Lon Hinkle

Lon Hinkle (born July 17, 1949) is an American professional golfer who has played on both the PGA Tour and the Champions Tour.

Hinkle was born in Flint, Michigan. He attended San Diego State University, where he was a member of the golf team. He turned pro and joined the PGA Tour in 1972.

Hinkle won three tournaments in his career on the PGA Tour, all of which came in the late 1970s. In 1979, he earned $247,693, finished 3rd on the money list, and won two Tour events, including the World Series of Golf. That year in the first round of the U.S. Open he took a shortcut, he cut the dogleg on the par-5 8th hole by hitting onto the 17th fairway. Overnight, USGA officials planted a Hinkle tree to block the shortcut. His best finish in a major was a T-3 at both the U.S. Open and the PGA Championship in 1980. [cite web|title=Golf Major Championships|url=http://golfmajorchampionships.com/players?player=444|accessdate=2008-01-25] During his career on the PGA Tour, he had more than 60 top-10 finishes.

After turning 50 in 1999, Hinkle joined the Champions Tour. His best finish at that level is a T-12 in the 2000 Audi Senior Classic.

Hinkle lives in Bigfork, Montana in the northwest corner of the state.

Professional wins (5)

PGA Tour (3)

*1978 (1) First NBC New Orleans Open
*1979 (2) Bing Crosby National Pro-Am, World Series of Golf

Nationwide Tour (1)

*1991 Ben Hogan Quicksilver Open

Other (1)

*1978 JCPenney Mixed Team Classic (with Pat Bradley)
*1981 World Long Drive Champion

References

External links

* [http://www.pgatour.com/players/00/15/22 Profile on PGA Tour's official site]