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Quick Facts
Biography
Nicholas Raymond Leige Price (born 28 January 1957) is a South African-born Zimbabwean professional golfer who has won three major championships in his career: the PGA Championship twice (in 1992 and 1994) and The Open Championship in 1994. In the mid-1990s, Price reached number one in the Official World Golf Ranking. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2003.
Background
Price was born in Durban, Union of South Africa. His parents were originally British. His father was English and his mother Welsh. His early life was spent in Rhodesia (present day Zimbabwe). He attended Prince Edward School inSalisbury (now Harare), where he captained the golf team. After his schooling he served in the Rhodesian Air Force during that country's Bush War. He is at present a dual citizen of the United Kingdom and Zimbabwe. He began his professional golf career in 1977 on the South African Tour, before moving to the European Tour and finally the PGA Tour in 1983. In 1984, Price renounced his Zimbabwean citizenship and thereafter played under his British passport. It was not until 1996 that Price regained his dual citizenship. Price is married to Sue and has three children. They live in Hobe Sound, Florida. Price's nephew Ray Price is a former national cricketer for the Zimbabwe national cricket team.
Early professional years
Price won his first tournament outside of South Africa at the 1980 Swiss Open. He was still relatively unknown when he finished tied for second with Peter Oosterhuis one shot behind Tom Watson at the 1982 Open Championship after having a three-shot lead with six holes to go. In 1983, Price won his first PGA Tour event with a wire to wire four-shot triumph over Jack Nicklaus at the World Series of Golf.
After that win, it would be almost another eight years before Price won again on the PGA Tour. In the interim, Price shot an Augusta National Golf Club course record 63 at the 1986 Masters Tournament and finished second at the 1988 Open Championship to Seve Ballesteros.
Career peak
By the mid-1990s, Price was regarded as the best player in the world, and in 1994 he won two majors back-to-back, The Open and the PGA Championship, adding to his first major, the 1992 PGA Championship. He topped the PGA Tour money list in 1993 and 1994, setting a new earnings record each time, and spent 43 weeks at number one in the Official World Golf Rankings.
Price won the Sunshine Tour Order of Merit for the 1982/83 season and would have won again in 1996/97 if he had met the minimum number of tournaments. In 1993 and 1997, Price was awarded the Vardon Trophy; which is given annually by the PGA of America to the player with the lowest adjusted scoring average with a minimum of 60 rounds.
In 2003, Price was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame. In 2005, he was voted the Bob Jones Award, the highest honour given by the USGA in recognition of distinguished sportsmanship in golf. Price received the 2011 Old Tom Morris Award, the highest honour given by the GCSAA to an individual who "through a continuing lifetime commitment to the game of golf has helped to mold the welfare of the game in a manner and style exemplified by Old Tom Morris."
Playing style
During his early career and peak, Price was one of the best ball strikers in the game along with his good friend and contemporary Greg Norman (who in 1996 tied Price's Augusta National course record of 63).
Like fellow African Gary Player, Price has expressed his distaste for the Ryder Cup, saying of the event, "If you like root canals and hemorrhoids, you'd love it there.", but he has played five times as a member of the Presidents Cup.
Although Price continues to play professionally, he has expanded into golf design with his own company operating out of Florida, and he has his own line of signature golf apparel. He is widely regarded by fans, media and his fellow players as one of the most personable golfers on the PGA Tour. He won his first Champions Tour event at the 2009 Outback Steakhouse Pro-Am where he had three double bogeys in his final round, but he hung on to win by two strokes over Larry Nelson.
