah Begay III Notah Ryan Begay III (born September 14, 1972) is a Native American professional golfer. He is one of the only Native American golfers to have played in the PGA Tour. Since 2013, Begay has served as an analyst with the Golf Channel and NBC Sport ...

. Toms did, however, win his third PGA Tour title a month later at the

Buick Challenge The Southern Open was a golf tournament on the PGA Tour from 1970 to 2002. It was played at the Green Island Country Club in Columbus, Georgia, from 1970 to 1990 and at the Callaway Gardens Resort (Mountain View Course), Pine Mountain, Georgia, ...

, defeating Stuart Appleby by three strokes. In 2000, Toms made 26 of 31 cuts, including a tie for fourth at

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 t ...

. He won the

Michelob Championship at Kingsmill The Michelob Championship at Kingsmill was a golf tournament on the PGA Tour from 1968 to 2002. It was played in Virginia at the River Course of Kingsmill Golf Club outside of Williamsburg, from 1981 to 2002. From 1977 through 1995, it was know ...

, defeating Canadian Mike Weir in a sudden-death playoff, giving Toms his fourth Tour victory.

2001: PGA Championship

The standout year of Toms' career came in 2001. He had nine top-10 finishes and three wins on tour, one of which was his first major championship. Toms won the

Compaq Classic of New Orleans The Zurich Classic of New Orleans is a professional golf tournament in Louisiana on the PGA Tour, currently held at TPC Louisiana in Avondale, a suburb southwest of New Orleans. Beginning in 1938 and held annually since 1958, it is commonly pla ...

by two strokes over Phil Mickelson for his fifth PGA Tour title. That summer, Toms won a major, the PGA Championship, by one stroke over Mickelson. His winning score of 265 in the

was the lowest absolute 72-hole score ever recorded in a major championship, until

Henrik Stenson Henrik Olof Stenson (; born 5 April 1976) is a Swedish professional golfer. He is the first male Swedish and first male Nordic major champion, having won the 2016 Open Championship at Royal Troon with a major championship record score of 26 ...

shot 264 in the

2016 Open Championship The 2016 Open Championship was a men's major golf championship and the 145th Open Championship, played from 14–17 July at Royal Troon Golf Club in Ayrshire, Scotland. It was the ninth Open Championship played at the Old Course of Troon, an ...

. Toms followed up his first major win by successfully defending his title at the Michelob Championship at Kingsmill. At the last event of the year, Toms entered a four-man playoff at

The Tour Championship The Tour Championship (stylized as the TOUR Championship) is a golf tournament that is part of the PGA Tour. It has historically been one of the final events of the PGA Tour season; prior to 2007, its field consisted exclusively of the top 30 ...

where he,

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 ...

and Ernie Els lost on the first extra hole to Mike Weir.

2002–06: Five more wins

In 2002, Toms lost in a playoff at the season opening Mercedes Championship to García when the Spaniard made birdie on the first extra hole. He did record a further 12 top-10 finishes with runner -up finishes at the

MasterCard Colonial The Colonial National Invitation, titled for sponsorship reasons as the Charles Schwab Challenge since 2019, is a professional golf tournament in Texas on the PGA Tour, played annually in May in Fort Worth at Colonial Country Club, which organi ...

and the

followed by a sole third-place finish at The Tour Championship. Toms finished runner-up at the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship in 2003 to

Tiger Woods Eldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods (born December 30, 1975) is an American professional golfer. He is tied for first in PGA Tour wins, ranks second in men's major championships, and holds numerous golf records. * * * Woods is widely regarded as ...

, losing 2&1, and also finished tied for eighth at The Masters. At the Wachovia Championship, he won his eighth PGA Tour title, by two strokes over

Robert Gamez Robert Anthony Gamez (born July 21, 1968) is an American professional golfer who currently plays on the PGA Tour. Gamez was born in Las Vegas, and is of Mexican descent. He attended the University of Arizona where he was a member of the golf team ...

