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John Cook (golfer)

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John Cook
Personal information
Full nameJohn Neuman Cook
NicknameCookie
Born (1957-10-02) October 2, 1957 (age 67)
Toledo, Ohio, U.S.
Height6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight175 lb (79 kg; 12.5 st)
Sporting nationality United States
ResidenceWindermere, Florida, U.S.
SpouseJan
Children3
Career
CollegeOhio State University
Turned professional1979
Current tour(s)PGA Tour Champions
Former tour(s)PGA Tour
Professional wins28
Highest ranking7 (October 11, 1992)[1]
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour11
PGA Tour Champions10
Other7
Best results in major championships
Masters TournamentT21: 1981
PGA ChampionshipT2: 1992
U.S. OpenT4: 1981
The Open Championship2nd: 1992
Achievements and awards
PGA Tour
Comeback Player of the Year		1992

John Neuman Cook (born October 2, 1957) is an American professional golfer, who won eleven times on the PGA Tour and was a member of the Ryder Cup team in 1993. He was ranked in the top ten of the Official World Golf Ranking for 45 weeks in 1992 and 1993.[2] Cook currently plays on the PGA Tour Champions and is a studio analyst on Golf Channel.

Early life

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Born in Toledo, Ohio, Cook is the son of PGA Tour official Jim Cook and grew up in southern California.[3] He attended Miraleste High School in Rancho Palos Verdes and graduated in 1976.[4] In addition to golf, Cook was a promising but undersized quarterback in football through his sophomore year. He was advised by his high school golf coach (who also coached football) to concentrate on golf, which would give him his best opportunity for a collegiate scholarship. The coach, Wilbur Lucas, later said it was the only time he suggested an athlete drop a sport.[5] Cook was also coached by former PGA Tour star Ken Venturi.[6]

Amateur career

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Cook was offered a scholarship to Ohio State University in Columbus, and was personally advised to accept by Jack Nicklaus and Tom Weiskopf. He was a member of the Buckeyes' 1979 NCAA Championship team, which also included Joey Sindelar.[3][7][8]

Cook won the U.S. Amateur in 1978 at age 20,[9] and nearly won it again in 1979, falling to Mark O'Meara in the finals.[10][11][12] He won the Sunnehanna Amateur in 1977 and 1979 and the California State Amateur in 1975. Cook won the Ohio Amateur in 1978 and 1979, and also won the 1978 and 1979 Northeast Amateur held at Wannamoisett Country Club. Following the 1979 U.S. Amateur in early September, Cook turned professional.

Professional career

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Cook played his first PGA Tour event as a professional in September 1979. He played the Anheuser-Busch Golf Classic, the tour's annual event in Napa County, California on a sponsor's exemption. The Associated Press opened its report by stating, "A professional golfing career that will be watched closely, that of 1978 U.S. Amateur golf champion John Cook, began today in Napa's $300,000 PGA Tour event."[13]

Cook's first PGA Tour victory came in the 1981 storm-plagued Bing Crosby National Pro-Am. The event was shortened to 54 holes due to the weather conditions. Cook won the title on the third extra hole after a five-way sudden-death playoff that included Hale Irwin, Bobby Clampett, Ben Crenshaw, and Barney Thompson.[14] Irwin, the last of the four men that Cook eliminated in the playoff, was gracious in defeat: "John is a special young man. He deserved to win. He is one of the best new young players on the tour."[15]

Cook's second PGA Tour win came in 1983 at the Canadian Open. He won with a birdie putt on the sixth extra hole of a playoff against Johnny Miller, after both players parred the first five extra holes.[16]

At the 1990 Las Vegas Invitational, Cook lost a playoff to Bob Tway in memorable fashion. On the first hole of sudden-death, Cook hit a sand wedge shot into the hole from 95 yards for an apparent birdie only to see the ball bounce out of the hole and come to rest 15 feet (4.5 m) away and off the green.[17] Tway won the playoff with a routine par.

