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Des Smyth  |
EXEMPT STATUS: 1st at 2002 Champions Tour National Qualifying Tournament FULL NAME: Des Smyth HEIGHT: 5-10 WEIGHT: 175 BIRTHDATE: February 12, 1953 BIRTHPLACE: Drogheda, County Louth, Ireland RESIDENCE: Drogheda, Ireland FAMILY: Wife, Vicki; Karen (10/3/81), Gregory (2/13/84), Shane (4/18/88) SPECIAL INTERESTS: Tennis, horse racing, rugby TURNED PROFESSIONAL: 1974 JOINED TOUR: 2003 |
| Other Victories |
| 1979 Irish National PGA Championship, Sun Alliance European Match Play Championship. 1980 Newcastle Brown "900" Open, Cold Shield Greater Manchester Open, Hennessy Cognac Cup. 1981 Coral Classic. 1982 Hennessy Cognac Cup. 1983 Sanyo Open. 1985 Irish National PGA Championship. 1986 Irish National PGA Championship. 1987 Guinness Pro-Am. 1988 BNP Jersey Open, Dunhill Cup. 1990 Irish National PGA Championship. 1993 Madrid Open. 1995 Glen Dimplex Irish Matchplay Championship. 1996 Irish National PGA Championship. 2001 Irish National PGA Championship, Madeira Island Open. |
| Current Year Charles Schwab Cup Points and Positions |
| 612 (13) |
| Current Year Champions Tour Money and Positions |
| $519,409 (16) |
| Current Year Best Champions Tour Finishes |
| T2--ACE Group Classic |
| Current Year Champions Tour Best Round |
| 65 at Round 3, Senior PGA Championship |
| Current Year Champions Tour Highlights |
| Raised eyebrows in his Champions Tour debut at The ACE Group Classic. Closed the Naples event with birdies on five of his last six holes and T2 in the event with Tom Watson...Three consecutive rounds in the 60s helped him to a T3 finish at the Columbus Southern Open one week after he was a T6 at the Bayer Advantage Celebrity Pro-Am...T5 at the SBC Classic and T10 at the Verizon Classic...Was the 54-hole leader at the Senior PGA Championship but closed with a 4-over-par 74 to slip to a T5 at Aronimink GC. Fired a course-record 5-under-par 65 in the third round. |
| Best PGA TOUR Finishes |
| T13--2001 British Open Championship. |
| Best Champions Tour Finishes |
| T2--2003 ACE Group Classic. |
| Best 2002 PGA TOUR Finishes |
| T28--British Open Championship |
| 2002 Season PGA TOUR |
| Tournaments Entered--1; in money--1; Top 10 finishes--0 |
| 2002 Season Highlights |
| Will turn 50 early in the 2003 season and is eligible to join the Champions Tour at The ACE Group Classic in Naples, FL...Joined Doug Dalziel of Scotland (1987), Simon Hobday of South Africa (1990) and Masaru Amano (1995) as the fourth international player to earn medalist honors at the Champions Tour's National Qualifying Tournament. Overcame a four-stroke deficit on the last day at World Woods GC and made an eight-foot birdie putt on the final hole to overtake Japan's Seiji Ebihara for top honors. His 72-hole score of 13-under 275 earned him a check for $42,000...Advanced to the finals after being the low man at the regional site at Marsh Creek CC in St. Augustine, FL. Shot 11-under 277 over 72 holes, six shots better than Bill Thorpe and Doug Johnson...Played a full schedule on the PGA European Tour last year and finished 128th on the 2002 Order of Merit with (pounds) 152,311...At the 2002 British Open, started with rounds of 68-69 and was one stroke off the lead at the halfway mark. Eventually T28 at Muirfield...Best European PGA Tour performance came late in the season when he T10 at the Telefonica Open de Madrid. Put together four straight rounds in the 60s in Spain, including a 63 on Friday that left him one stroke out of the lead after 36 holes. |
| Career Highlights |
| Played 29 years on the European PGA TOUR and won eight official tournaments on the circuit...Best known as the European Tour's oldest winner. Won the 2001 Madeira Island Open in Portugal by two strokes over John Bickerton at 48 years, one month and four days, 20 days older than the previous oldest champion, Neil Coles...Finished seventh on the European PGA Tour Order of Merit in 1988 with (pounds) 171,951...T4 at the 1982 British Open Championship at Troon...Shot a final-round 62 in the 1990 Mitsubishi Austrian Open and placed third in the event...Played on the European Ryder Cup team in 1979 and 1981 and represented Ireland on five World Cup teams (1979, 1980, 1982, 1988, 1989)...Has made eight holes-in-one in competition. |
| Personal |
| Started playing golf at age 6...Lists Jack Nicklaus as his hero and the birth of his children as his biggest thrill outside of golf...Favorite golf course is Carnoustie in Scotland and favorite entertainer is singer Neil Diamond...Enjoys Italian food...Favorite athlete is boxer Muhammad Ali...Designed Ballykisteen G&CC in Limerick Junction, Ireland. |
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