Craig Spence (golfer)

Craig A. Spence (born 17 September 1974) is an Australian professional golfer.

Craig Spence
Personal information
Full nameCraig A. Spence
Born (1974-09-17) 17 September 1974
Colac, Victoria, Australia
Height1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)
Weight210 lb (95 kg; 15 st)
Nationality Australia
ResidenceMelbourne, Australia;
Scottsdale, Arizona, U.S.
Career
CollegeVictorian Institute of Sport
Turned professional1996
Current tour(s)PGA Tour of Australasia
Former tour(s)PGA Tour
European Tour
Professional wins2
Highest ranking100 (5 December 1999)[1]
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour of Australasia1
Other1
Best results in major championships
Masters TournamentDNP
PGA ChampionshipDNP
U.S. OpenCUT: 2000
The Open ChampionshipCUT: 1999

Spence was born in Colac, Victoria and first played golf at the age of 10. Around the age of 15 he began competing at an amateur level. He then went on to the Victorian Institute of Sport, winning two Victorian Amateurs back to back. He turned professional in 1996 and joined the PGA Tour of Australasia.

In 1999 Spence made his professional breakthrough with victory in the Ericsson Australian Masters. Having opened up with a 9 under par first round, he finished by hitting a 6 iron to two feet for a birdie on the final hole to win by a single stroke over Australia's most successful golfer, playing partner Greg Norman. Following that win Spence received invites to tournaments around the world, on five of the major tours. He managed to record top 5 finishes in events on all of those tours.

At the end of 1999, Spence earned his PGA Tour card for the 2000 season with a top 10 finish at the tour's Qualifying School. His rookie year on the PGA Tour was a struggle and he missed out on keeping a full card for 2001, finishing 129th on the money list. He made just two cuts the following season to lose all playing rights on the tour.[2] He spent two more years in the United States competing mostly on mini-tours while receiving invites to a limited number of second tier Nationwide Tour events. He also continued to play on the PGA Tour of Australasia with limited success.

Spence turned his attentions to Europe at the end of 2003, earning a spot on the European Tour for 2004 via the qualifying school. In his début season, he made just three cuts as he failed to keep his card for the 2005 season. He then returned to the United States, to play on the Gateway Tour in preparation for another try at qualifying for the PGA Tour. Having missed out on reaching the final qualifying tournament by one shot in 2006, he and his family moved back to Australia.[3]

Spence is married to Nicole, an American. They have two children.

Amateur wins
  • 1994 Victoria State Amateur Championship
  • 1995 Luxembourg Amateur Championship, Victoria State Amateur Championship

Professional wins (2)

PGA Tour of Australasia wins (1)
No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory		 Runner-up
1 14 Feb 1999 Ericsson Masters −16 (64-73-69-70=276) 1 stroke Greg Norman

PGA Tour of Australasia playoff record (0–1)

No.YearTournamentOpponentResult
1 1999 ANZ Players Championship Brett Rumford (a) Lost to birdie on fourth extra hole

Other wins (1)
  • 1997 Borrego Springs Open (U.S. mini-tour)

Results in major championships
Tournament 1999 2000
U.S. Open CUT
The Open Championship CUT

Note: Spence never played in the Masters Tournament or the PGA Championship.

  Did not play

CUT = Missed the half-way cut

Results in World Golf Championships
Tournament1999
Match Play
Championship 58
Invitational
  Did not play

See also

References
  1. "Week 49 1999 Ending 5 Dec 1999" (pdf). OWGR. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
  2. "Falling hard from Master to apprentice". The Sydney Morning Herald. 4 December 2002. Retrieved 7 August 2009.
  3. "One-hit wonder seeks to lose moniker". Fox Sports (Australia). 19 November 2007. Retrieved 7 August 2009.
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