Biography

Ray Floyd - World Golf Hall of Fame, Year Inducted: 1989

Raymond Floyd, at age 51, was the oldest player to compete in a Ryder Cup when he did so in 1993. Raymond Floyd carried an aura as a competitor and a winner that drew fear from his rivals whenever his name went on a leader board, which it did during four different decades.           

In notching 22 PGA TOUR victories, including four major championships from 1963 to 1992, Floyd distinguished himself as a player without a discernible weakness and whose strengths were a superb short game and an obvious mental toughness. The latter was manifested in his distinctive stare, the look of complete concentration that invariably took over his features when he was in contention for a title. "I've seen Raymond win without it, but I've never seen him lose with it," said his wife, Maria, the person Floyd maintains has been the key figure in his long career.            

When Floyd's game was on, he was capable of some of the hottest 72-hole forays ever seen. In 1976, he won the Masters by eight strokes with a then-record-tying score of 271, using a 5-wood to consistently hit the par-5s in two and playing them in 16 under par for the week. At the 1982 PGA Championship at Southern Hills, Floyd was again on fire, opening with a record 63 and going wire-to-wire again to win by three.          

Along with his explosiveness, Floyd had longevity. He and Sam Snead are the only players ever to win official events in four different decades. In 1992, he became the first player to win on the PGA TOUR and Champions Tour in the same year.          

Floyd was born Sept. 4, 1942, in Fort Bragg, N.C. His father was a golf professional in the military managing a driving range and later a golf course at Fort Bragg. At 17, Floyd won the National Jaycees, but almost became a professional baseball player before turning down an offer to pitch in the Cleveland Indians farm system.          

He joined the tour in 1963 and won in his 11th start at the St. Petersburg Open. Floyd was obviously talented, a long hitter with a gifted short game, but he won only once more in the next six years. By his own admission, the young Floyd was as interested in having a good time away from the golf course as getting the most from his game on it. But in 1969, he set a goal to win $100,000, win a major championship and make the Ryder Cup team. He did all three while taking the 1969 PGA Championship. Still, Floyd did not become a truly dedicated player until his marriage to Maria Fraietta in 1973. "She got me to respect my ability," said Floyd. "I decided to find out how good I could be, and it made a huge difference." Beginning in 1975, Floyd averaged a victory a year for the next 17 years. In 1983, he won the Vardon Trophy.             Floyd's crowning achievement was winning the 1986 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills. Floyd had never played particularly well at the Open, posting only two top-10 finishes in his previous 18 tries. But the spacious feel of Shinnecock brought out his best. He played controlled golf, put together a flawless back nine on Sunday and won by two strokes.            The only major Floyd never won was the British Open, where he tied for second at St. Andrews in 1978 and was joint third in 1981.            

Floyd was one of the first players to combine tremendous power with a soft touch, making him an important player in the evolution of the modern game. Floyd's short game is considered exemplary, and he is often acknowledged as one of the greatest chippers the game has ever seen.         

Professional Majors:

Masters Tournament: 1976
U.S. Open: 1986
PGA Championship: 1969, 1982          

Other Significant Victories: PGA TOUR: 18

1963: St. Petersburg Open
1965: St. Paul Open
1969: Jacksonville Open, American Golf Classic
1975: Kemper Open
1976: World Open
1977: Byron Nelson Classic, Pleasant Valley Classic
1979: Greensboro Open
1980: Doral-Eastern Open
1981: Doral Eastern Open, Tournament Players Championship, Manufactures Hanover-Westchester Classic
1982: Memorial Tournament, Danny Thomas-Memphis Classic
1985: Houston Open
1986: Walt Disney/Oldsmobile Classic
1992: Doral Ryder Open               

Champions Tour: 13

1992:GTE North Classic, Ralphs Senior Classic, SENIOR PGA TOUR Championship
1993: Gulfstream Aerospace, Northville Long Island Classic
1994: Tradition, Las Vegas Senior Classic, Cadillac NFL Golf Classic, SENIOR PGA TOUR Championship
1995: Burnet Senior Classic, Emerald Coast Classic
1996: Ford Senior Players Championship
2000: Ford Senior Players Championship             

Other Wins:

1978: Brazilian Open
1979: Costa Rica Open
1981: Canadian PGA
1985: Chrysler Team Championship (with Hal Sutton)
1988: Skins Game
1992: Fuji Electric Grandslam
1994: Diners Club Matches (with Dave Eichelberger), Senior Skins Game
1995: Senior PGA Championship, Senior Skins Game, Senior Slam, Office Depot Father/Son
Challenge (with Raymond, Jr.), Lexus Challenge (with Michael Chilkis)
1996: Senior Skins Game, Senior Slam, Office Depot Father/Son Challenge (with Raymond, Jr.)
1997: Senior Skins Game, Office Depot Father/Son Challenge (with Raymond, Jr.),
Lexus Challenge (with William DeVane)
1998: Senior Skins Game
2000: Office Depot Father/Son Challenge (with Robert)          

Other Accomplishments:

Vardon Trophy: 1983
Ryder Cup: 1969, 1975, 1977, 1981, 1983, 1985, 1991, 1993. Captain in 1989.           

References
http://www.wgv.com/hof/member.php?member=1051
http://www.sporting-heroes.net/golf-heroes/displayhero.asp?HeroID=458
http://chronicle.augusta.com/images/headlines/040301/golfslides/03/daily2.html
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/augusta/history/si/1990/
http://www.captainsclubatwoodfield.com/index.php?page=13
http://www.arrowheadcc.com/architect.cfm
http://www.oakhillsgolfclub.com/