The 1996 PGA Tour season was played from January 4 to October 28. The season consisted of 44 official money events (plus one event cancelled due to weather). Phil Mickelson won the most tournaments, four, and there were 13 first-time winners. The season notably featured the first Tour win for Tiger Woods. The tournament results, leaders, and award winners are listed below.
| Duration | January 4, 1996 – October 28, 1996 |
|---|---|
| Number of official events | 44[a] |
| Most wins | 4: Phil Mickelson |
| Money winner | Tom Lehman |
| Player of the Year | Tom Lehman |
| Rookie of the Year | Tiger Woods |
← 1995 1997 → | |
Schedule
The following table lists official events during the 1996 season.[1]
| Date | Tournament | Location | Purse (US$) |
Winner[b] | OWGR points |
Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 7 | Mercedes Championships | California | 1,000,000 | Mark O'Meara (11) |
52 | Winners-only event |
| Jan 14 | Nortel Open | Arizona | 1,250,000 | Phil Mickelson (6) |
42 | |
| Jan 21 | Bob Hope Chrysler Classic | California | 1,300,000 | Mark Brooks (5) |
42 | Pro-Am |
| Jan 27 | Phoenix Open | Arizona | 1,300,000 | Phil Mickelson (7) |
48 | |
| AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am | California | – | Canceled[c] | – | Pro-Am | |
| Feb 11 | Buick Invitational | California | 1,200,000 | Davis Love III (10) |
52 | |
| Feb 18 | United Airlines Hawaiian Open | Hawaii | 1,200,000 | Jim Furyk (2) |
38 | |
| Feb 25 | Nissan Open | California | 1,200,000 | Craig Stadler (12) |
46 | |
| Mar 3 | Doral-Ryder Open | Florida | 1,800,000 |  Greg Norman (18) |
68 | |
| Mar 10 | Honda Classic | Florida | 1,300,000 | Tim Herron (1) |
50 | |
| Mar 17 | Bay Hill Invitational | Florida | 1,200,000 | Paul Goydos (1) |
68 | Invitational |
| Mar 24 | Freeport-McDermott Classic | Louisiana | 1,200,000 | Scott McCarron (1) |
42 | |
| Mar 31 | The Players Championship | Florida | 3,500,000 | Fred Couples (12) |
80 | Flagship event |
| Apr 7 | BellSouth Classic | Georgia | 1,300,000 | Paul Stankowski (1) |
54 | |
| Apr 14 | Masters Tournament | Georgia | 2,500,000 |  Nick Faldo (8) |
100 | Major championship |
| Apr 21 | MCI Classic | South Carolina | 1,400,000 | Loren Roberts (3) |
60 | Invitational |
| Apr 28 | Greater Greensboro Chrysler Classic | North Carolina | 1,800,000 | Mark O'Meara (12) |
44 | |
| May 5 | Shell Houston Open | Texas | 1,500,000 | Mark Brooks (6) |
40 | |
| May 12 | GTE Byron Nelson Golf Classic | Texas | 1,500,000 | Phil Mickelson (8) |
56 | |
| May 19 | MasterCard Colonial | Texas | 1,500,000 | Corey Pavin (14) |
60 | Invitational |
| May 26 | Kemper Open | Maryland | 1,500,000 | Steve Stricker (1) |
40 | |
| Jun 2 | Memorial Tournament | Ohio | 1,800,000 | Tom Watson (38) |
68 | Invitational |
| Jun 9 | Buick Classic | New York | 1,200,000 |  Ernie Els (3) |
56 | |
| Jun 16 | U.S. Open | Michigan | 2,400,000 | Steve Jones (5) |
100 | Major championship |
| Jun 23 | FedEx St. Jude Classic | Tennessee | 1,350,000 | John Cook (7) |
40 | |
| Jun 30 | Canon Greater Hartford Open | Connecticut | 1,500,000 | D. A. Weibring (5) |
42 | |
| Jul 7 | Motorola Western Open | Illinois | 2,000,000 | Steve Stricker (2) |
68 | |
| Jul 14 | Michelob Championship at Kingsmill | Virginia | 1,250,000 | Scott Hoch (7) |
24 | |
| Jul 21 | The Open Championship | England | £1,500,000 | Tom Lehman (3) |
