Nicholas Raymond Leige Price (born 28 January 1957) is a Zimbabwean former 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.

Nick Price
Price in 1994
Personal information
Full nameNicholas Raymond Leige Price
Born (1957-01-28) 28 January 1957 (age 67)
Durban, Natal, Union of South Africa
Height6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight190 lb (86 kg; 14 st)
Sporting nationality Zimbabwe
ResidenceJupiter, Florida, U.S.
Career
Turned professional1977
Former tour(s)PGA Tour
European Tour
Sunshine Tour
Champions Tour
Professional wins48
Highest ranking1 (14 August 1994)[1]
(44 weeks)
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour18
European Tour7
Japan Golf Tour1
Sunshine Tour12
PGA Tour of Australasia2
PGA Tour Champions4
Other11
Best results in major championships
(wins: 3)
Masters Tournament5th: 1986
PGA ChampionshipWon: 1992, 1994
U.S. Open4th/T4: 1992, 1998
The Open ChampionshipWon: 1994
Achievements and awards
World Golf Hall of Fame2003 (member page)
Southern Africa Tour
Order of Merit winner
1982–83, 1996–97
PGA Tour
money list winner
1993, 1994
PGA Tour
Player of the Year
1993, 1994
PGA Player of the Year1993, 1994
Byron Nelson Award1997
Vardon Trophy1993, 1997
Payne Stewart Award2002
Bob Jones Award2005
Old Tom Morris Award2011

Early life

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Price was born in Durban, South Africa. His parents were originally British. His father was English and his mother Welsh. His early life was spent in Rhodesia. For secondary school, he attended Prince Edward School in Salisbury where he captained the golf team. As a teenager, he participated in the 1975 Rhodesian Dunlop Masters and Holiday Inns Invitational, official events on the Southern African Tour.[2]

After his schooling he served in the Rhodesian Air Force during that country's Bush War.[3]

Professional career

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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's first win was at the 1979 Asseng TV Challenge Series on the Southern African Tour. He won his first tournament outside of South Africa at the 1980 Swiss Open on the European Tour. 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.[4] Price also won the Sunshine Tour Order of Merit for the 1982/83 season.

Price earned PGA Tour membership after finishing 3rd place at 1982 PGA Tour Qualifying School.[5] 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.[6] 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.

 
Nick Price with Canadian Open trophy

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 would have won the Southern African Tour's Order of Merit in 1996/97 if he had met the minimum number of tournaments. In 1993 and 1997, Price was awarded the Vardon Trophy; it is given annually by the PGA of America to the player with the lowest adjusted scoring average with a minimum of 60 rounds.

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).[7]

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.",[8] 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.[9]

Personal life

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Price is married to Sue and has three children. They live in Hobe Sound, Florida.[10] His nephew Ray Price is a former national cricketer for the Zimbabwe national cricket team.[11]

He is presently a dual citizen of the United Kingdom and Zimbabwe.

Awards and honors

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  • In 2003, Price was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame.
  • In 2005, he was voted to be given the Bob Jones Award, the highest honor given by the USGA in recognition of distinguished sportsmanship in golf.
  • In 2011, he was bestowed with 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."

Professional wins (48)

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PGA Tour wins (18)

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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 (2) −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 (2) −11 (67-65-70-67=269) 6 strokes   Corey Pavin
15 11 Sep 1994 Bell Canadian Open (2) −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 (2) −16 (65-67-70-66=268) Playoff   Jeff Sluman
18 19 May 2002 MasterCard Colonial (2) −13 (69-65-66-67=267) 5 strokes   Kenny Perry,   David Toms

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)

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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 Trophée Lancôme −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 (2) −11 (67-65-70-67=269) 6 strokes   Corey Pavin
6 16 Feb 1997 Dimension Data Pro-Am1 −20 (67-66-66-69=268) 8 strokes   David Frost
7 23 Feb 1997 Alfred Dunhill South African PGA Championship1 −19 (67-66-70-66=269) Playoff   David Frost

1Co-sanctioned by the Southern Africa Tour

European Tour playoff record (2–0)

No. Year Tournament Opponent Result
1 1985 Trophée Lancôme   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)

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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

Southern Africa Tour wins (12)

