Stephen Ames

Stephen Michael Ames C.M. (born April 28, 1964) is a professional golfer on the PGA Tour holding dual citizenship of Trinidad and Tobago and Canada.

Ames was born in San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago and is of English/Trinidadian Portuguese descent,cite web| title = Distinguished Americans & Canadians of Portuguese Descent| url= http://www.portuguesefoundation.org/famous.htm|accessdate = 2008-01-09] and much of his family resides in the Caribbean nation. His grandmother was Trinidad and Tobago Champion 20 times. He grew up in Pointe-à-Pierre and learned to play at the Petrotrin Pointe-à-Pierre Golf Club.

Ames's golfing talent developed early in life, assisted by support and discipline from his father, Michael. In his Hoerman Cup debut at the age of 16 in 1980, he smashed the course record at Sandy Lane, Barbados with a six-under-par total of 66.

Professional career

Ames won a golf scholarship at Boca Raton, Florida in the United States and turned professional in 1987, but failed to win a PGA Tour card over the following few years, partly due to a neck injury. He won his first professional tournament in the United States (the Pensacola Open) in 1991 on the Ben Hogan Tour.

In 1992, Ames tried his luck at European Tour Qualifying School and was successful. He spent five seasons on the European Tour and performed consistently, making the top eighty on the Order of Merit each time, with a best of thirteenth in 1996. He won the 1994 Open V33 Grand Lyon in France and the 1996 Benson & Hedges International Open in England.

In 1997, Ames finished third at the PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament to earn exempt status for the 1998 season. In his first six seasons he performed solidly but didn't break into the top 40 of the money list. He found a new level in his game in 2004. Until this year his main claim to fame in the U.S. had been his runner-up placing to Craig Perks at the 2002 The Players Championship, however Stephen enjoyed his first PGA Tour victory in July 2004 winning the Cialis Western Open among a field that included many of the best professionals in the world, including Tiger Woods, Vijay Singh and Davis Love III. Later that year he reached the top twenty in the Official World Golf Rankings.

Despite these achievements, Ames has never received the "Sportsman of the Year" award in Trinidad and Tobago. He was, however, awarded the Chaconia Medal (Gold), the nation's second highest honour, in 2004. His Canadian wife is a former air hostess and he took Canadian citizenship in 2004. They had two sons.

In 2005, Ames initiated an international Ryder Cup style competition entitled the [http://cjga.com/amescup/eventinfo.asp| Stephen Ames Cup] . The event pits CJGA Team Canada against Team Trinidad & Tobago. He also own an annual charity golf tournament for kids [ [http://www.jimprentice.ca/EN/community_news/jim_prentice_-_stephen_ames_charity_golf_tournament_for_kids/ Jim Prentice - Stephen Ames Charity Golf Tournament For Kids] ] and a family oriented steakhouse in Calgary called the Vintage Chophouse.

In February 2006, after provoking world No. 1 Tiger Woods with the comment: "Anything can happen, especially where [Tiger's] hitting the ball," Ames was soundly defeated by Woods at the 2006 WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship at La Costa, losing 9 and 8, the largest amount a player can possibly lose by in an eighteen-hole match play event is 10 and 8. However, on March 26, Ames overcame the record defeat by taking the The Players Championship at the TPC at Sawgrass. Playing against 48 of the top 50 golfers in the world (including Woods), Ames emerged victorious, with a record-equaling six stroke margin over World No. 3 Retief Goosen, becoming the second-oldest champion in championship history. With the win, Ames surpassed the US$10 million career earnings barrier and climbed 37 places to 27th in the Official World Golf Ranking.

At the 2007 PGA Championship, Ames was in the final pairing with Tiger Woods in the final round but put himself out of contention after shooting a 76, finishing T-12. In November 2007, he picked up his third PGA Tour victory at the Children's Miracle Network Classic. He has featured in the top 25 of the Official World Golf Rankings. [ [http://dps.twiihosting.net/wgr/doc/content/archive/2008/owgr19f2008.pdf Official World Golf Ranking] , Week 19, 11 May 2008]

Equipment

Ames is currently sponsered by the Firethorn and plays under the Pengrowth name. As of June 1, 2008, Ames plays the following equipment:

Driver: Nike SasQuatch 460 Tour 9.5°
Fairway Woods: Nike SasQuatch 3
Irons: Nike Forged Pro Combo 3-PW
Wedges: Nike Forged 55° & 60°
Putter: TaylorMade Rossa Siena AGSI
Ball: Nike One Platinum

Professional wins (10)

PGA Tour wins (3)

Other wins (4)

*1989 Trinidad and Tobago Open
*2005 TELUS Skins Game (unofficial event)
*2006 LG Skins Game (unofficial event - PGA Tour)
*2007 LG Skins Game (unofficial event - PGA Tour)

Results in major championships

¹Cancelled due to 9/11
DNP = Did not play
QF, R16, R32, R64 = Round in which player lost in match play
"T" = tied
WD = withdrew
NT = No Tournament
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10.

PGA Tour career summary

ummary of PGA Tour performances

* Starts - 262
* Wins - 3
* 2nd place finishes - 1
* Top 3 finishes - 4
* Top 10 finishes - 48
* Top 25 finishes - 96
* Cuts made: 184

"* Complete through August 03, 2008"

Trinidad & Tobago national team appearances

Amateur

*Eisenhower Trophy: 1986

Professional

*WGC-World Cup: 2000, 2002, 2003, 2006

Canada national team appearance

Professional

*WGC-World Cup: 2001, 2004, 2005

References

External links

* [http://www.pgatour.com/players/00/60/04 Profile on the PGA Tour's official site]
* [http://www.europeantour.com/publish.sps?pageid=127&pagegid=%7B20E6AA6B%2D0225%2D4C71%2DBD89%2D2ACBEE615D69%7D&playerId=8120 Profile on the European Tour's official site]
* [http://www.nalis.gov.tt/Biography/bio_StephenAmes.html Biography from the National Library and Information System of Trinidad and Tobago]
* [http://www.officialworldgolfranking.com/players/bio.sps?ID=4102 Results in ranking tournaments over the last two years from the Official World Golf Ranking site]