Professional wins (48)
PGA Tour wins (18)
Legend |
Major championships (3) |
Players Championships (1) |
Other PGA Tour (14) |
No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 28 Aug 1983 | World Series of Golf | −10 (66-68-69-67=270) | 4 strokes | Jack Nicklaus |
2 | 5 May 1991 | GTE Byron Nelson Classic | −10 (68-64-70-68=270) | 1 stroke | Craig Stadler |
3 | 8 Sep 1991 | Canadian Open | −15 (71-69-67-66=273) | 1 stroke | David Edwards |
4 | 16 Aug 1992 | PGA Championship | −6 (70-70-68-70=278) | 3 strokes | John Cook, Nick Faldo, Jim Gallagher, Jr., Gene Sauers |
5 | 25 Oct 1992 | H.E.B. Texas Open | −21 (67-62-68-66=263) | Playoff | Steve Elkington |
6 | 28 Mar 1993 | The Players Championship | −18 (64-68-71-67=270) | 5 strokes | Bernhard Langer |
7 | 27 Jun 1993 | Canon Greater Hartford Open | −9 (67-70-69-65=271) | 1 stroke | Roger Maltbie, Dan Forsman |
8 | 4 Jul 1993 | Sprint Western Open | −19 (64-71-67-67=269) | 5 strokes | Greg Norman |
9 | 1 Aug 1993 | Federal Express St. Jude Classic | −18 (69-65-66-66=266) | 3 strokes | Jeff Maggert, Rick Fehr |
10 | 13 Mar 1994 | Honda Classic | −12 (70-67-73-66=276) | 1 stroke | Craig Parry |
11 | 30 May 1994 | Southwestern Bell Colonial | −14 (65-70-67-64=266) | Playoff | Scott Simpson |
12 | 3 Jul 1994 | Motorola Western Open | −11 (67-67-72-71=277) | 1 stroke | Greg Kraft |
13 | 17 Jul 1994 | The Open Championship | −12 (69-66-67-66=268) | 1 stroke | Jesper Parnevik |
14 | 14 Aug 1994 | PGA Championship | −11 (67-65-70-67=269) | 6 strokes | Corey Pavin |
15 | 11 Sep 1994 | Bell Canadian Open | −13 (67-72-68-68=275) | 1 stroke | Mark Calcavecchia |
16 | 20 Apr 1997 | MCI Classic | −15 (65-69-69-66=269) | 6 strokes | Brad Faxon, Jesper Parnevik |
17 | 2 Aug 1998 | FedEx St. Jude Classic | −16 (65-67-70-66=268) | Playoff | Jeff Sluman |
18 | 19 May 2002 | MasterCard Colonial | −13 (69-65-66-67=267) | 5 strokes | Kenny Perry, David Toms |
![](https://pplstatic.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/media/people/bio/N/nick-price/Nick_Price_CanOpen.jpg)
PGA Tour playoff record (3–3)
No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1986 | Western Open | Fred Couples, David Frost, Tom Kite | Kite won with birdie on first extra hole |
2 | 1992 | H.E.B. Texas Open | Steve Elkington | Won with par on second extra hole |
3 | 1994 | Southwestern Bell Colonial | Scott Simpson | Won with birdie on first extra hole |
4 | 1995 | NEC World Series of Golf | Billy Mayfair, Greg Norman | Norman won with birdie on first extra hole |
5 | 1998 | FedEx St. Jude Classic | Jeff Sluman | Won with birdie on second extra hole |
6 | 2000 | Advil Western Open | Robert Allenby | Lost to par on first extra hole |
European Tour wins (7)
Legend |
Major championships (3) |
Other European Tour (4) |
No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner-up |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 31 Aug 1980 | Swiss Open | −21 (65-69-67-66=267) | 6 strokes | Manuel Calero |
2 | 6 Oct 1985 | Lancome Trophy | −13 (66-71-67-71=275) | Playoff | Mark James |
3 | 16 Aug 1992 | PGA Championship | −6 (70-70-68-70=278) | 3 strokes | John Cook, Nick Faldo, Jim Gallagher, Jr., Gene Sauers |
4 | 17 Jul 1994 | The Open Championship | −12 (69-66-67-66=268) | 1 stroke | Jesper Parnevik |
5 | 14 Aug 1994 | PGA Championship | −11 (67-65-70-67=269) | 6 strokes | Corey Pavin |
6 | 16 Feb 1997 | Dimension Data Pro-Am | −20 (67-66-66-69=268) | 8 strokes | David Frost |
7 | 23 Feb 1997 | Alfred Dunhill South African PGA Championship | −19 (67-66-70-66=269) | Playoff | David Frost |
Co-sanctioned by the Sunshine Tour
European Tour playoff record (2–0)
No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1985 | Lancome Trophy | Mark James | Won with par on third extra hole |
2 | 1997 | Alfred Dunhill South African PGA Championship | David Frost | Won with par on first extra hole |