In 1992, Cook won three tour events, including a two-shot victory at the United Airlines Hawaiian Open after shooting two closing rounds of 65. He moved into the top-10 of the Official World Golf Ranking for the first time that year.

Cook has had seven top-10 finishes in major championships. The closest he came to winning a major during his career was when he led The Open Championship at Muirfield in 1992 by two shots late in the final round. Cook missed a two-foot (0.6 m) birdie putt on the 17th that would have given him a three-shot lead. He bogeyed the 18th and lost the Open by one stroke to Nick Faldo, who birdied two of the last four holes to overtake Cook. Afterward, Cook said, "I definitely let one slip away. I had a chance to win a major championship and I didn't."[18]

Cook had at least one PGA Tour win from 1996 through 1998. His victory in the FedEx St. Jude Classic in 1996 came after his opening three rounds (64-62-63) broke the lowest total in PGA Tour history for the first 54 holes at 189.[19] He appeared as himself in a non-speaking role in the 1996 film Tin Cup. The last of Cook's eleven PGA Tour wins came in the Reno-Tahoe Open in 2001 at age 43.

Senior career

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In October 2007, Cook became eligible to play on the Champions Tour. In his second start, he won the AT&T Championship in San Antonio, nineteen days after his 50th birthday, two strokes ahead of Mark O'Meara and earned $240,000 for his first win in over six years.[20] A year later, at the same event, he captured his second Champions Tour win, coming from behind with a 65 in the final round to win by three strokes over Keith Fergus.

Cook won his third career title on the Champions Tour in 2009 at the Administaff Small Business Classic by two strokes over Bob Tway and Jay Haas. Two weeks later, Cook picked up his fourth Champions Tour win at the Charles Schwab Cup Championship by five strokes over Russ Cochran. Cook set a scoring record at the tournament, shooting 22-under-par, with a 10-under-par 62 in the second round. Cook successfully defended this title in the 2010 Charles Schwab Cup Championship, winning by two strokes over Michael Allen.

Cook has had some near-misses in senior majors. At the Senior British Open at Royal Troon in 2008, he lost a playoff to Bruce Vaughan. At The Tradition in 2009 at Crosswater in Sunriver, Oregon, Cook bogeyed the 72nd hole and lost a playoff to Mike Reid. In 2011, Fred Couples defeated Cook on the third hole of a sudden-death playoff in the Senior Players Championship at Westchester.[21]

Personal life

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Cook currently resides in Windermere, Florida, with his wife Jan. He has three children.[22] His son, Jason, played golf for Pepperdine University in Malibu, California. He is a Republican, and was unwilling to meet Bill Clinton at the White House before the 1993 Ryder Cup due to Clinton's tax hikes.[23]

Cook has helped design a golf course in Ashville, Ohio, with help from his sister Cathy Cook, also a former standout player at nearby Ohio State. The course, formerly known as Cooks Creek Golf Club, has permanently closed.

Awards and honors

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Cook was inducted into the Ohio State Varsity O Hall of Fame in 1986.

Amateur wins

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Professional wins (28)

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PGA Tour wins (11)

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No. Date Tournament Winning score To par Margin of
victory 		Runner(s)-up
1 Feb 2, 1981 Bing Crosby National Pro-Am 66-71-72=209* −7 Playoff United States Bobby Clampett, United States Ben Crenshaw,
United States Hale Irwin, United States Barney Thompson
2 Jul 31, 1983 Canadian Open 68-71-70-68=277 −7 Playoff United States Johnny Miller
3 Aug 16, 1987 The International 11 pts (5-0-4-11=11) 2 points United States Ken Green
4 Jan 19, 1992 Bob Hope Chrysler Classic 65-73-63-69-66=336 −24 Playoff United States Rick Fehr, United States Tom Kite,
United States Mark O'Meara, United States Gene Sauers
5 Feb 9, 1992 United Airlines Hawaiian Open 67-68-65-65=265 −23 2 strokes United States Paul Azinger
6 Oct 11, 1992 Las Vegas Invitational 68-66-62-70-68=334 −26 2 strokes South Africa David Frost
7 Jun 23, 1996 FedEx St. Jude Classic 64-62-63-69=258 −26 7 strokes United States John Adams
8 Jul 28, 1996 CVS Charity Classic 65-67-67-69=268 −16 3 strokes United States Russ Cochran
9 Jan 19, 1997 Bob Hope Chrysler Classic (2) 66-69-67-62-63=327 −33 1 stroke United States Mark Calcavecchia
10 May 17, 1998 GTE Byron Nelson Golf Classic 66-68-66-65=265 −15 3 strokes United States Fred Couples, United States Harrison Frazar,
United States Hal Sutton
11 Aug 26, 2001 Reno–Tahoe Open 69-64-74-64=271 −17 1 stroke United States Jerry Kelly

*Note: The 1981 Bing Crosby National Pro-Am was shortened to 54 holes due to weather.

PGA Tour playoff record (3–3)

No. Year Tournament Opponent(s) Result
1 1981 Bing Crosby National Pro-Am United States Bobby Clampett, United States Ben Crenshaw,
United States Hale Irwin, United States Barney Thompson 		Won with par on third extra hole
Clampett, Crenshaw and Thompson eliminated by birdie on first hole
2 1983 Canadian Open United States Johnny Miller Won with birdie on sixth extra hole
3 1986 Bob Hope Chrysler Classic United States Donnie Hammond Lost to birdie on first extra hole
4 1990 Federal Express St. Jude Classic United States Tom Kite Lost to birdie on first extra hole
5 1990 Las Vegas Invitational United States Bob Tway Lost to par on first extra hole
6 1992 Bob Hope Chrysler Classic United States Rick Fehr, United States Tom Kite,
United States Mark O'Meara, United States Gene Sauers 		Won with eagle on fourth extra hole
Fehr eliminated by birdie on second hole
Kite and O'Meara eliminated by birdie on first hole

Latin American wins (2)

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Other wins (5)

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No. Date Tournament Winning score To par Margin of
victory 		Runners-up
1 Dec 11, 1983 World Cup
(with United States Rex Caldwell) 		140-140-145-140=565 −11 7 strokes  Australia − Terry Gale and Wayne Grady,
 Canada − Jerry Anderson and Dave Barr
2 Aug 23, 1994 Fred Meyer Challenge
(with United States Mark O'Meara) 		63-62=125 −17 Playoff United States Ben Crenshaw and United States Phil Mickelson
3 Aug 15, 1995 Ernst Championship 71-63=134 −8 1 stroke United States Jeff Gove
4 Aug 8, 2000 Fred Meyer Challenge (2)
(with United States Mark O'Meara) 		64-61=125 −19 Playoff South Africa David Frost and United States Jim Furyk
5 Nov 20, 2010 Gary Player Invitational
(with Spain Sergio García) 		66-66=132 −14 1 stroke South Africa Darren Fichardt and United States Bertus Smit

Other playoff record (2–1)

No. Year Tournament Opponents Result
1 1994 Fred Meyer Challenge
(with United States Mark O'Meara) 		United States Ben Crenshaw and United States Phil Mickelson Won with par on second extra hole
2 1998 Franklin Templeton Shark Shootout
(with United States Peter Jacobsen) 		Australia Steve Elkington and Australia Greg Norman Lost to birdie on third extra hole
3 2000 Fred Meyer Challenge
(with United States Mark O'Meara) 		South Africa David Frost and United States Jim Furyk Won with birdie on first extra hole

Champions Tour wins (10)

