Iain Steel is a Malaysian professional golfer

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;...

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Steel was born in Sabah

Sabah

Sabah is one of 13 member states of Malaysia. It is located on the northern portion of the island of Borneo. It is the second largest state in the country after Sarawak, which it borders on its southwest. It also shares a border with the province of East Kalimantan of Indonesia in the south...

, Malaysia. He went to Auburn University

Auburn University

Auburn University is a public university located in Auburn, Alabama, United States. With more than 25,000 students and 1,200 faculty members, it is one of the largest universities in the state. Auburn was chartered on February 7, 1856, as the East Alabama Male College, a private liberal arts...

 in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 and turned professional in 1996. That year, he became the first Malaysian golfer ever to play in The Open Championship

The Open Championship

The Open Championship, or simply The Open , is the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf. It is the only "major" held outside the USA and is administered by The R&A, which is the governing body of golf outside the USA and Mexico...

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Steel played on the second tier Nike Tour, now 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...

, in 1997, before moving up to the elite 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...

 for 1998 after graduating from the Qualifying Tournament

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...

. His rookie season on the PGA tour brought little success and he returned to the Nike Tour for 1999. He made few cuts in three more seasons on that tour before he lost his playing rights for 2002. He returned in 2003 after a season on the Canadian Tour

Canadian Professional Golf Tour

The Canadian Professional Golf Tour is a men's professional golf tour headquartered in Oakville, Ontario. It was formally started in 1970 and was initially known as the Peter Jackson Tour....

 but continued to struggle, before trying to qualify for the European Tour

PGA European Tour

The PGA European Tour is an organization which operates the three leading men's professional golf tours in Europe: the elite European Tour, the European Seniors Tour and the developmental Challenge Tour. Its headquarters are at Wentworth Club in Virginia Water, Surrey, England...

 at the end of 2004. He reached the final stage of qualifying school to earn a limited card for Europe's second tier Challenge Tour

Challenge Tour

The Challenge Tour is the second tier men's professional golf tour in Europe. It is operated by the PGA European Tour and as with on the main European Tour and the European Seniors Tour, some of the events are played outside of Europe...

 for 2005. Although he had two top ten finishes, he made little impact and was unable to retain his card.

Steel joined the Asian Tour

Asian Tour

The Asian Tour is the principal men's professional golf tour in Asia except for Japan, which has its own Japan Golf Tour, which is also a full member of the International Federation of PGA Tours. The Asian Tour is administered from offices in Singapore...

 in 2006 after finishing tied for 4th place at the tour qualifying school. He has since managed to establish himself on the tour, appearing inside the top 50 on the Order of Merit each season with a number of strong finishes, although he has yet to win a tournament. While he plays predominantly in Asia, he has retained membership of the European Tour, so is also shown on that tour's money list courtesy of his appearances in tournaments co-sanctioned by both tours.

Other wins (3)

• 2001 Alabama Open (United States)
• 2002 Greater Vancouver Classic (Canada)
• 2006 Malaysian PGA Championship

Results in major championships

Tournament	1996
The Masters	DNP
U.S. Open U.S. Open (golf) The United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open golf tournament of the United States. It is the second of the four major championships in golf, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour...	DNP
The Open Championship The Open Championship The Open Championship, or simply The Open , is the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf. It is the only "major" held outside the USA and is administered by The R&A, which is the governing body of golf outside the USA and Mexico...	CUT
PGA Championship PGA Championship The PGA Championship is an annual golf tournament conducted by the PGA of America as part of the PGA Tour. It is one of the four major championships in men's professional golf, and is the golf season's final major, usually played in mid-August, customarily four weeks after The Open Championship...	DNP

DNP = Did not play

CUT = missed the half-way cut

"T" = tied

Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10.

External links