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Bruce Lietzke  |
EXEMPT STATUS: Top 31 on 2002 Champions Tour Money List FULL NAME: Bruce Lietzke HEIGHT: 6-2 WEIGHT: 205 BIRTHDATE: July 18, 1951 BIRTHPLACE: Kansas City, KS RESIDENCE: Dallas, TX FAMILY: Wife, Rosemarie; Stephen Taylor (10/5/83), Christine (10/11/85) EDUCATION: University of Houston (1973) SPECIAL INTERESTS: Serious fishing, sports car collection TURNED PROFESSIONAL: 1974 JOINED TOUR: 2001 |
| PGA TOUR Victories |
| (13) 1977 Joe Garagiola-Tucson Open, Hawaiian Open. 1978 Canadian Open. 1979 Joe Garagiola-Tucson Open. 1980 Colonial National Invitation Tournament. 1981 Bob Hope Desert Classic, Wickes/Andy Williams San Diego Open, Byron Nelson Golf Classic. 1982 Canadian Open. 1984 Honda Classic. 1988 GTE Byron Nelson Golf Classic. 1992 Southwestern Bell Colonial. 1994 Las Vegas Invitational. |
| Champions Tour Victories |
| (6) 2001 3M Championship, SAS Championship. 2002 Audi Senior Classic, TD Waterhouse Championship, SAS Championship. 2003 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf. |
| Current Year Charles Schwab Cup Points and Positions |
| 996 (2) |
| Current Year Champions Tour Money and Positions |
| $831,804 (3) |
| Current Year Best Champions Tour Finishes |
| 1--Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf, T2--MasterCard Classic, T3--Senior PGA Championship, T6--Toshiba Senior Classic, T7--MasterCard Championship, Kinko's Classic of Austin, |
| Current Year Champions Tour Best Round |
| 65 at Round 2, MasterCard Championship, at Round 2, Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf |
| Current Year Champions Tour Highlights |
| Won his first tournament of the year at the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf despite playing the final 10 holes of the event without making a birdie. Held off David Eger and Dana Quigley by one stroke at the Westin Savannah Harbor course...Tied a Champions Tour record at the MasterCard Championship when he made three eagles in the second round on his way to a T7. Was just the fourth player to do so and the first since Rocky Thompson at the 1992 Kaanapali Classic...Came close to defending his title at the MasterCard Classic in Mexico City but fell one stroke shy in defense of his title as Eger posted a one-stroke win at Bosque Real CC. One of three players tied for the lead after 36 holes and was within one stroke of the lead going to the 54th hole, but failed to birdie the final hole...Was forced to withdraw from the Bayer Advantage Celebrity Pro-Am midway through the first round due to elbow tendinitis...Showed his mettle when he bounced back from an opening-round, 5-over-par 75 to finish T3 at the Senior PGA Championship at Aronimink GC, closing with rounds of 67-70-67. |
| Best PGA TOUR Finishes |
| 1--1977 Joe Garagiola-Tucson Open, Hawaiian Open. 1978 Canadian Open. 1979 Joe Garagiola-Tucson Open. 1980 Colonial National Invitation Tournament. 1981 Bob Hope Desert Classic, Wickes/Andy Williams San Diego Open, Byron Nelson Golf Classic. 1982 Canadian Open. 1984 Honda Classic. 1988 GTE Byron Nelson Golf Classic. 1992 Southwestern Bell Colonial. 1994 Las Vegas Invitational. |
| Best Champions Tour Finishes |
| 1--2001 3M Championship, SAS Championship. 2002 Audi Senior Classic, TD Waterhouse Championship, SAS Championship. 2003 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf. |
| Best 2002 Champions Tour Finishes |
| 1--Audi Senior Classic, TD Waterhouse Championship, SAS Championship, T2--AT&T Canada Senior Open Championship, T3--Allianz Championship, T4--Kroger Senior Classic, T5--Verizon Classic, T6--Bruno's Memorial Classic, T10--SENIOR TOUR Championship at Gaillardia |
| 2002 Season Champions Tour |
| Tournaments Entered--22; in money--22; Top 10 finishes--9 |
| 2002 Season Highlights |