, and then recorded his best showing ever at the U.S. Open, finishing T-5. A few weeks later, Toms won his ninth PGA Tour title at the FedEx St. Jude Classic by three strokes over Nick Price. In 2004, he defended his FedEx St. Jude Classic by finishing six strokes clear of American

Bob Estes Bob Alan Estes (born February 2, 1966) is an American professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour Champions. He was previously a member of the PGA Tour, where he was a four-time champion. Early life and amateur career Estes was born in Graham ...

for his 10th victory on the PGA Tour. Despite this win, Toms endured a steady yet unspectacular season earning over 2.3 million dollars. Toms enjoyed a much better start to the 2005 season in which he had top-10 finishes in five of his first seven events, including a win at the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship to record his first

World Golf Championship The World Golf Championships (WGC) are a group of annual professional golf tournaments created by the International Federation of PGA Tours as a means of gathering the best players in the world together more frequently than the pre-existing four ...

victory. He defeated fellow American Chris DiMarco 6&5 in the 36-hole final on Sunday for his 11th PGA Tour win. Along the way, Toms defeated notables including Phil Mickelson, Adam Scott and

Ian Poulter Ian James Poulter (born 10 January 1976) is an English professional golfer who plays in the LIV Golf League. He has previously been ranked as high as number 5 in the world rankings. The highlights of Poulter's career to date have been his two ...

. Later in the season, he almost defended his FedEx St. Jude Classic title for a third successive year but finished one stroke behind

Justin Leonard Justin Charles Garrett Leonard (born June 15, 1972) is an American professional golfer. He has twelve career wins on the PGA Tour, including one major, the 1997 Open Championship. Early years Born and raised in Dallas, Texas, Leonard graduated ...

. Early in 2006, Toms won his 12th PGA Tour title at the

Sony Open in Hawaii The Sony Open in Hawaii is a professional golf tournament on the PGA Tour, and is part of the tour's FedEx Cup Series. It has been contested at the Waialae Country Club in Honolulu, Hawaii, since the event's modern-day inception as the Hawaiian ...

, finishing five strokes ahead of

Chad Campbell David Chad Campbell (born May 31, 1974) is an American professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour, where he has won four times. He also notably finished as a runner-up at the 2009 Masters, after losing in a sudden-death playoff. Early years ...

and Rory Sabbatini. He followed up this early season form with a T-2 finish at the

Ford Championship at Doral The Doral Open was a professional golf tournament on the PGA Tour in the southeastern United States. It was played annually for 45 seasons, from 1962 to 2006, on the "Blue Monster" course at the Doral Golf Resort & Spa in Doral, Florida, a subur ...

behind Tiger Woods and then a T-3 finish a week later at

The Honda Classic The Honda Classic is a professional golf tournament on the PGA Tour in south Florida. It was founded in 1972 as Jackie Gleason's Inverrary Classic, and prior to a schedule change in 2021 was frequently the first of the Florida events in late winter ...

. Toms' form dipped during the rest of season, only recording a further two top-10 finishes.

2007–12: Injuries and comeback

In 2007, Toms had solid season with a succession of top-10 finishes, most notably a ninth-place finish at The Masters and an equal-best T-5 at the U.S. Open. Toms made just over $2 million in prize money and finished 33rd in the

FedEx Cup The FedEx Cup is a championship trophy for the PGA Tour. Its introduction marked the first time that men's professional golf had a playoff system. Announced in November 2005, it was first awarded in 2007. Rory McIlroy is the 2022 champion. ...

standings. Toms struggled during the 2008 season with injuries that forced him to miss large parts of the season and underperform. He only participated in 20 events during the season with only one top 10. He finished the season 136th on the FedEx Cup standings, making just under $800,000. Toms enjoyed a much better season in 2009, with three runner-up finishes at the

St. Jude Classic The FedEx St. Jude Classic was a professional golf tournament held in Memphis, Tennessee as a regular event on the PGA Tour. The tournament was held annually from 1958 through 2018, and was played in June at TPC Southwind (since 1989). In 2019, ...

and the Travelers Championship amongst four other top-10 finishes. This form earned Toms a place in the season-ending

. He would finish 19th in the FedEx Cup standings with earnings over $3 million. In 2010, Toms had just two top-10 finishes, his best placing coming at the Wyndham Championship where he finished in second place, one stroke behind winner

Arjun Atwal Arjun Singh Atwal (born 20 March 1973) is an Indian professional golfer who has played on the Asian Tour and the European Tour and is the first player born in India to become a member of, and later win a tournament on the U.S.-based PGA Tour. ...

