Summary
Allen Michael Doyle (born July 26, 1948) is an American professional golfer. Though a talented golfer, Doyle elected not to turn pro after graduating from Vermont's Norwich University. He moved to the south where he owned and operated a driving range in Georgia. In his free time he played in elite amateur events, winning the Georgia Amateur and Sunnehanna Amateur several times each. At the age of 46, Doyle turned professional and had extraordinary success as a pro, winning three events on the Nike Tour and 11 events on the Champions Tour, including the U.S. Senior Open twice.
| Allen Doyle | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Allen Doyle Golf Swing | |||||||
| Personal information | |||||||
| Full name | Allen Michael Doyle | ||||||
| Nickname | The Grip | ||||||
| Born | July 26, 1948[1] Woonsocket, Rhode Island | ||||||
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||
| Weight | 210 lb (95 kg; 15 st) | ||||||
| Sporting nationality |  United States | ||||||
| Residence | LaGrange, Georgia | ||||||
| Spouse | Kate Doyle | ||||||
| Children | 2 | ||||||
| Career | |||||||
| College | Norwich University | ||||||
| Turned professional | 1995 | ||||||
| Current tour(s) | Champions Tour | ||||||
| Former tour(s) | PGA Tour | ||||||
| Professional wins | 19 | ||||||
| Number of wins by tour | |||||||
| Korn Ferry Tour | 3 | ||||||
| PGA Tour Champions | 11 | ||||||
| Other | 5 | ||||||
| Best results in major championships | |||||||
| Masters Tournament | DNP | ||||||
| PGA Championship | DNP | ||||||
| U.S. Open | CUT: 1991, 2006, 2007 | ||||||
| The Open Championship | DNP | ||||||
| Achievements and awards | |||||||
| |||||||
Early life edit
Doyle was born in Woonsocket, Rhode Island.[1] He raised in the Boston suburb of Norwood, Massachusetts.[2] He attended Catholic Memorial High School in West Roxbury, Massachusetts.[1]
Amateur career edit
Doyle attented Norwich University in Vermont. He currently hosts an annual golf tournament to benefit the Norwich Hockey Team.[3][4] Doyle moved to the south after college and settled in Georgia. He won the Georgia Amateur and Sunnehanna Amateur several times over the course of his amateur career.
Professional career edit
At the age of 46, Doyle turned professional.[5] In 1995, his first full professional season, he won three times on the Nike Tour. From 1996 to 1998 Doyle competed in 58 PGA Tour events, making the cut in 31, including two top-10 finishes.[6]
Doyle became eligible to play on the Senior PGA Tour when he turned 50 in July 1998 and won four official money events in 1999, including the Senior PGA Championship. In 2001, he won his second senior major, the Senior Players Championship, and led the tour on the money list. In 2005, he claimed a third major at the U.S. Senior Open, coming behind from a nine stroke deficit with a 63 in the final round.[7] He successfully defended his U.S. Senior Open title in 2006 by defeating Tom Watson at Prairie Dunes Country Club[8] and becoming the oldest U.S. Senior Open Champion at 57 years, 11 months and 17 days.[9] His career earnings on the Champions Tour at the time of his retirement is listed as $13,401,250.[10]
Doyle owns and operates The Doyle Golf Center driving range in La Grange, Georgia.[11] As a philanthropist, Doyle has donated over $1,000,000 to various charities including family members of slain rescuers of the 9/11 attacks.[12][13][14]
Awards and honors edit
- Doyle is a member of the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame.
