Brian Gay

Joseph Brian Gay (born December 14, 1971) is an American professional golfer. During his career, he won five times on the PGA Tour. After turning 50, he played on the PGA Tour Champions.

Brian Gay
Personal information
Full name	Joseph Brian Gay
Born	(1971-12-14) December 14, 1971 (age 53) Fort Worth, Texas
Height	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight	165 lb (75 kg; 11.8 st)
Sporting nationality	United States
Residence	Windermere, Florida
Spouse	Kimberly
Children	2
Career
College	University of Florida
Turned professional	1994
Current tour(s)	PGA Tour Champions
Former tour(s)	PGA Tour Asian Tour Hooters Tour Golden Bear Tour
Professional wins	15
Highest ranking	35 (June 14, 2009)[1]
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour	5
Other	10
Best results in major championships
Masters Tournament	T38: 2013
PGA Championship	T20: 2008
U.S. Open	T20: 2018
The Open Championship	CUT: 2001, 2009, 2010, 2016

Early years

A military brat, Gay was born in Fort Worth, Texas, but was raised primarily at Fort Rucker, Alabama, where his father was a U.S. Army non-commissioned officer involved in flight operations. His father was also a member of the All-Army golf team in his spare time. As an only child, Gay spent much of his youth at the Fort Rucker golf course, first at the practice area, then on the course. Encouraged by a group of military retirees he often played with, he dominated the local tournament scene as a tween.

College career

Gay's success as a teenager led to his receiving an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida, where he played for coach Buddy Alexander's Florida Gators men's golf team in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) competition from 1991 to 1994.^[2] During his time as a Gator golfer, the team won four consecutive Southeastern Conference (SEC) championships (1991–1994), and the 1993 NCAA Division I Men's Golf Championships.^[3] As a collegian, he was the SEC Freshman of the Year (1991), a five-time individual medalist, two-time SEC individual champion (1992, 1994), three-time first-team All-SEC selection (1992–1994), and two-time All-American (1992, 1993).^[2][4] Gay was later inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a "Gator Great" in 2010.^[5][6]

Professional career

Gay turned pro in 1994 and mostly competed on mini-tours in the United States, winning several tournaments, before qualifying for the PGA Tour in 1999. He picked up his first win on the tour at the Mayakoba Golf Classic at Riviera Maya-Cancun in 2008 after 293 starts, with his second win coming at the Verizon Heritage in 2009.^[7] He won the event by ten strokes, finishing at 20-under par. The ten stroke victory is one of the biggest wins in the PGA Tour's history. His best position on the year-end money list was 13th in 2009. He has featured in the top 50 of the Official World Golf Ranking, ranking as high as 35th in 2009.^[8]

Gay was not exempt to play in the 2009 U.S. Open heading into the St. Jude Classic. He was one of seven golfers who could earn the last spot in the U.S. Open by winning the St. Jude Classic, using the "Winners of multiple PGA Tour events since the last Open" exemption.^[9] Gay went on to win by five strokes over David Toms and Bryce Molder for his second wire-to-wire win of the season.^[10]

In 2013, Gay won for the first time in four years at the Humana Challenge, the fourth victory of his PGA Tour career. He defeated Charles Howell III on the second hole of a three-man sudden-death playoff when he made birdie. Earlier, David Lingmerth had been eliminated on the first extra hole.^[11] This performance helped Gay earn the PGA Tour Player of the Month award for January.

Gay did not play during the 2014–15 season after back surgery and played the next two seasons on a Major Medical Extension. A T6 at the 2017 Valero Texas Open secured his return to the PGA Tour.

In November 2020, Gay won his fifth PGA Tour event (and first in seven years) at the Bermuda Championship when he defeated Wyndham Clark in a playoff.^[12]

Personal life

Gay was mentioned frequently in Bud, Sweat and Tees: A Walk on the Wild Side of the PGA Tour by Alan Shipnuck, which profiled Rich Beem's rookie year on the PGA Tour. Steve Duplantis, who became Gay's caddy following a split with Beem, was chronicled as well in Shipnuck's book.

