Ben Bates

For the ship, see MV Ben Bates.

Ben Bates (born June 12, 1961) is an American professional golfer who has played on the Nationwide Tour and the PGA Tour.

Ben Bates
Personal information
Born	(1961-06-12) June 12, 1961 (age 64) Quincy, Florida
Height	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight	195 lb (88 kg; 13.9 st)
Sporting nationality	United States
Career
College	Troy State University
Turned professional	1984
Former tour(s)	PGA Tour Nationwide Tour Champions Tour
Professional wins	2
Number of wins by tour
Korn Ferry Tour	2
Best results in major championships
Masters Tournament	DNP
PGA Championship	DNP
U.S. Open	CUT: 2001
The Open Championship	DNP

Amateur career

Bates was a member of the NCAA Division II championship team at Troy State University and won five collegiate tournaments.

Professional career

Bates has primarily played on the PGA Tour's developmental tour. He was a member of the tour from 1990 to 1997 and from 2001 to 2009. Bates is the tour's all-time leader in cuts (226) and starts (410). He played in his 1,000th round on tour in 2007. Bates won two events on tour including the 1997 Wichita Open where he defeated Carl Paulson, Jeff Brehaut and Chris Smith in a four-man playoff. He also won The Reese's Cup Classic in a playoff in 2004.

Bates was also a member of PGA Tour from 1998 to 2001. He made his first PGA Tour appearance since 2001 at the 2010 Transitions Championship.

Personal life

Bates now resides in Pensacola, Florida.

Professional wins (2)

Nationwide Tour wins (2)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up
1	Jul 27, 1997	Nike Wichita Open	−19 (67-72-64-66=269)	Playoff	Jeff Brehaut, Carl Paulson, Chris Smith
2	Jul 4, 2004	Reese's Cup Classic	−6 (70-69-66-73=278)	Playoff	Paul Gow

Nationwide Tour playoff record (2–0)

No.	Year	Tournament	Opponent(s)	Result
1	1997	Nike Wichita Open	Jeff Brehaut, Carl Paulson, Chris Smith	Won with birdie on first extra hole
2	2004	Reese's Cup Classic	Paul Gow	Won with par on eighth extra hole

Results in major championships

Tournament	2001
U.S. Open	CUT

Note: Bates only played in the U.S. Open.
CUT = missed the half-way cut

See also

• 1997 Nike Tour graduates
• 1999 PGA Tour Qualifying School graduates

External links

• Ben Bates at the PGA Tour official site