Andy North

Andy North
Personal information
Full name Andrew Stewart North
Born (1950-03-09) March 9, 1950
Thorp, Wisconsin
Height 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Nationality  United States
Residence Madison, Wisconsin
Career
College University of Florida
Turned professional 1972
Current tour(s) PGA Tour
Champions Tour
Professional wins 15
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour 3
PGA Tour Champions 1
Other 11
Best results in major championships
(wins: 2)
Masters Tournament T12: 1979
U.S. Open Won: 1978, 1985
The Open Championship T39: 1990
PGA Championship 4th: 1975

Andrew Stewart North (born March 9, 1950) is an American professional golfer who had three wins on the PGA Tour, including the U.S. Open twice.

Early years

North was born in Thorp, Wisconsin, and raised in Monona, Wisconsin. He attended Monona Grove High School, graduating in 1968. He won the 1969 Wisconsin State Amateur Championship at Merrill Hills Country Club in Waukesha, Wisconsin by defeating Richard Sucher in a match play final.

College career

North accepted an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, where he played for coach Buster Bishop's Florida Gators men's golf team from 1969 to 1972.[1] He was a three-time first-team All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) selection,[1] and an All-American in 1970, 1971 and 1972.[2] North graduated from Florida with a bachelor's degree in business administration in 1972, and was later inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as "Gator Great."[3]

Professional career

North turned professional in 1972. He had a moderately successful career on the PGA Tour made remarkable by the fact that two of his three wins on the Tour were in the U.S. Open. The first PGA Tour win of North's career came at the 1977 American Express Westchester Classic. He was 28 years old when he won the 1978 U.S. Open at Cherry Hills Country Club in Cherry Hills Village, Colorado. He moved into the lead after the second round, and was one shot ahead going into Sunday, but an erratic final round left him needing to make a five on the last hole to take the championship. He struggled up the 18th, finding the rough twice and then landing in a greenside bunker, but he made a four-foot putt to win by one stroke over J. C. Snead and Dave Stockton.

At the 1985 U.S. Open, on the South Course at Oakland Hills Country Club in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, North found himself two shots behind Taiwan's Chen Tze-chung going into the final round, but three shots clear of the rest of the field. Chen moved into a four-shot lead early, but threw the tournament wide open by shooting a quadruple bogey eight on the fifth hole. The lead swung between North, Chen, Denis Watson, Payne Stewart,[4] and Dave Barr, who had surged into contention, but North went into the last hole with a two-shot lead, and his bogey five was enough to give him a second major championship.[5]

North played on the 1985 Ryder Cup team. In 1990, he won the PGA Grand Slam of Golf. Since turning 50 in 2000 North has played intermittently on the Champions Tour. His best finish at this level is second in the 2001 Emerald Coast Classic.

Broadcast career

In 1993, North joined ESPN as an on-course reporter. In 2004, he was promoted to the lead on-course reporter for ESPN and ABC Sports. He also has been the lead analyst on ESPN's golf studio shows with host Scott Van Pelt since 2003. According to ESPN, his preview shows for major championships have been so in-depth that Tour players have been known to watch them to help with course strategy. From 2003 to 2014, North concluded his U.S. Open preview show by dressing up in a doctor's outfit and using an often modified formula to pick the winner of the tournament. North eliminates groups of players who he believes will not win by writing them on large white placards which he then tosses over the edge of the set.[6] In addition, North occasionally serves as a substitute analyst for Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball radio broadcast. He was elected to the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame in 1998.

Amateur wins (2)

Professional wins (15)

PGA Tour wins (3)

No. Date Tournament Winning score To par Margin
of victory		 Runner(s)-up
1 Aug 21, 1977 American Express Westchester Classic 66-70-65-71=272 −12 2 strokes United States George Archer
2 Jun 18, 1978 U.S. Open 70-70-71-74=285 +1 1 stroke United States J. C. Snead,
United States Dave Stockton
3 Jun 16, 1985 U.S. Open 70-65-70-74=279 −1 1 stroke Canada Dave Barr,
Taiwan Chen Tze-chung,
Zimbabwe Denis Watson

Major championships are shown in bold.

Other wins (6)

Champions Tour wins (1)

Other senior wins (5)

Major championships

Wins (2)

YearChampionship54 holesWinning scoreMarginRunners-up
1978U.S. Open1 shot lead+1 (70-70-71-74= 285)1 strokeUnited States J. C. Snead, United States Dave Stockton
1985U.S. Open (2)2 shot deficit−1 (70-65-70-74=279)1 strokeCanada Dave Barr, Taiwan Chen Tze-chung,
Zimbabwe Denis Watson

Results timeline

Tournament 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979
Masters Tournament T37 T24 T32 T12
U.S. Open T12 T14 CUT 1 T11
The Open Championship CUT
PGA Championship T39 4 T49 CUT T42 CUT
Tournament 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989
Masters Tournament T24 CUT CUT T30 T41 CUT T36 CUT
U.S. Open T8 T43 T22 T10 CUT 1 67 CUT CUT CUT
The Open Championship T45 T47
PGA Championship T15 T11 T70 CUT CUT CUT CUT CUT T58
Tournament 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995
Masters Tournament T27
U.S. Open T51 T37 CUT CUT CUT CUT
The Open Championship T39
PGA Championship
  Win
  Top 10
  Did not play

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

Summary

TournamentWins2nd3rdTop-5Top-10Top-25EventsCuts made
Masters Tournament000003139
U.S. Open2002482112
The Open Championship00000043
PGA Championship000113158
Totals20035145332
  • Most consecutive cuts made – 7 (1974 PGA – 1977 Masters)
  • Longest streak of top-10s – 1 (five times)

U.S. national team appearances

Professional

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Florida Men's Golf 2011 Media Supplement Archived 2012-04-02 at the Wayback Machine., University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, pp. 34, 39, 41 (2010). Retrieved July 13, 2011.
  2. ↑ 2008–09 Florida Gators Men's Golf Media Guide, University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, p. 36 (2008). Retrieved July 14, 2011.
  3. ↑ F Club, Hall of Fame, Gator Greats. Retrieved December 15, 2014.
  4. ↑ A Blast From The Past
  5. ↑ Hard-luck Andy North scrambles to U.S. Open title
  6. ↑ ESPN profile
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