Professional wins (15)

PGA Tour wins (5)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up
1	Feb 24, 2008	Mayakoba Golf Classic	−16 (66-67-62-69=264)	2 strokes	Steve Marino
2	Apr 19, 2009	Verizon Heritage	−20 (67-66-67-64=264)	10 strokes	Briny Baird, Luke Donald
3	Jun 14, 2009	St. Jude Classic	−18 (64-66-66-66=262)	5 strokes	Bryce Molder, David Toms
4	Jan 21, 2013	Humana Challenge	−25 (67-66-67-63=263)	Playoff	Charles Howell III, David Lingmerth
5	Nov 1, 2020	Bermuda Championship	−15 (70-68-67-64=269)	Playoff	Wyndham Clark

PGA Tour playoff record (2–1)

No.	Year	Tournament	Opponent(s)	Result
1	2008	Viking Classic	Will MacKenzie, Marc Turnesa	MacKenzie won with birdie on second extra hole Gay eliminated by birdie on first hole
2	2013	Humana Challenge	Charles Howell III, David Lingmerth	Won with birdie on second extra hole Lingmerth eliminated by birdie on first hole
3	2020	Bermuda Championship	Wyndham Clark	Won with birdie on first extra hole

Hooters Tour wins (1)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	Margin of victory	Runner-up
1	Mar 12, 1995	Hooters Auburn Classic	−10 (69-69-69-71=278)	5 strokes	Rob McKelvey

Golden Bear Tour wins (3)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up
1	Jun 21, 1996	Golf Capital Magazine Tournament	−11 (69-66-70=205)	1 stroke	Adam Armagost, Gary Nicklaus
2	Sep 27, 1996	Golden Bear Tour Championship	−14 (67-69-70-68=274)	1 stroke	Ed Humenik
3	Jul 18, 1997	Canon Computer Systems Invitational	−10 (69-65-72=206)	1 stroke	Graham Davidson, Michael McNerney, Rick Price

Other mini-tour wins (5)

• 1995 Timbercreek Classic (Gulf Coast Tour), Killearn tournament (Emerald Coast Tour), St. Lucie West tournament (Gold Coast Tour), Emerald Dunes tournament (Gold Coast Tour), PGA Estates tournament (South Florida Tour)

Other wins (1)

• 1996 Key Biscayne Open

Results in major championships

Results not in chronological order in 2020.

Tournament	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999
Masters Tournament
U.S. Open	CUT
The Open Championship
PGA Championship

Tournament	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009
Masters Tournament
U.S. Open	CUT		CUT	CUT	CUT					CUT
The Open Championship		CUT								CUT
PGA Championship		T22	T53	T51					T20	CUT

Tournament	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018
Masters Tournament	CUT			T38
U.S. Open	CUT	T63							T20
The Open Championship	CUT						CUT
PGA Championship	T65	CUT		CUT					79

Tournament	2019	2020	2021
Masters Tournament			CUT
PGA Championship	WD		81
U.S. Open
The Open Championship		NT

  Did not play

CUT = missed the half-way cut
WD = withdrew
"T" = tied
NT = No tournament due to COVID-19 pandemic

Summary

Tournament	Wins	2nd	3rd	Top-5	Top-10	Top-25	Events	Cuts made
Masters Tournament	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	1
PGA Championship	0	0	0	0	0	2	11	7
U.S. Open	0	0	0	0	0	1	9	2
The Open Championship	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	0
Totals	0	0	0	0	0	3	27	10

• Most consecutive cuts made – 2 (twice)
• Longest streak of top-10s – 0

Results in The Players Championship

Tournament	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009
The Players Championship	T40	T63	CUT		T75	CUT	CUT	T32	WD

Tournament	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019
The Players Championship	CUT	T12	T46	CUT	CUT			CUT	T72	T56

Tournament	2020	2021	2022
The Players Championship	C	CUT	CUT

  Did not play

CUT = missed the halfway cut
WD = withdrew
"T" indicates a tie for a place
C = Canceled after the first round due to the COVID-19 pandemic

Results in World Golf Championships

Tournament	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013
Match Play		R16
Championship		T30			T35
Invitational	79				T63
Champions	T25				T46

  Top 10

  Did not play

QF, R16, R32, R64 = Round in which player lost in match play
"T" indicates a tie for a place

U.S. national team appearances

Amateur

• Walker Cup: 1993 (winners)

See also

• Biography portal

• 1998 PGA Tour Qualifying School graduates
• 1999 PGA Tour Qualifying School graduates
• 2003 PGA Tour Qualifying School graduates
• List of Florida Gators men's golfers on the PGA Tour
• List of University of Florida alumni
• List of University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame members