Robert Garrigus
Encyclopedia
Robert Garrigus is an American
professional golfer
who is currently a member of the PGA Tour
. He won the 2010 Children's Miracle Network Classic, to guarantee exempt status on the PGA Tour
through the end of the 2012 season.
Garrigus is one of the longest drivers in the golfing world, with an average drive of 310.5 yards in 2007. He is one of the few players who can hit a ball over 350 yards. He led the PGA Tour in driving distance in both the 2009 and 2010 seasons with average distances of 312 and 315 yards, respectively. He is also noted for using a putter only 28.5 inches in length, about six inches shorter than a standard putter.
and spent most of his childhood in Banks, Oregon
. He attended Crescent Valley High School
in Corvallis, Oregon
. In 1995, Garrigus helped Crescent Valley High School to a 4A state championship by finishing T-9. Garrigus attended Scottsdale Community College
later in 1995.
and the Gateway Tour
from 1997–1999. He played on the Buy.com Tour (now Nationwide Tour
) for the first time in 2000, and was also a member of the Nationwide Tour in 2002, 2004 and 2005. He finished tied for 9th in Q-School in 2005 to earn his PGA Tour card for the first time.
, Garrigus, playing in the final group, had a three-shot lead going into the 72nd hole, a long par four. He pulled his tee shot into the water hazard which flanks the hole's left side. After taking a penalty drop a long way back, he hit his third shot straight left, caught a tree left of the hazard and fell straight down. He punched out to the fairway and hit his fifth shot onto the green, within 35 feet of the hole. He two-putted from there, resulting in a triple bogey 7. A three-way sudden-death playoff with Lee Westwood
and Robert Karlsson
then began. On the first hole they played, the 18th, Garrigus's drive carried too far and came to rest against the trunk of a tree, right of the fairway. He chipped out and hit his third shot to 12 feet. His par putt lipped out and he made bogey. Karlsson and Westwood both made par, eliminating Garrigus, who finished tied for second place. The playoff was eventually won by Westwood, who birdied the fourth sudden-death hole.
. Needing a high finish to earn his tour card for 2011, he entered the final day 13 under par, five shots behind the leader Roland Thatcher
and one behind first-round leader Chris Stroud
. Thatcher had reached 21-under in his third round, before a double bogey, bogey finish. After a fast start, with five birdies in his first seven holes, Garrigus caught Thatcher, who had parred his first seven holes, turning the rest of the tournament into a virtual two-man battle, although several other contenders were within striking distance. Thatcher extended his lead with three birdies around the turn, before a bogey on twelve, as Garrigus in the group in front birdied thirteen, moving the pair level again. After Thatcher bogeyed sixteen, Garrigus held the solo lead in a tournament for the first time since Memphis. A further two-shot swing on the 17th, where Garrigus made birdie-3 to Thatcher's bogey-5, followed by a final-hole par, sealed his first professional win, by three strokes. With the victory, Garrigus earned an exemption on the PGA Tour through the end of the 2012 season. Prior to the tournament, Garrigus was 179th on the Tour, which would have meant a loss of his Tour card. Thatcher finished second while Stroud salvaged a seventh, still good enough for a full season tour card for 2011.
, his subsequent improved play, and his joy at closing out the season with a tournament victory, which made up for his struggles at the Memphis tournament earlier in the season.
In an article that appeared in Golf Digest
in July 2011, Garrigus admitted that during the 2002 season, he and several other golfers on the Nationwide Tour (then the Buy.com Tour) smoked marijuana
during events:
In 2003, he entered a rehabilitation center near San Diego for a 45-day program. His newfound sobriety was almost immediately tested. Before entering rehab, he had left money for his roommate to keep the house and pay bills. The roommate instead used it for drugs and gambling; when Garrigus returned the night before he was to play in a sectional qualifier for the U.S. Open, he found the locks changed and the electricity disconnected. The roommate had left town to avoid gambling debts, leaving behind a substantial quantity of marijuana and a note reading, "Hope rehab was great. Have fun." As Garrigus would say,
at Congressional Country Club
, posting all four rounds under par on the way to a tied third place finish. This result ensured Garrigus of an invitation to the 2012 U.S. Open.
Garrigus took part in the Long Drive Contest for charity at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions alongside Bubba Watson
and Dustin Johnson
and finished third with a longest drive of 365 yards.
with his wife Ami, whom he met while in rehab, and a son born in September 2010.
His father, Thomas
, won a silver medal in trap shooting
at the 1968 Summer Olympics
in Mexico City
.
DNP = Did not play
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied
Yellow background for top-10.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
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;...
who is currently a member of 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...
. He won the 2010 Children's Miracle Network Classic, to guarantee exempt status 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...
through the end of the 2012 season.
Garrigus is one of the longest drivers in the golfing world, with an average drive of 310.5 yards in 2007. He is one of the few players who can hit a ball over 350 yards. He led the PGA Tour in driving distance in both the 2009 and 2010 seasons with average distances of 312 and 315 yards, respectively. He is also noted for using a putter only 28.5 inches in length, about six inches shorter than a standard putter.
Early years
Garrigus was born in Nampa, IdahoNampa, Idaho
Nampa is the largest and the fastest growing city in Canyon County, Idaho, USA. The population of Nampa was 81,557 at the 2010 census. Nampa is located about west of Boise along Interstate 84, and six miles west of Meridian. Nampa is part of the Boise metropolitan area...
and spent most of his childhood in Banks, Oregon
Banks, Oregon
Banks is a city in Washington County, Oregon, United States. The population was 1,777 at the 2010 census. The community was named for settler Robert Banks and his father, John Banks.-Geography:...
. He attended Crescent Valley High School
Crescent Valley High School
Crescent Valley High School, known as CV, is a public high school in Corvallis, Oregon.-Academics:Courses are sometimes shared with Corvallis High School. Students taking courses at the partner school ride an approximately 15 minute bus to attend shared classes...
in Corvallis, Oregon
Corvallis, Oregon
Corvallis is a city located in central western Oregon, United States. It is the county seat of Benton County and the principal city of the Corvallis, Oregon Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Benton County. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 54,462....
. In 1995, Garrigus helped Crescent Valley High School to a 4A state championship by finishing T-9. Garrigus attended Scottsdale Community College
Scottsdale Community College
Scottsdale Community College, is located in Salt River, Arizona, a suburb/rural area of Phoenix. Scottsdale Community College is a two-year college located on the eastern boundary of the city of Scottsdale, Arizona, on 160 acres of land belonging to the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community...
later in 1995.
Professional career
Garrigus turned professional in 1997. He played on the NGA Hooters TourNGA Hooters Tour
The National Golf Association Pro Golf Tour is a developmental men's professional golf tour in the United States. It includes approximately twenty 72-hole Pro Series events and three 54-hole Qualifying School Prep Series events each year throughout the US South and Midwest. The NGA Pro Golf Tour...
and the Gateway Tour
Gateway Tour
The Gateway Tour is a third-level men's professional golf tour headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona that runs tournaments in Arizona, California, and Florida. The top level of men's professional golf in the United States is the PGA Tour. The second level is the Nationwide Tour, which is the official...
from 1997–1999. He played on the Buy.com Tour (now 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...
) for the first time in 2000, and was also a member of the Nationwide Tour in 2002, 2004 and 2005. He finished tied for 9th in Q-School in 2005 to earn his PGA Tour card for the first time.
Memphis collapse
At the 2010 St. Jude Classic in Memphis, TennesseeMemphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
, Garrigus, playing in the final group, had a three-shot lead going into the 72nd hole, a long par four. He pulled his tee shot into the water hazard which flanks the hole's left side. After taking a penalty drop a long way back, he hit his third shot straight left, caught a tree left of the hazard and fell straight down. He punched out to the fairway and hit his fifth shot onto the green, within 35 feet of the hole. He two-putted from there, resulting in a triple bogey 7. A three-way sudden-death playoff with Lee Westwood
Lee Westwood
Lee John Westwood OBE is an English professional golfer. Noted for his consistency, Westwood is one of the few golfers who has won tournaments on every major continent, including victories on the European Tour and the PGA Tour. He was named player of the year for the 1998, 2000, and 2009 seasons...
and Robert Karlsson
Robert Karlsson
Robert Karlsson is a Swedish professional golfer who plays on the European Tour and as of 2011 on the PGA Tour.-Career:...
then began. On the first hole they played, the 18th, Garrigus's drive carried too far and came to rest against the trunk of a tree, right of the fairway. He chipped out and hit his third shot to 12 feet. His par putt lipped out and he made bogey. Karlsson and Westwood both made par, eliminating Garrigus, who finished tied for second place. The playoff was eventually won by Westwood, who birdied the fourth sudden-death hole.
