2000 PGA Tour earnings and ranking
$510,813 (71)
1999 PGA Tour best finishes 2nd: PGA Championship. T3rd: GTE Byron Nelson Classic; T7th: WGC NEC Invitational, WGC American Express Championship.
1999 Season
Made a tremendous impact on the game in the nine events played on
the PGA TOUR ... made the cut in seven tournaments, finished among top-10 four
times with a runner-up and third-place finish ... nominated for Rookie of the Year
honors (qualified by finishing top-125 on money list) ... in first PGA TOUR start as a
professional and second start as a professional, finished T3 at GTE Byron Nelson
Classic ... opening 62 left him one stroke behind Tiger Woods' 18-hole lead ... remained
one back through 36 holes after 67 and followed with 71-69 to finish seven strokes
out of Loren Roberts-Steve Pate playoff ... finished T11 at Memorial Tournament
after rounds of 67-70-74- 71 where he stood two strokes out of first-round lead
and three strokes out of 36-hole lead ... following Memorial payday of $58,650 had
$202,650 in TOUR earnings and joined TOUR as special temporary member ... won
first professional event on July 4 at Murphy's Irish Open in his sixth professional
start ... became Eurpean Tour's fourth-youngest winner (youngest was South African
Dale Hayes, 18, when he won 1971 Spainish Open) ... victory lifted him to 18th place
in European Ryder Cup standings ... followed victory with runner-up finish at
Standard Life Loch Lomond ... runner-up finish at PGA Championship assured berth on
European Ryder Cup Team ... opening-round 66 gave him first-round lead at Medinah
CC ... tied competitive course record set in 1990 by U.S. Open champion Hale Irwin
but broken in second round by Skip Kendall's 65 ... also was youngest player to lead
PGA Championship since tournament went to stroke play in 1958 ... shot 73 in
second round and stood two back ... third-round 68 produced T3 position, two
strokes out of lead ... on Sunday, trailed Tiger Woods by two strokes with three
holes to play, hit tee shot on 16 came to rest against a root behind large tree ... hit
6-iron safely on green and ran down fairway to watch recovery shot ... finished one
stroke behind Woods for solo second ... finished T13 at Sprint International ... rounds
of 74-69-69- 73 good for T7 at World Golf Championship-American Express
Championship ... youngest Ryder Cup participant ever at age 19 years, 8 months, 15
days (more than five months younger than Nick Faldo in 1977), where he posted a
3- 1-1 overall record ... earned second European Tour victory at Linde German
Masters on October 3 ... sank 15-foot birdie putt on second playoff hole to defeat
Padraig Harrington ... joined Jose Maria Olazabal and Miguel Angel Jimenez to capture
Spain's first Dunhill Cup title ... also finished second in Casio Open in Japan.
Career highlights
Turned professional April 21, 1999 after playing in 28
professional events ... was first British Amateur Champion to finish as low amateur in
1999 Masters Tournament ... winner of 19 events as an amateur and also a
professional event--the Catalonian Open--at age 17 ... made the cut in 12 of 18
European Tour events entered before turning professional ... at age 14 made his first
cut in a European Tour event--the 1995 Turespana Open Mediterranea ... set a
European Tour record as youngest player to make a cut ... won the 1995 European
Amateur Championship, the youngest winner of the event ... match play record prior
to 1999 Ryder Cup was 32-1 ... in 1998, played in two BUY.COM TOUR events and
finished 8-under in both for lowest score by an amateur in BUY.COM TOUR history.
Personal
Nicknamed "El Niño" ... father Victor, the teaching professional at home
club, the Club de Golf de Mediterraneo ... started playing golf at the age of three and
became club champion at age of 12 ... enjoys computer games: sprained wrist
Saturday night of 1999 Sprint International at mall playing air hockey ... upon winning
first professional title, along with father and manager shaved hair.