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No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory
Runner(s)-up
1 25 Oct 1979 Asseng TV Challenge Series   John Bland,   Allan Henning,
  Phil Simmons
2 14 Feb 1981 SAB South African Masters −7 (69-75-67-70=281) 4 strokes   Mark McNulty
3 13 Feb 1982 Sigma Vaal Reefs Open −13 (70-66-64-71=275) 5 strokes   John Bland,   Denis Watson
4 12 Jan 1985 ICL International −20 (67-66-69-66=268) 1 stroke   Gavan Levenson
5 31 Jan 1993 ICL International (2) −15 (66-72-65-70=273) 2 strokes   Mark McNulty,   Bruce Vaughan
6 23 Jan 1994 ICL International (3) −21 (61-69-65-72=267) 9 strokes   David Frost,   Bruce Vaughan
7 26 Nov 1995 Zimbabwe Open −22 (70-65-66-65=266) 1 stroke   Brenden Pappas
8 16 Feb 1997 Dimension Data Pro-Am1 −20 (67-66-66-69=268) 8 strokes   David Frost
9 23 Feb 1997 Alfred Dunhill South African PGA Championship1 −19 (67-66-70-66=269) Playoff   David Frost
10 30 Nov 1997 Zimbabwe Open (2) −19 (68-67-66-68=269) 2 strokes   Mark McNulty,   Brenden Pappas
11 22 Feb 1998 Dimension Data Pro-Am (2) −12 (69-67-68-72=276) 5 strokes   Mark McNulty
12 29 Nov 1998 Zimbabwe Open (3) −17 (69-68-71-63=271) 5 strokes   Tjaart van der Walt

1Co-sanctioned by the European Tour

Southern Africa Tour playoff record (1–1)

No. Year Tournament Opponent Result
1 1984 Goodyear Classic   John Bland Lost to birdie on first extra hole
2 1997 Alfred Dunhill South African PGA Championship   David Frost Won with par on first extra hole

PGA Tour of Australasia wins (2)

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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 (70-65-73-63=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 European wins (1)

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  • 1981 San Remo Masters (Italy)

Other wins (8)

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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 (2) −13 (71-68-68-68=275) 1 stroke   Ernie Els,   Davis Love III
5 6 Dec 1998 Nedbank Million Dollar Challenge (3) −15 (67-68-72-66=273) Playoff   Tiger Woods
6 10 Jul 2001 CVS Charity Classic
(with   Mark Calcavecchia)
−15 (60-59=119) Playoff   Brad Faxon and   Gary Player
7 20 Jun 2006 CVS/pharmacy Charity Classic (2)
(with   Tim Clark)
−19 (61-62=123) Playoff   Brad Faxon and   Mike Weir
8 23 Jun 2009 CVS Caremark Charity Classic (3)
(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)
  Brad Faxon and   Gary Player Won with birdie on first extra hole
4 2006 CVS/pharmacy Charity Classic
(with   Tim Clark)
  Brad Faxon and   Mike Weir Won with birdie on second extra hole

Champions Tour wins (4)

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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 by 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

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Asian PGA Tour playoff record (0–1)

No. Year Tournament Opponent Result
1 2002 Macau Open   Zhang Lianwei Lost to par on fifth extra hole

Challenge Tour playoff record (0–1)

No. Year Tournament Opponents Result
1 1991 Zimbabwe Open   Grant Turner,   Keith Waters Waters won with birdie on fifth extra hole
Price eliminated by par on first hole

Major championships

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Wins (3)

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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 (2) 3 shot lead −11 (67-65-70-67=269) 6 strokes   Corey Pavin

Results timeline

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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
  Win
  Top 10
  Did not play

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

Summary

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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

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Wins (1)

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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

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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
  Win
  Top 10

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

Results in World Golf Championships

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Tournament 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005
Match Play T17 T33 R16 R16 R64 R64
Championship T4 T5 NT1 T15 T48
Invitational T3 T20 T29 T28 T42 T46

1Cancelled due to 9/11

  Top 10
  Did not play

QF, R16, R32, R64 = Round in which player lost in match play
"T" = Tied
NT = No tournament

Team appearances

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Amateur

Professional

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Week 33 1994 Ending 14 Aug 1994" (pdf). OWGR. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
  2. ^ "Jan 26, 1975, page 19 - Fort Pierce Tribune at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 19 December 2024.
  3. ^ Wade, Don (November 2005). Wanna Bet? The Greatest True Stories About Gambling on Golf, from Titanic Thompson to Tiger Woods. New York: Thunder's Mouth Press. p. 134. ISBN 978-1560258995.[permanent dead link]
  4. ^ Miller, Geoffrey (19 July 1982). "Watson Wins Open by One Shot". Ocala Star-Banner. Ocala, Florida. Associated Press. p. 1C.[permanent dead link]
  5. ^ Gould, David (1999). Q-School Confidential: Inside Golf's Cruelest Tournament. New York: St. Martin's Press. p. 271.
  6. ^ "Price is right in golf World Series". Rome News-Tribune. Rome, Georgia. 29 August 1983. p. 6.
  7. ^ Mayo, Michael (12 April 1996). "Norman Masters Augusta". Sun-Sentinel. Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Archived from the original on 26 May 2013. Retrieved 27 August 2012.
  8. ^ Apfelbaum, Jim, ed. (2007). The Gigantic Book of Golf Quotations. New York: Skyhorse Publishing. ISBN 978-1-60239-014-0.
  9. ^ "Nick Price claims first Champions Tour win". Golf Channel. Associated Press. 9 April 2009.
  10. ^ "Nick Price: Bio". nickprice.com. Archived from the original on 7 July 2013.
  11. ^ Williams, Jeff (June 2011). "Gentleman Nick". Cigar Aficionado. pp. 80–88.
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