Orlando victory
Garrigus atoned for his near-miss at Memphis in the final tour event of the season, the Children's Miracle Network Classic in suburban Orlando, FloridaOrlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
. Needing a high finish to earn his tour card for 2011, he entered the final day 13 under par, five shots behind the leader Roland Thatcher
Roland Thatcher
Roland Churchill Thatcher IV is an American professional golfer who has played on the PGA Tour and Nationwide Tour.-Early years through college:...
and one behind first-round leader Chris Stroud
Chris Stroud
Chris Stroud is an American professional golfer who currently plays on the PGA Tour.Stroud was born in Nederland, Texas. He played collegiately at Lamar University and was a two-time All-American. As an amateur, he won the 2003 North and South Amateur and played on the 2004 Palmer Cup...
. Thatcher had reached 21-under in his third round, before a double bogey, bogey finish. After a fast start, with five birdies in his first seven holes, Garrigus caught Thatcher, who had parred his first seven holes, turning the rest of the tournament into a virtual two-man battle, although several other contenders were within striking distance. Thatcher extended his lead with three birdies around the turn, before a bogey on twelve, as Garrigus in the group in front birdied thirteen, moving the pair level again. After Thatcher bogeyed sixteen, Garrigus held the solo lead in a tournament for the first time since Memphis. A further two-shot swing on the 17th, where Garrigus made birdie-3 to Thatcher's bogey-5, followed by a final-hole par, sealed his first professional win, by three strokes. With the victory, Garrigus earned an exemption on the PGA Tour through the end of the 2012 season. Prior to the tournament, Garrigus was 179th on the Tour, which would have meant a loss of his Tour card. Thatcher finished second while Stroud salvaged a seventh, still good enough for a full season tour card for 2011.
On overcoming substance abuse
Immediately after finishing his final round in Orlando, Garrigus spoke openly in a television interview on the Golf Channel, about his triumph over substance abuseSubstance abuse
A substance-related disorder is an umbrella term used to describe several different conditions associated with several different substances .A substance related disorder is a condition in which an individual uses or abuses a...
, his subsequent improved play, and his joy at closing out the season with a tournament victory, which made up for his struggles at the Memphis tournament earlier in the season.
In an article that appeared in Golf Digest
Golf Digest
Golf Digest is a monthly golf magazine published by Condé Nast Publications in the United States. It is a generalist golf publication covering recreational golf and men's and women's competitive golf. Condé Nast Publications also publishes the more specialized , and Golf World Business. The...
in July 2011, Garrigus admitted that during the 2002 season, he and several other golfers on the Nationwide Tour (then the Buy.com Tour) smoked marijuana
Cannabis (drug)
Cannabis, also known as marijuana among many other names, refers to any number of preparations of the Cannabis plant intended for use as a psychoactive drug or for medicinal purposes. The English term marijuana comes from the Mexican Spanish word marihuana...
during events:
"Oh yeah, there were plenty of guys on the Nationwide Tour who smoked in the middle of the round. We always talked about it. You could go in the Porta John and take your drags."
In 2003, he entered a rehabilitation center near San Diego for a 45-day program. His newfound sobriety was almost immediately tested. Before entering rehab, he had left money for his roommate to keep the house and pay bills. The roommate instead used it for drugs and gambling; when Garrigus returned the night before he was to play in a sectional qualifier for the U.S. Open, he found the locks changed and the electricity disconnected. The roommate had left town to avoid gambling debts, leaving behind a substantial quantity of marijuana and a note reading, "Hope rehab was great. Have fun." As Garrigus would say,
"I stood there for a minute, and then I grabbed the weed and threw it in the garbage. Then I took the refrigerator and threw it out with the chicken, everything. I called the electric company to get them to turn on the power. When I wake up the next morning, I didn't realize until I get to the golf course that my roommate had been using my putter. So I race back to the house at 140 miles per hour, get my putter, race back just in time for my tee time. I have no warm-up, no caddie, and my clubs are on a pull cart. I shoot 70 and miss by two shots. I told myself that wasn't too bad after 45 days without hitting a ball. I knew then I was going to be OK."
