Bryce Molder
Encyclopedia
Bryce Wade Molder is an American professional golfer
who currently plays on the PGA Tour
.
and attended public school in Tulsa, Oklahoma
and Conway, Arkansas
. He has Poland syndrome
, as a result of which he was born with no left pectoral muscle, his left hand is smaller than his right and four fingers on his left hand were webbed at birth. He had two surgeries before the age of five to correct the webbing and other issues with his left hand.
After starring with the Conway High School Golf team, Molder attended Georgia Tech
on a golf scholarship and graduated with a degree in management. At Tech, he was a four-time first-team All-American golfer and was named the national Collegiate Golfer of the Year for 2000-2001. Notable teammates at Georgia Tech included Matt Kuchar
and Troy Matteson
, later fellow PGA Tour professionals. On a break from college in 1999, Molder shot a 60 at his home course, Chenal Country Club in Little Rock, Arkansas
, while playing a round with fellow Arkansan, then-President Bill Clinton
. He played in the 2001 U.S. Open
as an amateur and shot a 68 during the third round, eventually finishing as low amateur in a tie for 30th place overall.
, which was won by John Cook
. Despite that strong first start at Reno, however, Molder missed earning membership status in the PGA Tour money rankings in the late summer and fall of 2001. After failing to earn status via the Tour Qualifying school
, he was able to secure sponsor invitations to Tour events in 2002, earning a T-9 finish at the Compaq Classic of New Orleans, together with top-15 finishes in two other events, securing Special Temporary Membership by finishing T-12 at the Buick Classic. Noting the pressure that attended his play of the 18th hole in the final round at Westchester Country Club
's West Course, Molder, who needed to par the hole in order to insure earning the Temporary Card, said, "Sometimes the hardest thing in the world is to two-putt when you have to." For the remainder of the season, though, his good form of the spring did not hold, and he missed securing status on the Tour for the 2003 season by one place in the money rankings.
For several seasons which followed, Molder played in the Tour's developmental league, the Nationwide Tour
, without earning his PGA Tour card, until a breakout season in 2006. Molder's 2006 Nationwide Tour season included four top-10s, eight top-25s, one win and $205,413 in earnings. All this placed him 22nd on the final money list. His first professional victory came in October 2006 at the Miccosukee Championship
.
Molder's first full season on the PGA Tour in 2007 was mostly unsuccessful, with only 7 cuts made in 21 events and his only top-10 finish coming with a T-6 in the season-ending Children's Miracle Network Classic. As a result, he returned to the Nationwide Tour in 2008, where he finished 23rd on the money list, made 19 of 27 cuts and earned four top-10s, including a 2nd and a 3rd, winning $234,651.
In 2009 on the PGA Tour, Molder broke out in June at the St. Jude Classic, where he shot a second round 63 followed by a third round 65 and was one shot behind 54-hole leader Brian Gay
going into the final round. Molder went on to finish in a tie for 2nd with David Toms
on Sunday, four strokes behind the winner, Gay, for his best finish in a PGA Tour event at the time. A few weeks later, Molder finished fourth at the AT&T National
, posting 272, five strokes back of winner Tiger Woods
. The finish also secured a spot for Molder in the 2009 Open Championship
. He finished the year ranked 63rd on the PGA Tour money list with eight top-25 and three top-10 finishes in twenty-one outings. He met with similar success in 2010 on Tour, with six top-10 and ten top-25 finishes in 26 starts.
At the 2011 Frys.com Open
, after having secured his 2012 Tour card with five top-10 finishes in 25 tournaments, Molder defeated Briny Baird
on the sixth hole of a sudden-death playoff for his maiden PGA Tour win. The win capped a superb weekend of near-flawless play for Molder, who went bogey-free –13 in the final 43 holes of regulation play and –4 in the playoff. He sank a 12 foot putt for birdie on the final hole of regulation play to square things just after Baird, playing one group behind Molder, dramatically chipped-in from 38 feet from the green-side rough for eagle on the 17th hole, temporarily taking a one stroke lead. When Baird parred the 18th hole, the playoff ensued, with neither player - each seeking his first Tour win after years of trying - able to close the it out until Molder's dramatic approach from 133 yards in the 18th fairway to six feet set up his conclusive birdie putt. The win extended Molder's Tour membership through 2013.
