Quick Facts
Biography
Lon Hinkle (born July 17, 1949) is an American professional golfer who has played on both the PGA Tour and the Champions Tour.
Hinkle was born in Flint, Michigan. He attended San Diego State University, where he was a member of the golf team. He turned pro and joined the PGA Tour in 1972.
Hinkle won three tournaments in his career on the PGA Tour, all of which came in the late 1970s. In 1979, he earned $247,693, finished 3rd on the money list, and won two Tour events, including the World Series of Golf. That year in the first round of the U.S. Open at Inverness Club he took a shortcut, cutting the dogleg on the par-5 8th hole by hitting onto the 17th fairway. Overnight, USGA officials planted a tree (known ever afterwards as The Hinkle Tree) to block the shortcut. His best finish in a major was a T-3 at both the U.S. Open and the PGA Championship in 1980. During his career on the PGA Tour, he had more than 50 top-10 finishes.
After turning 50 in 1999, Hinkle joined the Champions Tour. His best finish at that level is a T-12 in the 2000 Audi Senior Classic.
Hinkle lives in Bigfork, Montana in the northwest corner of the state.
Professional wins (6)
PGA Tour (3)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Apr 30, 1978 | First NBC New Orleans Open | −17 (74-67-64-66=271) | 1 stroke |  Gibby Gilbert, Fuzzy Zoeller |
| 2 | Feb 4, 1979 | Bing Crosby National Pro-Am | −4 (70-68-69-77=284) | Playoff | Andy Bean, Mark Hayes |
| 3 | Sep 30, 1979 | World Series of Golf | −8 (67-67-71-67=272) | 1 stroke | Larry Nelson, Bill Rogers, Lee Trevino |
PGA Tour playoff record (1-2)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1977 | Tallahassee Open | Ed Sneed | Lost to birdie on first extra hole |
| 2 | 1979 | Bing Crosby National Pro-Am | Andy Bean, Mark Hayes | Hinkle won with birdie on third extra hole Bean eliminated with par on second hole |
| 3 | 1986 | Walt Disney World/Oldsmobile Classic | Raymond Floyd, Mike Sullivan | Floyd won with par on first extra hole |
Ben Hogan Tour (1)
- 1991 Ben Hogan Quicksilver Open
Other (2)
- 1978 JCPenney Mixed Team Classic (with Pat Bradley)
- 1981 World Long Drive Championship
Results in major championships
| Tournament | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | CUT | WD | T28 | CUT | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| U.S. Open | DNP | T38 | DNP | CUT | T53 | T3 | T6 | T45 | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| The Open Championship | T19 | DNP | DNP | DNP | CUT | CUT | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| PGA Championship | DNP | DNP | T31 | 63 | T65 | T3 | T39 | T9 | T47 | 70 | T51 | DNP | 73 |
DNP = Did not play
WD = Withdrew
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Yellow background for top-10
Summary
| Tournament | Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top-5 | Top-10 | Top-25 | Events | Cuts made |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 |
| U.S. Open | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 5 |
| The Open Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| PGA Championship | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 10 |
| Totals | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 23 | 17 |
- Most consecutive cuts made – 6 (1982 U.S. Open – 1987 PGA)
- Longest streak of top-10s – 1 (four times)