Brad Faxon

Bradford John Faxon, Jr. (born August 1 1961) is an American golfer.

Faxon was born in Oceanport, New Jersey. He attended Furman University and turned professional in 1983. He has won eight times on the PGA Tour and played on two Ryder Cup teams. While admittedly not a great driver of the golf ball or a great ball-striker, Faxon has built a reputation as one of the best pure putters in golf history. He led the PGA Tour in Putting Average in 1996, 1999, and 2000 (when he set the single-season record with only 1.704 putts/greens in regulation), and finished 13th in 2005 at the age of 44. Faxon explains his success on the greens thusly: "My only secret is confidence... I just try to hit every putt as if I've just made a million in a row."

Faxon had been one of the most successful players on the PGA Tour throughout the 1990s, a mainstay in the top 20 of the Official World Golf Rankings, but a knee injury began to hamper his effectiveness in 2003, causing him to suffer through his worst season in 14 years in 2004. Faxon bounced back in 2005, though, winning his first tournament in four years and finishing 45th on the PGA Tour Money List. On September 19, 2005, Faxon underwent surgery to repair torn ligaments in his right knee. Faxon returned to competition for the 2006 season, in which he earned over $500,000.

Faxon currently resides in Barrington, Rhode Island with his wife, Dory, and their four daughters. In addition to being one of the PGA Tour's top players over the past 15 years, Faxon is one of the game's most generous figures. In 1991, Brad, along with fellow Tour pro Billy Andrade, formed Billy Andrade/Brad Faxon Charities for Children, Inc., a non-profit organization that (as of 2005) has donated over $3 million to needy children in Rhode Island and southern Massachusetts. For their charity work, Faxon and Andrade were awarded the 1999 Golf Writers Association of America's Charlie Bartlett Award, given to professional golfers for unselfish contributions to society. Since 1999, Andrade and Faxon have also served as hosts of the CVS Charity Classic, a golf tournament held at the Rhode Island Country Club each June, whose proceeds benefit the two players' charity. Faxon also runs his own junior golf foundation.

Amateur wins (3)

*1980 New England Amateur
*1981 New England Amateur
*1982 Sunnehanna Amateur

Professional wins (18)

PGA Tour wins (8)

*1991 (1) Buick Open
*1992 (2) New England Classic, The International
*1997 (1) Freeport-McDermott Classic
*1999 (1) B.C. Open
*2000 (1) B.C. Open
*2001 (1) Sony Open in Hawaii
*2005 (1) Buick Championship

Other wins (11)

*1985 Rhode Island Open
*1986 Provident Classic (unofficial PGA Tour)
*1993 Heineken Australian Open (PGA Tour of Australasia)
*1994 Franklin Funds Shark Shootout (with Fred Couples)
*1995 Fred Meyer Challenge (with Greg Norman)
*1996 Fred Meyer Challenge (with Greg Norman)
*1997 Fred Meyer Challenge (with Greg Norman)
*1999 Fred Meyer Challenge (with Billy Andrade)
*2001 Fred Meyer Challenge (with Billy Andrade), Franklin Templeton Shootout (with Scott McCarron)
*2002 Franklin Templeton Shootout (with Scott McCarron)

Results in major championships

LA = Low Amateur
DNP = Did not play
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Yellow background for top-10.

Team appearances

*Walker Cup (representing the United States): 1983 (winners)
*Ryder Cup (representing the United States): 1995, 1997
*Dunhill Cup (representing the United States): 1997

ee also

* Golfers with most PGA Tour wins

External links

* [http://www.pgatour.com/players/00/13/29 Profile on the PGA Tour's official site]