PGA Tour playoff record (1–0)
Professional golfer
In golf the distinction between amateurs and professionals is rigorously maintained. An amateur who breaches the rules of amateur status may lose his or her amateur status. A golfer who has lost his or her amateur status may not play in amateur competitions until amateur status has been reinstated;...
who currently plays on the PGA Tour
PGA Tour
The PGA Tour is the organizer of the main men's professional golf tours in the United States and North America...
.
Early life
Molder was born in Harrison, ArkansasHarrison, Arkansas
Harrison is a city in Boone County, Arkansas, United States. It is the county seat. According to 2007 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city was 13,108. Boone County was organized in 1869, during reconstruction after the civil war. Harrison was platted and made the county seat. It is...
and attended public school in Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 46th-largest city in the United States. With a population of 391,906 as of the 2010 census, it is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with 937,478 residents in the MSA and 988,454 in the CSA. Tulsa's...
and Conway, Arkansas
Conway, Arkansas
Conway is the county seat of Faulkner County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 58,908 at the 2010 census, making Conway the seventh most populous city in Arkansas. It is a principal city of the Little Rock–North Little Rock–Conway Metropolitan Statistical Area which had...
. He has Poland syndrome
Poland syndrome
Poland syndrome is a rare birth defect characterized by underdevelopment or absence of the chest muscle on one side of the body and webbing of the fingers of the hand on the same side mostly common on the right...
, as a result of which he was born with no left pectoral muscle, his left hand is smaller than his right and four fingers on his left hand were webbed at birth. He had two surgeries before the age of five to correct the webbing and other issues with his left hand.
After starring with the Conway High School Golf team, Molder attended Georgia Tech
Georgia Institute of Technology
The Georgia Institute of Technology is a public research university in Atlanta, Georgia, in the United States...
on a golf scholarship and graduated with a degree in management. At Tech, he was a four-time first-team All-American golfer and was named the national Collegiate Golfer of the Year for 2000-2001. Notable teammates at Georgia Tech included Matt Kuchar
Matt Kuchar
Matthew Gregory Kuchar is an American professional golfer who has played on both the PGA Tour and the Nationwide Tour. He has ranked as high as number six in the Official World Golf Rankings.-Early career:...
and Troy Matteson
Troy Matteson
Troy Jason Matteson is an American professional golfer.Matteson was born in Rockledge, Florida. He played college golf at Georgia Tech and won the NCAA Individual Championship in 2002.Matteson debuted on the Nationwide Tour in 2004...
, later fellow PGA Tour professionals. On a break from college in 1999, Molder shot a 60 at his home course, Chenal Country Club in Little Rock, Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
, while playing a round with fellow Arkansan, then-President Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
. He played in the 2001 U.S. Open
2001 U.S. Open Golf Championship
The 2001 United States Open Championship was the 101st U.S. Open, played from June 14 to June 18 at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The U.S. Open returned to Southern Hills for the first time since 1977, where Hubert Green appeared & won in his first major championship...
as an amateur and shot a 68 during the third round, eventually finishing as low amateur in a tie for 30th place overall.
Professional career
Molder turned professional later that summer, placing third in his first Tour event, the Reno-Tahoe OpenReno-Tahoe Open
The Reno-Tahoe Open is a professional golf tournament on the PGA Tour in northwestern Nevada. Founded in 1999, it is an alternate event played annually in August at the , located midway between Reno and Lake Tahoe. Opened in 1997, the par-72 course was designed by Jack Nicklaus and plays at ; its...
, which was won by John Cook
John Cook (golfer)
John Neuman Cook is an American professional golfer, who has played on the PGA Tour and currently plays on the Champions Tour....
