Tim Simpson

For the American football player, see Tim Simpson (American football).

Timothy Jay Simpson (born May 6, 1956) is an American professional golfer who has played on the PGA Tour and the Nationwide Tour, and currently plays on the Champions Tour.

Tim Simpson
Personal information
Full name	Timothy Jay Simpson
Born	(1956-05-06) May 6, 1956 (age 69) Atlanta, Georgia
Height	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight	210 lb (95 kg; 15 st)
Sporting nationality	United States
Residence	Greensboro, Georgia
Career
College	University of Georgia
Turned professional	1977
Former tour(s)	PGA Tour Tarheel Tour Champions Tour
Professional wins	10
Highest ranking	18 (October 28, 1990)[1]
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour	4
Other	6
Best results in major championships
Masters Tournament	T18: 1985
PGA Championship	T8: 1990
U.S. Open	T5: 1990
The Open Championship	T12: 1990
Achievements and awards
Champions Tour Comeback Player of the Year 2006

Early life and amateur career

Simpson was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia. He attended high school at Woodward Academy where he was the Atlanta Junior Champion, Georgia Junior Champion and Westlake National Junior Champion.^[2] Simpson attended the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia, and was a member of the golf team.

Professional career

Simpson left college early and turned professional at age 20. He earned his tour card at 21 years, 2 months.^[2] Simpson's first win in professional golf came at the 1981 Cacharel World Under-25 Championship in Nimes, France. His first PGA Tour win came three seasons later at the 1985 Southern Open. His career year was 1989 when he captured the PGA Tour's Comeback Player of the Year award, and won two Tour events: the USF&G Classic and the Walt Disney World/Oldsmobile Classic. He had another good year in 1990: repeating as Walt Disney World/Oldsmobile Classic Champion, and posting his best finishes in the U.S. Open, British Open and PGA Championship.^[3] He has 66 Top-10 finishes in PGA Tour events.

Simpson's PGA Tour career was brought to a sudden end due to his contracting Lyme disease on a hunting trip in 1991, and the neurological pathological condition resulting from it. He has had brain surgery and spinal fusion surgery. In his late thirties and forties, his health improved enough to allow him to play some on the Nationwide Tour. His best finishes in this venue were a 2nd at the 1995 NIKE Buffalo Open and a T-2 at the 1995 NIKE South Carolina Classic.

During his career Simpson was called one of the greatest ball strikers in the game's history by golfing greats Butch Harmon, Jack Nicklaus, and Johnny Miller.^[2] Early in his career, he was mentored by long-time friends, Sam Snead and J. C. Snead.^[4]

Simpspn began play on the Champions Tour in 2006.

Personal life

Simpson lives in Greensboro, Georgia with son Chris and grand daughters.

Awards and honors

• In 1989, he won the PGA Tour's Comeback Player of the Year.
• In 1990, Simpson was awarded the Georgia Professional Athlete of the Year award.
• In 2004, Simpson was inducted into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame,
• In 2006, Simpson was inducted into the Georgia Golf Hall of Fame.

Amateur wins

• 1975 Palmetto Invitational College Tournament
• 1976 Southern Amateur

Professional wins (10)

PGA Tour wins (4)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up
1	Oct 6, 1985	Southern Open	−16 (64-64-69-67=264)	2 strokes	Clarence Rose
2	Mar 26, 1989	USF&G Classic	−14 (68-67-70-69=274)	2 strokes	Greg Norman, Hal Sutton
3	Oct 21, 1989	Walt Disney World/Oldsmobile Classic	−16 (65-67-70-70=272)	1 stroke	Donnie Hammond
4	Oct 20, 1990	Walt Disney World/Oldsmobile Classic (2)	−24 (64-64-65-71=264)	1 stroke	John Mahaffey

PGA Tour playoff record (0–2)

No.	Year	Tournament	Opponents	Result
1	1989	Anheuser-Busch Golf Classic	Mike Donald, Hal Sutton	Donald won with birdie on fourth extra hole Sutton eliminated by par on third hole
2	1990	Doral-Ryder Open	Paul Azinger, Mark Calcavecchia, Greg Norman	Norman won with eagle on first extra hole

Tarheel Tour wins (1)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	Margin of victory	Runner-up
1	Apr 14, 2006	Olde Sycamore Open	−13 (69-67-67=203)	1 stroke	Brent Delahoussaye

Other wins (5)

• 1980 Georgia Open (tie with Bob Tway)
• 1981 Georgia Open, Cacharel World Under-25 Championship
• 1984 Georgia Open
• 1987 Georgia Open

Results in major championships

Tournament	1978	1979	1980	1981	1982	1983	1984	1985	1986	1987	1988	1989	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994
Masters Tournament								T18	CUT		CUT	CUT	CUT	CUT
U.S. Open	CUT	CUT	T37	T43		T32	T11	T46	CUT	T14	CUT	CUT	T5	T26			CUT
The Open Championship						T45							T12	T57
PGA Championship			CUT		CUT	T36	T25	CUT	CUT	T43	CUT	T27	T8	CUT

  Top 10

  Did not play

CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied

Summary

Tournament	Wins	2nd	3rd	Top-5	Top-10	Top-25	Events	Cuts made
Masters Tournament	0	0	0	0	0	1	6	1
U.S. Open	0	0	0	1	1	3	14	8
The Open Championship	0	0	0	0	0	1	3	3
PGA Championship	0	0	0	0	1	2	11	5
Totals	0	0	0	1	2	7	34	17

• Most consecutive cuts made – 7 (1983 U.S. Open – 1985 U.S. Open)
• Longest streak of top-10s – 1 (twice)

U.S. national team appearances

• Four Tours World Championship: 1990

Filmography

Television

2022	Stranger Things	Golfer on tv	1 episode

See also

• Spring 1977 PGA Tour Qualifying School graduates
• 1993 PGA Tour Qualifying School graduates
• 1996 PGA Tour Qualifying School graduates