[edit]
Legend
Tour Championships (2)
Other Champions Tour (8)
No. Date Tournament Winning score To par Margin of
victory 		Runner(s)-up
1 Oct 21, 2007 AT&T Championship 65-68-65=198 −15 2 strokes United States Mark O'Meara
2 Oct 26, 2008 AT&T Championship (2) 69-63-65=197 −16 3 strokes United States Keith Fergus
3 Oct 18, 2009 Administaff Small Business Classic 65-72-68=205 −11 2 strokes United States Jay Haas, United States Bob Tway
4 Nov 1, 2009 Charles Schwab Cup Championship 68-62-67-69=266 −22 5 strokes United States Russ Cochran
5 Nov 8, 2010 Charles Schwab Cup Championship (2) 64-69-67-67=267 −17 2 strokes United States Michael Allen
6 Jan 23, 2011 Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai 66-64-64=194 −22 2 strokes United States Tom Lehman
7 Apr 17, 2011 Outback Steakhouse Pro-Am 66-65-73=204 −9 Playoff United States Jay Don Blake
8 Jul 3, 2011 Montreal Championship 63-66-66=195 −21 3 strokes Taiwan Lu Chien-soon
9 Jan 20, 2013 Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai (2) 66-66-67=199 −17 Playoff South Africa David Frost
10 Sep 28, 2014 Nature Valley First Tee Open at Pebble Beach 67-68-69=204 −11 1 stroke United States Tom Byrum

Champions Tour playoff record (2–6)

No. Year Tournament Opponent(s) Result
1 2008 The Senior Open Championship United States Bruce Vaughan Lost to birdie on first extra hole
2 2009 JELD-WEN Tradition United States Mike Reid Lost to birdie on first extra hole
3 2010 Allianz Championship Germany Bernhard Langer Lost to eagle on first extra hole
4 2010 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf
(with United States Joey Sindelar) 		United States Mark O'Meara and Zimbabwe Nick Price Lost to par on second extra hole
5 2011 Outback Steakhouse Pro-Am United States Jay Don Blake Won with birdie on first extra hole
6 2011 Constellation Energy Senior Players Championship United States Fred Couples Lost to birdie on third extra hole
7 2011 Songdo IBD Championship United States Jay Don Blake, United States Mark O'Meara,
Australia Peter Senior 		Blake won with birdie on fifth extra hole
O'Meara and Senior eliminated by par on third hole
8 2013 Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai South Africa David Frost Won with birdie on second extra hole

Results in major championships

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Tournament 1977 1978 1979
Masters Tournament 39
U.S. Open CUT T53
The Open Championship
PGA Championship
Tournament 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989
Masters Tournament T21 CUT CUT T24 CUT
U.S. Open T53 T4 CUT CUT CUT T35 T36 T50
The Open Championship CUT
PGA Championship T19 T34 T20 CUT T53 T28 T48
Tournament 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
Masters Tournament CUT T54 T39 T46 CUT CUT 43 CUT
U.S. Open T19 T13 T25 5 T62 T16 T36 CUT T60
The Open Championship 2 CUT T55 T40 CUT
PGA Championship CUT T2 T6 T4 CUT T47 T23 9 CUT
Tournament 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006
Masters Tournament CUT
U.S. Open CUT CUT T15 T40
The Open Championship CUT
PGA Championship CUT
  Top 10
  Did not play

CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied

Summary

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Tournament Wins 2nd 3rd Top-5 Top-10 Top-25 Events Cuts made
Masters Tournament 0 0 0 0 0 2 15 7
U.S. Open 0 0 0 2 2 7 23 16
The Open Championship 0 1 0 1 1 1 7 3
PGA Championship 0 1 0 2 4 7 17 12
Totals 0 2 0 5 7 17 62 38
  • Most consecutive cuts made – 6 (1992 Masters – 1993 U.S. Open)
  • Longest streak of top-10s – 2 (1992 Open Championship – 1992 PGA)

Results in The Players Championship

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Tournament 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003
The Players Championship CUT T41 T3 T44 CUT T7 CUT CUT CUT T3 CUT CUT T23 WD CUT T22 T13 T58 CUT T55 CUT WD
  Top 10
  Did not play

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

Results in World Golf Championships

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Tournament 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003
Match Play R64 R16 R64
Championship NT1 T49
Invitational T28

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

Results in senior major championships

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Results are not in chronological order prior to 2017.