Japan Golf Tour wins (1)
No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner-up |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 12 Sep 1999 | Suntory Open | −8 (67-71-70-68=276) | 1 stroke | Shigeki Maruyama |
Sunshine Tour wins (11)
No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 14 Feb 1981 | SAB South African Masters | −7 (281) | ||
2 | 13 Feb 1982 | Sigma Vaal Reefs Open | −13 (70-66-64-71=275) | 5 strokes | John Bland, Denis Watson |
3 | 12 Jan 1985 | ICL International | |||
4 | 31 Jan 1993 | ICL International | −15 (66-72-65-70=273) | 2 strokes | Mark McNulty, Bruce Vaughan |
5 | 23 Jan 1994 | ICL International | −21 (61-69-65-72=267) | 9 strokes | David Frost, Bruce Vaughan |
6 | 26 Nov 1995 | Zimbabwe Open | −22 (70-65-66-65=266) | 1 stroke | Brenden Pappas |
7 | 16 Feb 1997 | Dimension Data Pro-Am | −20 (67-66-66-69=268) | 8 strokes | David Frost |
8 | 23 Feb 1997 | Alfred Dunhill South African PGA Championship | −19 (67-66-70-66=269) | Playoff | David Frost |
9 | 30 Nov 1997 | Zimbabwe Open | −19 (68-67-66-68=269) | 2 strokes | Mark McNulty, Brenden Pappas |
10 | 22 Feb 1998 | Dimension Data Pro-Am | −12 (69-67-68-72=276) | 5 strokes | Mark McNulty |
11 | 29 Nov 1998 | Zimbabwe Open | −17 (69-68-71-63=271) | 5 strokes | Tjaart van der Walt |
Co-sanctioned by the European Tour
Sunshine Tour playoff record (1–0)
No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1997 | Alfred Dunhill South African PGA Championship | David Frost | Won with par on first extra hole |
PGA Tour of Australasia wins (2)
No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 26 Nov 1989 | West End South Australian Open | −15 (70-71-67-69=277) | 5 strokes | Lucien Tinkler, Paul Foley |
2 | 8 Nov 1992 | Air New Zealand Shell Open | −9 (271) | Playoff | Lucas Parsons |
PGA Tour of Australasia playoff record (1–0)
No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1992 | Air New Zealand Shell Open | Lucas Parsons | Won with par on first extra hole |
Other African wins (1)
- 1979 Asseng TV Challenge Series
Other European wins (1)
- 1981 San Remo Masters (Italy)
Other wins (8)
No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 11 Nov 1992 | PGA Grand Slam of Golf | −7 (70-67=137) | Playoff | Tom Kite |
2 | 5 Dec 1993 | Nedbank Million Dollar Challenge | −24 (67-66-66-65=264) | 12 strokes | Mark McNulty |
3 | 12 Nov 1995 | Hassan II Golf Trophy | −6 (69-71-74-72=286) | 2 strokes | Roger Chapman |
4 | 7 Dec 1997 | Nedbank Million Dollar Challenge | −13 (275) | 3 strokes | Ernie Els, Davis Love III |
5 | 6 Dec 1998 | Nedbank Million Dollar Challenge | −15 (273) | Playoff | Tiger Woods |
6 | 2001 | CVS Charity Classic (with Mark Calcavecchia) | −15 (119) | Playoff | |
7 | 20 Jun 2006 | CVS/pharmacy Charity Classic (with Tim Clark) | −19 (123) | Playoff | |
8 | 23 Jun 2009 | CVS Caremark Charity Classic (with David Toms) | −16 (66-60=126) | 3 strokes | Laura Diaz and Matt Kuchar |
Other playoff record (4–0)
No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1992 | PGA Grand Slam of Golf | Tom Kite | Won with par on first extra hole |
2 | 1998 | Nedbank Million Dollar Challenge | Tiger Woods | Won with birdie on fifth extra hole |
3 | 2001 | CVS Charity Classic (with Mark Calcavecchia) | ||
4 | 2006 | CVS/pharmacy Charity Classic (with Tim Clark) |
Champions Tour wins (4)
No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 19 Apr 2009 | Outback Steakhouse Pro-Am | −9 (66-67-71=204) | 2 strokes | Larry Nelson |
2 | 25 Apr 2010 | Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf (with Mark O'Meara) | −28 (62-64-62=188) | Playoff | John Cook and Joey Sindelar |
3 | 6 Jun 2010 | Principal Charity Classic | −14 (67-65-67=199) | 4 strokes | Tommy Armour III |
4 | 13 Mar 2011 | Toshiba Classic | −17 (60-68-68=196) | 1 stroke | Mark Wiebe |
Champions Tour playoff record (1–1)