| Posted multiple victories for the second consecutive year...Rallied from a first-round 75 to win the Audi Senior Classic early in the season, beating Hale Irwin and Gary McCord by one stroke. Shot 66-67 on the weekend in Mexico City, capped by three birdies on his final nine holes. Opening round was the highest by an eventual winner since Hale Irwin opened with a 77 and won the 1998 U.S. Senior Open in Los Angeles...Also captured the rain-shortened TD Waterhouse Championship in Kansas City, his fourth Champions Tour title in just his 19th start. Moved in front on Saturday with an 8-under 64 at Tiffany Greens and was declared the winner on Sunday when the golf course was deemed unplayable after a series of overnight thunderstorms...Claimed his third title when he defended at the SAS Championship. Helped his cause with a tournament-record 9-under-par 63 in the second round and won by four shots. Became the first player to defend a title in 2002 and it also marked the fifth time in his career he has posted multiple victories in the same event. In his two wins at the SAS Championship, he hit 96 of 108 greens in regulation...Made a run at the AT&T Canada Senior Open in July, before finishing T2 at Essex G&CC. Trailed Tom Jenkins by one stroke through two rounds after moving into contention with a 9-under 62 on Saturday, his low round on Tour since the 1998 Bob Hope Chrysler Classic. Led the event through 10 holes on Sunday, but eventually fell to Jenkins by three strokes...Set a course record in the final round of the Kroger Senior Classic with a 10-under-par 62 at the TPC at River's Bend and eventually T4...Just a week earlier he T3 at the Allianz Championship...Second in Total Driving for the year behind Jim Ahern. |
| Career Highlights |
| 2001: Became eligible for the Champions Tour in mid-July. Battled Bob Gilder for Rookie of the Year honors after posting a pair of victories and seven top-10s in just 10 senior appearances...Led the Champions Tour in most money won per start ($111,957) and became the last of 16 players to earn seven figures when he pocketed a check for $213,000 at the season-ending SENIOR TOUR Championship at Gaillardia...Debuted on the circuit at the SBC Senior Open near Chicago and won his first event, the 3M Championship, in his third appearance on the circuit. Trailed by two strokes entering the final round, but fired a 69 at the TPC of the Twin Cities on Sunday to defeat Doug Tewell by two strokes. Made his first hole-in-one as a senior when he aced the 177-yard fourth hole with an 8-iron during the second round...Also won the inaugural SAS Championship in Raleigh, besting Allen Doyle and Gary McCord by three strokes thanks to a final-round 66 at Prestonwood. Came close to winning the Novell Utah Showdown, but T2 in Park City, one stroke out of a playoff with Steve Veriato...Had 11 straight rounds in the 60s, a 2001 best streak on the Champions Tour. Went on a two-week stretch late in the season (SAS Championship, Gold Rush Classic) when he hit 94 of 108 greens in regulation, an astonishing 87 percent...Played two tournaments on the PGA TOUR prior to turning 50...Missed the cut at the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic and T58 at the MasterCard Colonial. |
| Personal |
| Playing schedule was envy of many on the PGA TOUR. Never played more than 20 events on the PGA TOUR since 1989...Lists Don January and Miller Barber as his heroes...Started in golf at age 5 by his brother, Duane. Credits Duane and Henry Homberg, a local Texas professional, for having the greatest influences on his game when he first started playing...Biggest thrill in golf was winning his first PGA TOUR event (1977 Tucson Open) and also being involved in the 1999 Ryder Cup as Assistant Captain to Ben Crenshaw...Favorite course is Muirfield Village...Is a big drag racing and auto racing fan...Has a large collection of muscle cars and built an 11-car garage at his home. The crown jewel of his collection is a 1967 yellow Corvette Stingray convertible with the largest engine available--a 435-horse big block Chevrolet engine. Bought the car from Gil Morgan in 1982...His dream job if he could have any outside of golf for a day would be to be an engine builder for any race team. First car he ever owned was a 1970 bright orange Plymouth Roadrunner. |
| PGA TOUR Playoff Record |
| 6-6 |