Tournament 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
The Tradition T14 2 T6 T25 T38 T6 T29
Senior PGA Championship T16 T17 T36 T13 2 T21 T66
U.S. Senior Open 5 T19 T3 CUT T6 T35 T24 CUT CUT CUT T44 CUT
Senior Players Championship T7 T5 65 2 T20 T36 T12 T47 T54 T54
Senior British Open Championship 2 CUT T11 11 T6 T61 T64 CUT
  Top 10
  Did not play

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

U.S. national team appearances

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Amateur

Professional

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Week 41 1992 Ending 11 Oct 1992" (pdf). OWGR. Retrieved December 20, 2018.
  2. ^ "69 Players Who Have Reached The Top-10 In World Ranking". Archived from the original (PDF) on October 17, 2015. Retrieved January 7, 2013.
  3. ^ a b "Cook follows Nicklaus pattern". Toledo Blade. (Ohio). June 9, 1979. p. 40.
  4. ^ 1976 Miraleste High School Yearbook Rancho Palos Verdes, California
  5. ^ Hanson, Scott (August 24, 2008). "Ben Crenshaw shoots a 67 to move up". The Seattle Times. Retrieved October 26, 2008.
  6. ^ Golf Channel television broadcast of 2010 Charles Schwab Cup final round, November 7, 2010
  7. ^ "Deacons' Hallberg, Buckeyes triumph". Sunday Star News. (Wilmington, North Carolina). Associated Press. May 27, 1979. p. 3C.
  8. ^ "NCAA team scores, leaders". Sunday Star News. (Wilmington, North Carolina). May 27, 1979. p. 4C.
  9. ^ "Cook wins title over Scott Hoch". Wilmington Morning Star. (North Carolina). Associated Press. September 4, 1978. p. 3C.
  10. ^ "Ohio State's Cook makes Am finals". Toledo Blade. (Ohio). Associated Press. September 2, 1979. p. 5C.
  11. ^ "O'Meara dethrones Cook, easily wins U.S. Amateur". Toledo Blade. (Ohio). Associated Press. September 3, 1979. p. 32.
  12. ^ "U.S. Amateur Results: 1895 to Present". USGA. February 15, 2020. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
  13. ^ "Pro Debut For Cook At Napa". Carlsbad Current-Argus. September 20, 1979. p. B6. Retrieved June 27, 2021.
  14. ^ "Cook wins 5-way playoff". Milwaukee Sentinel. Associated Press. February 3, 1981. p. 1, part 2. Retrieved January 7, 2013.
  15. ^ Green, Bob (February 3, 1981). "Crosby winner Cook tops his example, Hale Irwin". Portsmouth Daily Times. (Ohio). Associated Press. p. 14.
  16. ^ "So many stories didn't spoil John Cook's pot". Evening Independent. (St. Petersburg, Florida). Associated Press. August 1, 1983. p. 3C.
  17. ^ "Cook's bad bounce lifts Tway in playoff". Milwaukee Sentinel. AP. October 15, 1990. p. 8, part 2. Retrieved January 7, 2013.
  18. ^ Florence, Mal (July 20, 1992). "Cook's leftovers are Faldo feast: American folds late, gives Brit third Open". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved January 7, 2013.
  19. ^ "Cook 24 Under After 3 Rounds, Setting Record". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. June 23, 1996. Retrieved January 7, 2013.
  20. ^ "In only second start, Cook wins his first Champions Tour title". PGA Tour. Retrieved January 7, 2013.
  21. ^ Gola, Hank (August 22, 2011). "Fred Couples defeats John Cook on third hole of sudden-death playoff at Senior Players Championship". Daily News. Archived from the original on January 30, 2013. Retrieved August 27, 2012.
  22. ^ "US Open PGA Golf Tour Sunday, Character Profile: John Cook". USA Network. Archived from the original on January 9, 2013. Retrieved January 7, 2013.
  23. ^ "Golfers Don't Go Gaga Over White House Trip". Orlando Sentinel. June 19, 1993.
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