. Despite that strong first start at Reno, however, Molder missed earning membership status in the PGA Tour money rankings in the late summer and fall of 2001. After failing to earn status via the Tour Qualifying school
Qualifying school
In professional golf the term qualifying school is used for the annual qualifying tournaments for leading golf tours such as the U.S. based PGA and LPGA Tours and the European Tour. A fixed number of players in the event win membership of the tour for the following season, otherwise known as a...
, he was able to secure sponsor invitations to Tour events in 2002, earning a T-9 finish at the Compaq Classic of New Orleans, together with top-15 finishes in two other events, securing Special Temporary Membership by finishing T-12 at the Buick Classic. Noting the pressure that attended his play of the 18th hole in the final round at Westchester Country Club
Westchester Country Club
The Westchester Country Club was founded by John McEntee Bowman, who hired Walter Travis to design two golf courses in the Town of Harrison, New York as a luxury resort hotel. The West Course was designed for championship play and has hosted PGA tournaments since 1963...
's West Course, Molder, who needed to par the hole in order to insure earning the Temporary Card, said, "Sometimes the hardest thing in the world is to two-putt when you have to." For the remainder of the season, though, his good form of the spring did not hold, and he missed securing status on the Tour for the 2003 season by one place in the money rankings.
For several seasons which followed, Molder played in the Tour's developmental league, the Nationwide Tour
Nationwide Tour
The Nationwide Tour is the developmental tour for the U.S.-based PGA Tour, and features professional golfers who have either failed to score well enough at that level's Qualifying School to earn their PGA Tour card, or who have done so but then failed to win enough money to stay at that level...
, without earning his PGA Tour card, until a breakout season in 2006. Molder's 2006 Nationwide Tour season included four top-10s, eight top-25s, one win and $205,413 in earnings. All this placed him 22nd on the final money list. His first professional victory came in October 2006 at the Miccosukee Championship
Miccosukee Championship
The Miccosukee Championship is a golf tournament on the Nationwide Tour. It is played annually at the Miccosukee Golf & Country Club in Miami, Florida, USA.The 2011 purse was $600,000, with $108,000 going to the winner.-Winners:*2011 Jason Kokrak...
.
Molder's first full season on the PGA Tour in 2007 was mostly unsuccessful, with only 7 cuts made in 21 events and his only top-10 finish coming with a T-6 in the season-ending Children's Miracle Network Classic. As a result, he returned to the Nationwide Tour in 2008, where he finished 23rd on the money list, made 19 of 27 cuts and earned four top-10s, including a 2nd and a 3rd, winning $234,651.
In 2009 on the PGA Tour, Molder broke out in June at the St. Jude Classic, where he shot a second round 63 followed by a third round 65 and was one shot behind 54-hole leader Brian Gay
Brian Gay
Joseph Brian Gay is an American professional golfer who currently plays on the PGA Tour.- Early years :A military brat, Gay was born in Fort Worth, Texas, but was raised primarily at Fort Rucker, Alabama, where his father was a U.S. Army noncomissioned officer involved in flight operations...
going into the final round. Molder went on to finish in a tie for 2nd with David Toms
David Toms
David Wayne Toms is an American professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour. He has won a total of thirteen events on the PGA Tour including the 2001 PGA Championship...
on Sunday, four strokes behind the winner, Gay, for his best finish in a PGA Tour event at the time. A few weeks later, Molder finished fourth at the AT&T National
AT&T National
The AT&T National is a professional golf tournament held in the Washington D.C. area during the Fourth of July weekend. The PGA Tour event is hosted by Tiger Woods and benefits the Tiger Woods Foundation. The first AT&T National was held July 5–8, 2007, at the Blue Course of the Congressional...
, posting 272, five strokes back of winner Tiger Woods
Tiger Woods
Eldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods is an American professional golfer whose achievements to date rank him among the most successful golfers of all time. Formerly the World No...
. The finish also secured a spot for Molder in the 2009 Open Championship
2009 Open Championship
The 2009 Open Championship was the 138th Open Championship, one of the four major golf championships, and was played from 16–19 July at the Turnberry Resort, in Ayrshire, Scotland. It was the fourth time The Open Championship had been played at Turnberry...