2011 season
In June 2011, Garrigus made his first ever cut in a major at the U.S. OpenU.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...
at Congressional Country Club
Congressional Country Club
The Congressional Country Club is a country club and golf course in Bethesda, Maryland, USA. Congressional opened in 1924 and has hosted three U.S. Opens and a PGA Championship, and is an annual stop on the PGA Tour, with the AT&T National, hosted by Tiger Woods. The tournament was first...
, posting all four rounds under par on the way to a tied third place finish. This result ensured Garrigus of an invitation to the 2012 U.S. Open.
Garrigus took part in the Long Drive Contest for charity at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions alongside Bubba Watson
Bubba Watson
Gerry "Bubba" Watson is an American professional golfer. Watson is one of the few left-handed golfers on tour and is known for his tremendous length. The longest driver on the PGA Tour, in 2007 he had an average drive of 315.2 yards and is capable of generating a ball speed of 194 mph, being...
and Dustin Johnson
Dustin Johnson
Dustin Hunter Johnson is an American professional golfer who currently plays on the PGA Tour. He is one of the longest drivers on the PGA Tour having been third in the driving distance stats for three consecutive years between 2009-2011....
and finished third with a longest drive of 365 yards.
Personal life
Garrigus currently lives in Scottsdale, ArizonaScottsdale, Arizona
Scottsdale is a city in the eastern part of Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, adjacent to Phoenix. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, as of 2010 the population of the city was 217,385...
with his wife Ami, whom he met while in rehab, and a son born in September 2010.
His father, Thomas
Thomas Garrigus
Thomas Irvin Garrigus was an American Olympic athlete who competed in shooting sports. A native of Oregon, he competed at the 1968 Summer Games where he won a silver medal, and later served as a coach.-Early life:...
, won a silver medal in trap shooting
Trap shooting
Trap shooting is one of the three major forms of competitive clay pigeon shooting . The others are skeet shooting and sporting clays. There are many versions including Olympic trap, Double trap , Down-The-Line, and Nordic trap. American trap is most popular in the United States and Canada...
at the 1968 Summer Olympics
1968 Summer Olympics
The 1968 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Mexico City, Mexico in October 1968. The 1968 Games were the first Olympic Games hosted by a developing country, and the first Games hosted by a Spanish-speaking country...
in Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
.
PGA Tour wins (1)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning Score | Margin of Victory | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nov 14, 2010 2010 PGA Tour The 2010 PGA Tour season ran from January 7 to November 14. The season consisted of 46 official money events. This included four major championships and three World Golf Championships, which are also sanctioned by the European Tour.-Schedule:... |
Children's Miracle Network Classic | 3 strokes |  Roland ThatcherRoland Thatcher Roland Churchill Thatcher IV is an American professional golfer who has played on the PGA Tour and Nationwide Tour.-Early years through college:... |
Results in major championships
| Tournament | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Masters | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | 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... |
CUT | DNP | DNP | DNP | CUT | DNP | DNP | T3 |
| 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... |
DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | 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 | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | T62 |
DNP = Did not play
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied
Yellow background for top-10.
Summary
- Tournaments played: 5
- Wins: 0
- 2nd: 0
- 3rd: 1
- Top 10s: 1
- Top 25s: 1
- Missed cuts: 3
- Most consecutive cuts made: 1
See also
- 2005 PGA Tour Qualifying School graduates2005 PGA Tour Qualifying School GraduatesThis is a list of the 32 players who earned their 2006 PGA Tour card through Q School in 2005.*Players in yellow are 2006 PGA Tour rookies.-2006 Results:T = Tied...
- 2006 PGA Tour Qualifying School graduates2006 PGA Tour Qualifying School GraduatesThis is a list of the 40 players who earned their 2007 PGA Tour card through Q School in 2006.-2007 Results:T = Tied Green background indicates the player retained his PGA Tour card for 2008 ....
- 2008 PGA Tour Qualifying School graduates2008 PGA Tour Qualifying School GraduatesThis is a list of the 28 players who earned their 2009 PGA Tour card through Q School in 2008.*Players in yellow are 2009 PGA Tour rookies.-2009 Results:T = Tied...