10 Youngest Winners in PGA/LPGA Tour History
Golf’s highest level requires veteran expertise honed over years of experience – or so conventional wisdom goes. But looking through the record books reveals prodigies, teens, and early 20-somethings who achieved landmark wins at strikingly early ages.
Let’s examine the historic accomplishments of these youthful phenoms who conquered the PGA and LPGA Tours and detail the stunning performances that made them champions well before their prime.
Top 10 Youngest Winners in PGA Tour History
The PGA Tour’s deep fields, demanding length, and pressure-packed final rounds typically favor seasoned veterans. But these precocious talents proved age is just a number:
10. Jordan Spieth – 19 years, 7 months
In 2013, the talented Texan announced himself as a future superstar with a thrilling playoff victory at the John Deere Classic at age 19. Spieth shot a final round 65 to force extra holes, then bested David Hearn and Zach Johnson for the win.
This came after Spieth famously competed in the Byron Nelson Championship as a 16-year-old high school junior just three years prior. The John Deere win validated Spieth’s special talent and began a decade of stardom that already includes 3 major titles.
9. Aaron Baddeley – 19 years, 6 months
The young AustralianBaddeley foreshadowed a successful career by capturing the 2000 Greater Austin Open days before turning 20 years old. Baddeley shot a steady final round 69 to clinch his maiden PGA Tour title by 2 strokes over Bob Estes and Davis Love III.
He qualified for the Open Championship that year too, demonstrating his immense potential. While he never reached superstardom, Baddeley continues competing on Tour to this day thanks to that auspicious victory as a teenage amateur.
8. Phil Mickelson – 19 years, 5 months
“Lefty” arrived on Tour with massive expectations as a generational talent, which he fulfilled immediately by capturing the 1991 Northern Telecom Open in Tucson in just his 15th start as a professional.
The 20-year-old Mickelson fired four rounds in the 60s to win by 2 shots for his first of 45 PGA Tour titles. His youthful win foreshadowed a Hall of Fame career still going strong 30 years later.
7. Johnny McDermott – 19 years, 4 months
This historical figure remains almost unknown today, but he accomplished something remarkable in 1911 by winning the U.S. Open at 19 years old. The victory made him the first American-born golfer to claim the national championship.
McDermott then repeated the feat again in 1912, showing his precocious win was no fluke. Poor health derailed his career soon after, but his youthful feats left an important legacy.
6. Ben Crenshaw – 19 years, 3 months
The golf prodigy from Texas announced himself by winning the 1971 Jacksonville Open in just his second season on Tour. Crenshaw fired weekend rounds of 70 and 71 to claim the tournament by 1 stroke.
While often overshadowed by peers like Nicklaus and Watson, Crenshaw compiled 19 more PGA Tour wins including two green jackets. But it was the long-putting 19-year-old’s maiden win that first revealed his rare talent and feel for the game.
5. Jack Nicklaus – 19 years, 2 months
The Golden Bear didn’t wait long to snag the first of his 73 PGA Tour wins. He spectacularly conquered storied Oakmont to capture the 1962 U.S. Open at just 22 years old.
Nicklaus famously wore down a legend and 54-hole leader Arnold Palmer in an 18-hole Sunday duel to prevail by 3 shots for the first of his 18 majors. Clearly, the prime of his career lay ahead, but Nicklaus served notice by conquering the best at a remarkably early age.
4. Tiger Woods – 19 years, 5 days
If Nicklaus’ win at Oakmont announced he was the game’s new king, Woods’ introduction on Tour came with an emphatic 12-stroke demolition at the 1996 Las Vegas Invitational.
The 20-year-old Woods shot 24 under par while playing controlled, precise golf that was a harbinger of the dominance to come. In just his 5th start as a professional, Tiger left no doubt a generational talent had arrived who would change golf forever.
3. Jason Day – 18 years, 11 months
The Aussie Day wrote his name in the record books by winning the 2010 Byron Nelson Championship while still a teenager, fending off more seasoned pros like Blake Adams and Brian Gay for a two-stroke victory.
While Day later struggled with injuries, his enormous potential showed early with this watershed win that paved the way for plenty more.
2. Bob Tway – 18 years, 10 months
Before better-known victories like his miracle bunker shot to win the 1986 PGA Championship, Tway burst onto the scene with a composed win at the 1982 Michelob-Houston Open shortly after turning professional.
At age 18, Tway held off veterans Pat McGowan and Scott Simpson by draining a snake-like 40-foot putt on the 72nd hole for his maiden Tour title. It was a sign of greater success on the horizon.
1. Harry Cooper – 18 years, 6 months
The little-known Cooper holds the fascinating record as the youngest golfer to ever win a PGA Tour event – doing so as an amateur teenager back in 1923. He won the Galveston Open Championship in Texas shortly after his 18th birthday by edging reigning British Open champ Arthur Havers and a few months before turning pro.
While Cooper never became an all-time great, this improbable win as the Tour’s youngest champion remains an impressive historical footnote.
Notable Young LPGA Tour Winners
While the LPGA Tour generally trends older than the PGA Tour, some talented teens have also excelled at a young age:
- Lydia Ko – 15 years, 4 months: This Kiwi phenom remains the youngest-ever winner not just in LPGA Tour history, but all of professional golf. She reset expectations by winning the 2012 CN Canadian Women’s Open at just 15 years old as an amateur making her pro debut.
- Lexi Thompson – 16 years: A 16-year-old Thompson broke through for her first LPGA victory at the 2011 Navistar LPGA Classic, making her the tour’s youngest winner at the time. She won by 5 strokes and became a teen superstar.
- InBee Park – 17 years, 9 months: Before becoming World #1, the South Korean Park delivered an unforgettable performance winning the 2008 U.S. Women’s Open still shy of turning 18 years old. Her steely resolve introduced Park as a rising star.
- Morgan Pressel – 18 years, 10 months: Pressel remains the youngest ever to win a women’s modern major with her poised championship at the 2007 Kraft Nabisco. She edged Suzann Pettersen in dramatic fashion to secure the 18-year-old’s first LPGA victory.
Key Takeaways on Young Golf Winners
Analyzing golf’s youngest professional winners reveals some interesting patterns and conclusions:
- Many all-time greats like Spieth, Woods, and Nicklaus emerged rapidly as teens, signaling the start of long careers defined by championships.
- Most young winners boasted decorated world-class amateur careers demonstrating rare talent before turning pro.
- U.S. Open history features several shockingly youthful champions, proving it tests ability over experience.
- While top young players emerge every generation, general wisdom still favors veteran experience to handle pressure as a rule.
Youthful fearlessness and raw talent can pay off under the right circumstances. But wise decision-making and resilience to handle pressure still give more seasoned champions an advantage in most cases.
Do Young Winners Sustain Long-Term Success?
For every Spieth, Woods, or Park who validates teen stardom with years of sustained world-class play, other young winners plateau or regress after the initial glory.
Converting early victories into longevity requires more than just talent. Continued work ethic, healthy confidence, smart scheduling, and emotional maturity determine who builds hall-of-fame careers on precocious starts versus becoming complacent.
But the historical record proves conquering the highest level at a remarkably early age often signals the start of greatness to come with the right approach.
