John Cook (golfer)

John Nueman Cook (born October 2, 1957) is an American professional golfer on the Champions Tour, currently residing in Windermere, Florida.

Cook, the son of PGA Tour official Jim Cook, was born in Toledo, Ohio, but grew up in southern California. He attended Miraleste High School in Rancho Palos Verdes, graduating in 1975. In addition to golf, Cook was a promising, but undersized quarterback in football through his sophomore year. He was advised by his high school golf coach (who also coached football) to concentrate on golf, which would give him his best opportunity for a collegiate scholarship. (The coach, Wilbur Lucas, later said it was the only time he suggested an athlete drop a sport.) [http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/golf/2008134961_boeingnotes24.html]

Cook was offered a scholarship to the Ohio State University, and was personally advised to accept by Jack Nicklaus and Tom Weiskopf. He was a member of the Buckeyes' 1979 NCAA Championship team, which also included Joey Sindelar. He won the U.S. Amateur in 1978 at age 20, and nearly won it again in 1979, losing to Mark O'Meara in the finals. [http://www.thegolfchannel.com/core.aspx?page=12301&dv=6648492&select=11392] He also won the Sunnehanna Amateur in 1977 and 1979. Following the 1979 U.S. Amateur, Cook turned professional. He won 11 times on the PGA Tour and was a member of the 1993 U.S. Ryder Cup team. He was ranked in the top 10 of the Official World Golf Rankings for 45 weeks in 1992 and 1993. [ [http://dps.twiihosting.net/wgr/doc/content/2007%20Stats/86TO0810.pdf 69 Players Who Have Reached The Top-10 In World Ranking] ]

Cook was inducted into the Ohio State Varsity O Hall of Fame in 1986. He recently helped design a golf course in Sunbury, Ohio, with help from his sister Cathy Cook, also a former standout player at nearby Ohio State. Cook's son, Jason, plays golf for Pepperdine University in Malibu, California.

Cook became eligible to play on the Champions Tour in October 2007. In his second start he won the AT&T Championship in San Antonio, 19 days after his 50th birthday. Cook finished 2 strokes ahead of Mark O'Meara and earned $240,000 for the victory, his first in six years. [http://www.pgatour.com/2007/tournaments/s530/10/21/att102107.ap/index.html]

Amateur wins (6)

*1977 Sunnehanna Amateur
*1978 U.S. Amateur, Northeast Amateur
*1979 Sunnehanna Amateur, Northeast Amateur, Porter Cup

Professional wins (17)

PGA Tour wins (11)

*1981 (1) Bing Crosby National Pro-Am
*1983 (1) Canadian Open
*1987 (1) The International
*1992 (3) Bob Hope Chrysler Classic, United Airlines Hawaiian Open, Las Vegas Invitational
*1996 (2) FedEx St. Jude Classic, CVS Charity Classic
*1997 (1) Bob Hope Chrysler Classic
*1998 (1) GTE Byron Nelson Golf Classic
*2001 (1) Reno-Tahoe Open

Other wins (5)

*1982 Sao Paulo Open
*1983 World Cup (with Rex Caldwell)
*1994 Fred Meyer Challenge (with Mark O'Meara)
*1995 Mexican Open
*2000 Fred Meyer Challenge (with Mark O'Meara)

Champions Tour (1)

*2007 (1) AT&T Championship

United States national team appearances

Amateur

*Eisenhower Trophy: 1978 (winners)

Professional

*World Cup: 1983 (winners)
*Ryder Cup: 1993 (winners)

ee also

*Golfers with most PGA Tour wins

References

External links

* [http://www.pgatour.com/players/00/12/19/ Champion's Tour] - official site - John Cook