. Toms made it to the third FedEx Cup playoff event the BMW Championship but did not make it into the top 30 to advance and eventually finished the season 55th in the standings. Toms started the 2011 season well with a T-5 at the Mayakoba Golf Classic at Riviera Maya-Cancun and a T-3 at the

Arnold Palmer Invitational The Arnold Palmer Invitational is a professional golf tournament on the PGA Tour. It is played each March at the Bay Hill Club and Lodge, a private golf resort owned since 1974 by Arnold Palmer in Bay Hill, a suburb southwest of Orlando, Flor ...

. Toms then came close to his first PGA Tour win in five years at

The Players Championship The Players Championship (commonly known as simply The Players, stylized by the PGA Tour as The PLAYERS Championship) is an annual golf tournament on the PGA Tour. Originally known as the Tournament Players Championship, it began in 1974. The ...

where he eventually lost on the first extra hole to South Korean

K. J. Choi Choi Kyung-Ju ( ko, 최경주; born 19 May 1970), commonly known as K. J. Choi, is a South Korean professional golfer who currently plays on the PGA Tour and PGA Tour Champions. Since turning pro in 1994, he has won more than twenty pr ...

. This came despite leading the tournament for the majority of rounds two, three and four. Toms held the lead for the entire final round until he reached the par five 16th hole where he found the water with his second shot. This enabled Choi to take a one shot lead down the 18th hole; however Toms would make a birdie to Choi's par to take the event into a sudden-death playoff. At the first extra hole, the 17th, both players found the green with their tee shots. They would both go on to run their birdie attempts past the hole, but Toms would also see his par putt lip out from four feet, allowing Choi to make a three-foot putt for the victory. Toms bounced back the week after his playoff loss to win the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial by one shot over

Charlie Wi Charlie Wi ( ko, 위창수; born 3 January 1972) is a South Korean professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour Champions. He previously played on the PGA, European, and Asian Tours. He was a one-time winner on the European Tour, and a seven-ti ...

. Toms tied the PGA Tour scoring record for 36 holes after shooting a pair of 8-under-par 62s for a seven shot lead at the halfway stage. Toms' lead disappeared after a third round 74 when he trailed Wi by one stroke entering the final round. However, in the final round he shot a 67, which included a holed-out eagle from the fairway on the 11th hole for a one stroke victory. This was Toms' first win in over five years on the PGA Tour. The win guaranteed Toms a place in the U.S. Open and moved him up to 28th in the Official World Golf Ranking. In June 2012, Toms recorded his best-ever performance in a U.S. Open when he finished T-4. Toms had been one of the co-leaders after 36 holes at one under par alongside fellow Americans Tiger Woods and

Jim Furyk James Michael Furyk (born May 12, 1970) is an American professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour and the PGA Tour Champions. In 2010, he was the FedEx Cup champion and PGA Tour Player of the Year. He has won one major championship, the 200 ...

, but his challenge fell apart on day three when he found himself five over for his first six holes on his way to a 76. Toms did perform well on Sunday with a two-under round of 68, but fell short by two strokes.

Other ventures

Golf course design

Toms owns a

golf course design A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a tee box, a fairway, the rough and other hazards, and a green with a cylindrical hole in the ground, known as a "cup". T ...

business, which he describes as what he plans to do after his playing days are over. His early works, all in Louisiana, were as a player-consultant, and in renovation and redesign of existing courses. The first course for which he was the lead designer was Carter Plantation in Springfield, Louisiana.