100 | Major championship |
| Jul 21 | Deposit Guaranty Golf Classic | Mississippi | 1,000,000 | Willie Wood (1) |
20 | Alternate event |
| Jul 28 | CVS Charity Classic | Massachusetts | 1,200,000 | John Cook (8) |
26 | |
| Aug 4 | Buick Open | Michigan | 1,200,000 | Justin Leonard (1) |
50 | |
| Aug 11 | PGA Championship | Kentucky | 2,400,000 | Mark Brooks (7) |
100 | Major championship |
| Aug 18 | Sprint International | Colorado | 1,600,000 | Clarence Rose (1) |
66 | |
| Aug 25 | NEC World Series of Golf | Ohio | 2,100,000 | Phil Mickelson (9) |
58 | Limited-field event |
| Aug 25 | Greater Vancouver Open | Canada | 1,000,000 | Guy Boros (1) |
22 | Alternate event |
| Sep 1 | Greater Milwaukee Open | Wisconsin | 1,200,000 | Loren Roberts (4) |
38 | |
| Sep 8 | Bell Canadian Open | Canada | 1,500,000 | Dudley Hart (1) |
40 | |
| Sep 15 | Quad City Classic | Illinois | 1,200,000 | Ed Fiori (4) |
32 | |
| Sep 22 | B.C. Open | New York | 1,000,000 | Fred Funk (4) |
28 | |
| Sep 29 | Buick Challenge | Georgia | 1,000,000 | Michael Bradley (1) |
26 | |
| Oct 6 | Las Vegas Invitational | Nevada | 1,650,000 | Tiger Woods (1) |
50 | |
| Oct 13 | LaCantera Texas Open | Texas | 1,200,000 | David Ogrin (1) |
40 | |
| Oct 20 | Walt Disney World/Oldsmobile Classic | Florida | 1,200,000 | Tiger Woods (2) |
46 | |
| Oct 28 | The Tour Championship | Oklahoma | 3,000,000 | Tom Lehman (4) |
60 | Tour Championship |
Unofficial events
The following events were sanctioned by the PGA Tour, but did not carry official money, nor were wins official.
| Date | Tournament | Location | Purse (US$) |
Winner(s) | OWGR points |
Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 15 | Presidents Cup | Virginia | n/a | Team USA
|
n/a | Two 12-man teams |
| Nov 3 | Subaru Sarazen World Open | Georgia | 1,900,000 |  Frank Nobilo
|
40 | |
| Nov 10 | Lincoln-Mercury Kapalua International | Hawaii | 1,200,000 | Paul Stankowski
|
40 | |
| Nov 15 | MasterCard PGA Grand Slam of Golf | Hawaii | 1,000,000 | Tom Lehman
|
n/a | 4-player field |
| Nov 17 | Franklin Templeton Shark Shootout | California | 1,100,000 | Jay Haas and Tom Kite
|
n/a | Team event |
| Nov 24 | World Cup of Golf | South Africa | 1,300,000 | Ernie Els and Wayne Westner
|
n/a | Team event |
| World Cup of Golf Individual Trophy | 200,000 | Ernie Els
|
n/a | |||
| Dec 1 | Skins Game | California | 540,000 | Fred Couples
|
n/a | 4-player field |
| Dec 8 | JCPenney Classic | Florida | 1,500,000 | Donna Andrews and Mike Hulbert
|
n/a | Team event |
| Dec 15 | Diners Club Matches | California | 700,000 | Tom Lehman and Duffy Waldorf
|
n/a | Team event |
Money leaders
The Money list was based on prize money won during the season, calculated in U.S. dollars.[4]
| Position | Player | Events | Prize money (US$) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tom Lehman |
22 | 1,780,159 |
| 2 | Phil Mickelson |
21 | 1,697,799 |
| 3 | Mark Brooks |
29 | 1,429,396 |
| 4 | Steve Stricker |
22 | 1,383,739 |
| 5 | Mark O'Meara |
21 | 1,255,749 |
Awards
Notes
References
- ^ "1996 Schedule". PGA Tour.
- ^ "Weather ends Pebble Beach Pro-Am". Wilmington Morning Star. (North Carolina). Associated Press. February 5, 1996. p. 7B.
- ^ "Washout forces cancellation of Pebble Beach Pro-Am". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). wire services. February 5, 1996. p. C2.
- ^ "Money Leaders – 1996". PGA Tour.