en Gary Christian

Gary Christian
Gary Christian
Personal information
Full name	Gary John Christian
Born	7 August 1971 (age 53); Carshalton, England
Height	5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Weight	165 lb (75 kg; 11.8 st)
Sporting nationality	England
Residence	Chelsea, Alabama
Career
College	Wallace State Community College; Auburn University
Turned professional	1997
Former tour(s)	PGA Tour; Web.com Tour; Gateway Tour; various mini-tours
Professional wins	Over 30
Number of wins by tour
Korn Ferry Tour	2
Other	Over 30

Gary John Christian (born 7 August 1971) is an English professional golfer who has played on the Web.com Tour and the PGA Tour.

Christian was born in Carshalton, England. As a junior, he played golf at Addington Palace Golf Club, England. He went to college in the United States, first on an academic scholarship to Wallace State Community College^[1] in Alabama after being spotted by talent scouts at a trial. He was later offered a place at Auburn University, again on a scholarship. He spent two years at Auburn, graduating in 1995

Christian turned professional in 1997, and won four times in his first year on the TearDrop Tour.^[2] He was a member of the Nationwide Tour in 1999 and for several seasons from 2006. He picked up his first win on tour at the 2009 Northeast Pennsylvania Classic, where he defeated Mathias Grönberg in a playoff that went to nine holes, equaling a Nationwide Tour record for longest playoff.^[3]

At age 40, Christian finally graduated to the PGA Tour after finishing ninth on the Nationwide Tour's money list.^[2] Christian had never played in a PGA Tour event until 2012. He played in 28 events in 2012, making 18 cuts and having a best finish of T-10 at the RBC Canadian Open.

Christian has played on several mini-tours during his career, winning over 30 events. The tours he has won on include the Gateway Tour, Dakotas Tour, Emerald Coast Tour, DP Tour, TearDrop Tour and the Tight Lies Tour.^[4] He was the leading money winner on the Dakotas Tour in 2002 and 2005.^[5]^[6]

Christian appeared on the TV show The Weakest Link in 2001. He is named after Gary Player. After Christian's touring career ended, he became a commentator on The Golf Channel.

Professional wins

Nationwide Tour wins (2)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	Margin of victory	Runner-up
1	30 Aug 2009	Northeast Pennsylvania Classic	−15 (68-70-63-64=265)	Playoff	Mathias Grönberg
2	4 Sep 2011	Mylan Classic	−17 (68-63-69-67=267)	1 stroke	John Mallinger

Nationwide Tour playoff record (1–0)

No.	Year	Tournament	Opponent	Result
1	2009	Northeast Pennsylvania Classic	Mathias Grönberg	Won with birdie on ninth extra hole

Gateway Tour wins (4)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	Margin of victory	Runner-up
1	11 Feb 2005	RTJT Series at Magnolia Grove	−6 (71-70-70-71=282)	2 strokes	Dustin Bray
2	18 Feb 2005	RTJT Series at Cambrian Ridge	−20 (63-63-67-71=264)	14 strokes	Chip Deason
3	4 Mar 2005	RTJT Series at Capital Hill (Legislator)	−1 (73-71-72-71=287)	3 strokes	Daniel Ozley
4	29 Apr 2005	RTJT Series at The Shoals	−1 (72-72-68-75=287)	Playoff	Tommy Gainey

Tarheel Tour wins (1)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	Margin of victory	Runner-up
1	9 Jun 2005	Eagle Chase Classic	−11 (68-70-67=205)	1 stroke	Rich Mudd

Other wins

1995 Holiday Beach Club tournament (Emerald Coast Tour, as an amateur)
1997–98 four wins on the TearDrop Tour
2001 MGC Great Plains Open (Dakotas Tour)
2002 Sprint PCS Open at Chennault Park (Tight Lies Tour), Stylecraft/Camp Foster Pro-Am (Dakotas Tour), Red Mike Pro-Am (Dakotas Tour), Western North Dakota Charity Pro-Am (Dakotas Tour)
2004 Nebraska Open,^[7] San Juan Open,^[8] Western North Dakota Pro-Am (Dakotas Tour)
2005 Western North Dakota Charity Pro-Am (Dakotas Tour)

References

^ Ferguson, Doug (11 January 2012). "A long road to tour for 40-year-old Englishman". The Washington Times. Associated Press. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
^ ^a ^b Donegan, Lawrence (14 February 2012). "Gary Christian makes PGA Tour after selling knives and sleeping in van". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
^ Christian wins on record-equaling 9th playoff hole
^ "Official Nationwide Tour Media Guide" (PDF). PGA Tour. 2008. p. 2-16. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
^ "Final 2002 Dakotas Tour Money List". Dakotas Tour. Archived from the original on 9 December 2002. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
^ "2005 Dakotas Tour Total Prize Money including Bonus Cash". Dakotas Tour. Archived from the original on 1 January 2006. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
^ "PGA Nebraska: History of Nebraska Open". PGA Nebraska. Archived from the original on 15 July 2014. Retrieved 12 July 2014.
^ Smith, Mark (28 June 2004). "Christian Conquers San Juan Course". Albuquerque Journal. Albuquerque, New Mexico. pp. B1, B2. Retrieved 12 January 2024 – via Newspapers.com.

External links

Official website
Gary Christian at the PGA Tour official site
Gary Christian at the Official World Golf Ranking official site

[1] Ferguson, Doug (11 January 2012). "A long road to tour for 40-year-old Englishman". The Washington Times. Associated Press. Retrieved 12 January 2024.

[donegan-2] Donegan, Lawrence (14 February 2012). "Gary Christian makes PGA Tour after selling knives and sleeping in van". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 January 2024.

[3] Christian wins on record-equaling 9th playoff hole

[4] "Official Nationwide Tour Media Guide" (PDF). PGA Tour. 2008. p. 2-16. Retrieved 12 January 2024.

[5] "Final 2002 Dakotas Tour Money List". Dakotas Tour. Archived from the original on 9 December 2002. Retrieved 12 January 2024.

[6] "2005 Dakotas Tour Total Prize Money including Bonus Cash". Dakotas Tour. Archived from the original on 1 January 2006. Retrieved 12 January 2024.

[7] "PGA Nebraska: History of Nebraska Open". PGA Nebraska. Archived from the original on 15 July 2014. Retrieved 12 July 2014.

[8] Smith, Mark (28 June 2004). "Christian Conquers San Juan Course". Albuquerque Journal. Albuquerque, New Mexico. pp. B1, B2. Retrieved 12 January 2024 – via Newspapers.com.

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Gary Christian