- Doyle is a member of the Georgia Golf Hall of Fame.[15]
Amateur wins edit
- 1978 Georgia Amateur[16]
- 1979 Georgia Amateur[16]
- 1982 Georgia Amateur[16]
- 1984 Georgia Mid-Amateur[17]
- 1986 Georgia Mid-Amateur[17]
- 1987 Georgia Amateur,[16] Georgia Mid-Amateur[17]
- 1988 Georgia Amateur,[16] Georgia Mid-Amateur,[17] Rice Planters Amateur[18]
- 1989 Sunnehanna Amateur, Georgia Mid-Amateur[17]
- 1990 Sunnehanna Amateur, Georgia Amateur,[16] Rice Planters Amateur[18]
- 1991 Cardinal Amateur[19]
- 1992 Sunnehanna Amateur
- 1993 Northeast Amateur
- 1994 Dogwood Invitational, Sunnehanna Amateur, Porter Cup, Cardinal Amateur,[19] Rice Planters Amateur[18]
Professional wins (19) edit
Nike Tour wins (3) edit
| Legend |
| Tour Championships (1) |
| Other Nike Tour (2) |
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Apr 9, 1995 | Nike Mississippi Gulf Coast Classic | −15 (66-70-67-70=273) | Playoff |  Franklin Langham
|
| 2 | Aug 27, 1995 | Nike Texarkana Open | −19 (66-70-66-66=269) | 1 stroke | Gary Rusnak
|
| 3 | Oct 22, 1995 | Nike Tour Championship | −5 (72-68-72-71=283) | Playoff | John Maginnes
|
Nike Tour playoff record (2–0)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1995 | Nike Mississippi Gulf Coast Classic | Franklin Langham
|
Won with par on second extra hole |
| 2 | 1995 | Nike Tour Championship | John Maginnes
|
Won with par on first extra hole |
Champions Tour wins (11) edit
| Legend |
| Champions Tour major championships (4) |
| Other Champions Tour (7) |
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Feb 28, 1999 | ACE Group Classic | −13 (64-70-69=203) | 5 strokes |  Vicente Fernández
|
| 2 | Apr 18, 1999 | PGA Seniors' Championship | −14 (70-71-69-64=274) | 2 strokes | Vicente Fernández
|
| 3 | Jun 6, 1999 | Cadillac NFL Golf Classic | −12 (67-66-71=204) | Playoff | Joe Inman
|
| 4 | Sep 5, 1999 | TD Waterhouse Championship | −12 (66-70-65=198) | 2 strokes | Ed Dougherty
|
| 5 | Mar 5, 2000 | Toshiba Senior Classic | −6 (67-69=136)* | 1 stroke | Jim Thorpe, Howard Twitty
|
| 6 | Jul 15, 2001 | Ford Senior Players Championship | −15 (67-69-70-67=273) | Playoff | Doug Tewell
|
| 7 | Jul 29, 2001 | State Farm Senior Classic | −11 (73-65-67=205) | Playoff | Bruce Fleisher
|
| 8 | Aug 3, 2003 | FleetBoston Classic | −15 (68-63-67=198) | 3 strokes | Bruce Fleisher, Bob Gilder
|
| 9 | Jun 13, 2004 | Bayer Advantage Celebrity Pro-Am | −13 (65-66=131)* | 1 stroke | Jerry Pate
|
| 10 | Jul 31, 2005 | U.S. Senior Open | −10 (71-67-73-63=274) | 1 stroke | Loren Roberts, D. A. Weibring
|
| 11 | Jul 9, 2006 | U.S. Senior Open (2) | −8 (69-68-67-68=272) | 2 strokes | Tom Watson
|
*Note: Tournament shortened to 36 holes due to weather.
Champions Tour playoff record (3–2)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1999 | Toshiba Senior Classic | Al Geiberger, John Jacobs, Gary McCord
|
McCord won with birdie on fifth extra hole Doyle and Geiberger eliminated by eagle on first hole |
| 2 | 1999 | Cadillac NFL Golf Classic | Joe Inman
|
Won with birdie on fourth extra hole |
| 3 | 2001 | NFL Golf Classic | John Schroeder
|
Lost to par on second extra hole |
| 4 | 2001 | Ford Senior Players Championship | Doug Tewell
|
Won with par on first extra hole |
| 5 | 2001 | State Farm Senior Classic | Bruce Fleisher
|
Won with par on third extra hole |
Other senior wins (5) edit
- 1999 Senior Slam
- 2001 Senior Slam, Hyundai Team Matches (with Dana Quigley)
- 2002 Hyundai Team Matches (with Dana Quigley)
- 2017 Bass Pro Shops Legends of Golf – Legends Division (with Hubert Green)
Results in major championships edit
| Tournament | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Open | CUT |
| Tournament | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Open | CUT | CUT |
CUT = missed the halfway cut
Note: Allen only played in the U.S. Open.
