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Lanny Wadkins

Lanny Wadkins, winner of 21 PGA TOUR events, the PGA Championship, and former U.S. Ryder Cup captain, is recognized as one of the fiercest competitors of his generation.

Wadkins won the U.S. Amateur Championship in 1970 and turned professional in 1971. He captured his first victory in 1972 and was voted Rookie of the Year. This was followed by two more wins in 1973. He went on to win the 1977 PGA Championship in a three-hole sudden death playoff at Pebble Beach. He was the runner up in four subsequent major championships, and on three occasions, finished third in the Masters. He won THE PLAYERS Championship in 1979, and was voted PGA Player of the year in 1985.

He played for the U.S. in the Ryder Cup eight times between 1977 and 1983, tying the highest number of appearances by an American, and captained the team in 1995. He joined the Champions Tour in 2000, and divided his time between competition and broadcasting for CBS Sports as a golf analyst until 2007. Wadkins was elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2009. His younger brother Bobby also plays on the Champions Tour.

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