No. | Year | Tournament | Opponents | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2009 | Principal Charity Classic | Fred Funk, Mark McNulty | McNulty won with birdie on fourth extra hole Price eliminated with birdie on second hole |
2 | 2010 | Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf (with Mark O'Meara) | John Cook and Joey Sindelar | Won with par on second extra hole |
Playoff record
Asian Tour playoff record (0–1)
No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2002 | Macau Open | Zhang Lianwei | Lost to par on fifth extra hole |
Major championships
Wins (3)
Year | Championship | 54 holes | Winning score | Margin | Runner(s)-up |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1992 | PGA Championship | 2 shot deficit | −6 (70-70-68-70=278) | 3 strokes | John Cook, Nick Faldo, Jim Gallagher, Jr., Gene Sauers |
1994 | The Open Championship | 1 shot deficit | −12 (69-66-67-66=268) | 1 stroke | Jesper Parnevik |
1994 | PGA Championship | 3 shot lead | −11 (67-65-70-67=269) | 6 strokes | Corey Pavin |
Results timeline
Tournament | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | |||||
U.S. Open | |||||
The Open Championship | CUT | T39 | |||
PGA Championship |
Tournament | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | CUT | 5 | T22 | T14 | CUT | |||||
U.S. Open | T48 | CUT | T17 | T40 | CUT | |||||
The Open Championship | T27 | T23 | T2 | CUT | T44 | CUT | T8 | 2 | CUT | |
PGA Championship | T67 | T54 | 5 | CUT | T10 | T17 | T46 |
Tournament | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | T49 | T6 | CUT | T35 | CUT | T18 | T24 | CUT | T6 | |
U.S. Open | T19 | T4 | T11 | CUT | T13 | T19 | 4 | T23 | ||
The Open Championship | T25 | T44 | T51 | T6 | 1 | T40 | T45 | CUT | T29 | T37 |
PGA Championship | T63 | 1 | T31 | 1 | T39 | T8 | T13 | T4 | 5 |
Tournament | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | T11 | CUT | T20 | T23 | T6 | CUT | |
U.S. Open | T27 | CUT | T8 | T5 | T24 | T9 | CUT |
The Open Championship | CUT | T21 | T14 | T28 | T30 | CUT | |
PGA Championship | CUT | T29 | CUT | CUT |
CUT = missed the halfway cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place.
Summary
Tournament | Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top-5 | Top-10 | Top-25 | Events | Cuts made |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 11 | 20 | 13 |
U.S. Open | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 12 | 20 | 15 |
The Open Championship | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 9 | 27 | 20 |
PGA Championship | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 20 | 16 |
Totals | 3 | 2 | 0 | 12 | 21 | 41 | 87 | 64 |
- Most consecutive cuts made – 10 (1989 PGA – 1992 PGA)
- Longest streak of top-10s – 2 (five times)
The Players Championship
Wins (1)
Year | Championship | 54 holes | Winning score | Margin | Runner-up |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1993 | The Players Championship | 1 shot lead | −18 (64-68-71-67=270) | 5 strokes | Bernhard Langer |
Results timeline
Tournament | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
The Players Championship | 7 | T22 | T58 | T24 | DQ | CUT | T16 | T9 | 8 | 1 | CUT | T37 | T46 | T24 | T8 | 3 | T3 | T10 | T9 | CUT | T42 | T32 | T27 |
CUT = missed the halfway cut
DQ = disqualified
"T" indicates a tie for a place.
Team appearances
Amateur
- Eisenhower Trophy (representing Rhodesia): 1976
Professional
- World Cup: 1978 (representing South Africa), 1993 (representing Zimbabwe)
- Alfred Dunhill Cup (representing Zimbabwe): 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000
- Presidents Cup (International Team): 1994, 1996, 1998 (winners), 2000, 2003 (tie), 2013 (non-playing captain), 2015 (non-playing captain), 2017 (non-playing captain)
- Alfred Dunhill Challenge (representing Southern Africa): 1995 (winners)
- Wendy's 3-Tour Challenge (representing Champions Tour): 2007, 2008 (winners), 2009, 2010