Philanthropy

In 2003, Toms created the David Toms Foundation for the purpose of helping underprivileged, abused and abandoned children. Grants are made to programs that are designed to bolster a child's self-esteem, and help him or her develop into a productive citizen. His foundation raised more than $1.5 million for

Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time the cost ...

relief. For his efforts, Toms shared the 2006 Golf Writers Association of America's ''Charlie Bennett Award'' with fellow Louisianans

Kelly Gibson Kelly Gibson (born May 2, 1964) is an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour and the Nationwide Tour. Gibson joined the Nationwide Tour in 1990. He won the Ben Hogan Tri-Cities Open in 1991 and also earned his PGA Tour card tha ...

and

Hal Sutton Hal Evan Sutton (born April 28, 1958) is an American professional golfer, currently playing on the PGA Tour Champions, who achieved 14 victories on the PGA Tour, including a major championship, the 1983 PGA Championship, and the 1983 Tournament ...

Personal life

Toms currently resides in

Shreveport Shreveport ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is the third most populous city in Louisiana after New Orleans and Baton Rouge, respectively. The Shreveport–Bossier City metropolitan area, with a population of 393,406 in 2020, is ...

in northwestern Louisiana. He and wife, Sonya, have two children, Carter and Anna. In 2015, his son Carter signed to play for Louisiana State University.

Professional wins (19)

PGA Tour wins (13)

PGA Tour playoff record (1–3)

Nike Tour wins (2)

Nike Tour playoff record (2–1)

Other wins (2)

Other playoff record (1–1)

PGA Tour Champions wins (2)

PGA Tour Champions playoff record (1–0)

Major championships

Wins (1)

Results timeline

CUT = missed the half-way cut
WD = withdrew
DQ = disqualified
"T" = tied for place

Summary

*Most consecutive cuts made – 6 (2000 Masters – 2001 U.S. Open) *Longest streak of top-10s – 2 (twice)

Results in The Players Championship

CUT = missed the halfway cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place

World Golf Championships

Wins (1)

Results timeline

¹Cancelled due to

9/11 The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commerci ...

QF, R16, R32, R64 = Round in which player lost in match play
"T" = Tied
NT = No tournament
WD = Withdrew
Note that the HSBC Champions did not become a WGC event until 2009.

Senior major championships

Wins (1)

Results timeline

CUT = missed the halfway cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
NT = No tournament due to

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

U.S. national team professional appearances

Ryder Cup The Ryder Cup is a biennial men's golf competition between teams from Europe and the United States. The competition is contested every two years with the venue alternating between courses in the United States and Europe. The Ryder Cup is named af ...

2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight ...

2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro votes to declare independence from Serbia; The 2006 ...

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 ...

Presidents Cup The Presidents Cup is a series of men's golf matches between a team representing the United States and an International Team representing the rest of the world minus Europe. Europe competes against the United States in a similar but considerably ...

2003 File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A ...

(tie),

2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; " Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discover ...

(winners),

2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple Inc., Apple's first iPhone (1st generation), iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakis ...

(winners),

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrates ...

(winners)

References

External links

* *
David Toms Foundation Official Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Toms, David American male golfers LSU Tigers golfers PGA Tour golfers PGA Tour Champions golfers Winners of men's major golf championships Winners of senior major golf championships Ryder Cup competitors for the United States Korn Ferry Tour graduates Golfers from Shreveport, Louisiana Airline High School alumni Sportspeople from Monroe, Louisiana Sportspeople from Bossier City, Louisiana 1967 births Living people

Early life and amateur career

Professional career

1989–98: Early years and first win

1999–2000: Three more wins

2001: PGA Championship

2002–06: Five more wins

2007–12: Injuries and comeback

Other ventures

Golf course design

Philanthropy

Personal life

Professional wins (19)

PGA Tour wins (13)

Nike Tour wins (2)

Other wins (2)

PGA Tour Champions wins (2)

Major championships

Wins (1)

Results timeline

Summary

Results in The Players Championship

World Golf Championships

Wins (1)

Results timeline

Senior major championships

Wins (1)

Results timeline

U.S. national team professional appearances

See also

References

External links