. He finished the year ranked 63rd on the PGA Tour money list with eight top-25 and three top-10 finishes in twenty-one outings. He met with similar success in 2010 on Tour, with six top-10 and ten top-25 finishes in 26 starts.
At the 2011 Frys.com Open
Frys.com Open
The Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open is a golf tournament in the Fall Series of the PGA Tour. It is played annually in October in Las Vegas, Nevada. The tournament is held at the TPC at Summerlin and since 2008 it has been hosted by recording star Justin Timberlake.The event...
, after having secured his 2012 Tour card with five top-10 finishes in 25 tournaments, Molder defeated Briny Baird
Briny Baird
Michael Jancey "Briny" Baird is an American professional golfer who has played on the PGA Tour and Nationwide Tour.Baird was born in Miami Beach, Florida. He played varsity golf in the 7th grade at Miami Country Day...
on the sixth hole of a sudden-death playoff for his maiden PGA Tour win. The win capped a superb weekend of near-flawless play for Molder, who went bogey-free –13 in the final 43 holes of regulation play and –4 in the playoff. He sank a 12 foot putt for birdie on the final hole of regulation play to square things just after Baird, playing one group behind Molder, dramatically chipped-in from 38 feet from the green-side rough for eagle on the 17th hole, temporarily taking a one stroke lead. When Baird parred the 18th hole, the playoff ensued, with neither player - each seeking his first Tour win after years of trying - able to close the it out until Molder's dramatic approach from 133 yards in the 18th fairway to six feet set up his conclusive birdie putt. The win extended Molder's Tour membership through 2013.
PGA Tour wins (1)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning Score | Margin of Victory | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oct 9, 2011 2011 PGA Tour The 2011 PGA Tour, the 44th season since the Tour became independent from the PGA of America, will consist of a total of 49 sanctioned events running from early January to late November... |
Frys.com Open Frys.com Open The Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open is a golf tournament in the Fall Series of the PGA Tour. It is played annually in October in Las Vegas, Nevada. The tournament is held at the TPC at Summerlin and since 2008 it has been hosted by recording star Justin Timberlake.The event... |
Playoff |  Briny BairdBriny Baird Michael Jancey "Briny" Baird is an American professional golfer who has played on the PGA Tour and Nationwide Tour.Baird was born in Miami Beach, Florida. He played varsity golf in the 7th grade at Miami Country Day... |
PGA Tour playoff record (1–0)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponents | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2011 | Frys.com Open Frys.com Open The Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open is a golf tournament in the Fall Series of the PGA Tour. It is played annually in October in Las Vegas, Nevada. The tournament is held at the TPC at Summerlin and since 2008 it has been hosted by recording star Justin Timberlake.The event... |
Briny Baird Briny Baird Michael Jancey "Briny" Baird is an American professional golfer who has played on the PGA Tour and Nationwide Tour.Baird was born in Miami Beach, Florida. He played varsity golf in the 7th grade at Miami Country Day... |
Won with birdie on sixth extra hole; Baird made par |
U.S. national team appearances
Amateur- Walker CupWalker CupThe Walker Cup is a golf trophy contested biennially in odd numbered years between teams comprising the leading amateur golfers of the United States and Great Britain and Ireland...
: 19991999 Walker CupThe 1999 Walker Cup, the 37th Walker Cup Match, was played on 11 and 12 September, 1999, at Nairn Golf Club in Nairn, Scotland. The event was won by Great Britain and Ireland 15 to 9.-Format:...
, 20012001 Walker CupThe 2001 Walker Cup, the 38th Walker Cup Match, was played on August 11 and 12, 2001, at Ocean Forest Golf Club in Sea Island, Georgia. The event was won by Great Britain and Ireland 15 to 9, marking the first time that Great Britain & Ireland retained the Cup .-Format:The format for play on... - Eisenhower TrophyEisenhower TrophyThe Eisenhower Trophy is a biennial world amateur team golf championship for men organized by the International Golf Federation. It is named for Dwight D. Eisenhower, the President of the United States when the tournament was first played, who was a keen amateur golfer. Recent tournaments have...
: 2000 (team winners and individual winner)