Senior major championships edit
Wins (4) edit
| Year | Championship | Winning score | Margin | Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | PGA Seniors' Championship | −14 (71-71-68-64=274) | 2 strokes | Vicente Fernández
|
| 2001 | Ford Senior Players Championship | −15 (67-69-70-67=273) | Playoff | Doug Tewell
|
| 2005 | U.S. Senior Open | −10 (71-67-73-63=274) | 1 stroke | Loren Roberts, D. A. Weibring
|
| 2006 | U.S. Senior Open (2) | −8 (69-68-67-68=272) | 2 strokes | Tom Watson
|
Results timeline edit
Results not in chronological order before 2012.
| Tournament | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Senior PGA Championship | 1 | T17 | 4 | T15 | T7 | T13 | T6 | T23 | T68 | T53 | T57 | |||
| The Tradition | 68 | T10 | T16 | T42 | T2 | T36 | T25 | 73 | T52 | T25 | 65 | T53 | T67 | |
| Senior Players Championship | T19 | T12 | 1 | T12 | T15 | T9 | T5 | T45 | T46 | T59 | T43 | |||
| U.S. Senior Open | T13 | T8 | T4 | T7 | T4 | T42 | 1 | 1 | CUT | CUT | CUT | T38 | CUT |
CUT = missed the halfway cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Note: Allen never played in The Senior Open Championship.
U.S. national team appearances edit
Amateur
- Eisenhower Trophy: 1990, 1992, 1994 (team winners and individual leader)
- Walker Cup: 1989 (injured, did not play), 1991 (winners), 1993 (winners)
See also edit
References edit
- ^ a b c "Allen Doyle – Profile". PGA Tour. Retrieved November 18, 2018.
- ^ Lieber, Jill (May 8, 1995). "Late Riser At 46, Allen Doyle Is Earning Kudos, And Big Money, As The Oldest Rookie On The Nike Tour". Sports Illustrated.
- ^ "Norwich University Alumni & Family". Retrieved January 17, 2018.
- ^ "Allen Doyle Norwich Golf Classic". Retrieved January 17, 2018.
- ^ Kelley, Brent. "Oldest Rookies on the PGA Tour". About.com. Archived from the original on January 16, 2015. Retrieved January 16, 2015.
- ^ "Allen Doyle". PGA Tour. Retrieved April 16, 2018.
- ^ Shefter, David. "Two-Time U.S. Senior Open Champion Doyle Relishes Being Underdog". USGA. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
- ^ "2006: Allen Doyle's double". 15 July 2006.
- ^ Senko, Dave (July 9, 2006). "Doyle becomes oldest winner of U.S. Senior Open". PGA Tour. Archived from the original on July 16, 2006.
- ^ "Champions Career Money Leaders".
- ^ "Doyle Making Best of Retirement".
- ^ "Allen Doyle gives $1.1 million to Norwich". Retrieved March 31, 2016.
- ^ "He wins $1 million and gives it away". Retrieved March 31, 2016.
- ^ "Doyle's Cup Still Runneth Over". Archived from the original on April 12, 2016. Retrieved March 31, 2016.
- ^ "Georgia Golf Hall of Fame Member". Retrieved March 31, 2016.
- ^ a b c d e f "Georgia Amateur Championship Records". Georgia State Golf Association. Archived from the original on April 27, 2014. Retrieved May 7, 2014.
- ^ a b c d e "Georgia Mid-Amateur Championship Event History". Georgia State Golf Association. Archived from the original on May 8, 2014. Retrieved May 7, 2014.
- ^ a b c "Rice Planters Amateur Championship Tee Times & Scoring".
- ^ a b "Cardinal Amateur Golf Championship".
External links edit
- Allen Doyle at the PGA Tour official site