Chris Wood (golfer)
Encyclopedia
Christopher James Wood (born 26 November 1987) is an English
professional golf
er who currently plays on the European Tour. He was the low amateur in the 2008 Open Championship
at Royal Birkdale and tied for third in the following year's tournament held at Turnberry.
between the ages of 4 and 11, before leaving to join Backwell School
. He began playing golf at a young age. He was a keen footballer with aspirations to play for Bristol City Football Club
but following a serious knee injury he devoted himself to golf. He became a member at the Long Ashton Golf Club near Bristol at the age of 9 and obtained a single-figure handicap
by age 12. Wood was the English Amateur Order of Merit winner in 2007 and 2008.
In May 2008, Wood won the Welsh Open Amateur Stroke Play Championship at Conwy
. He finished with a score of 289 (74–75–69–71) to take the title by six strokes over teammate Sam Hutsby and by eight over Jamie Abbott from Suffolk
. After his victory Wood said “I putted much better today. I stayed pretty patient all the way around. My swing felt good and playing with Gary Wolstenholme
kept me relaxed. This is the biggest event I’ve won so I may take a few days off now.”
On 17 July 2008, Wood teed off at Royal Birkdale
for the 2008 Open Championship
with his father as his caddy
. He raised speculation in the press that he could have become the first amateur to win the tournament since Bobby Jones
, who won it in 1926, 1927 and 1930. He spoke about his qualification into the weekend of The Open and play at the tournament; “I love playing in front of a crowd,” he said after a two over par third round 73. “I've been getting standing ovations on every green. It's been awesome. But I must admit it is now getting daunting for me and I got nervous when they announced my name on the first tee in the third round.” He finished joint fifth overall alongside Jim Furyk
and was awarded the silver medal as the top amateur.
. In November he gained his European Tour card for 2009 by finishing in a tie for 5th at qualifying school
held at PGA Golf de Catalunya near Girona
, Spain
. Wood admitted that he was delighted to secure his playing card and revealed his relief that the week was over. "I've worked really hard for this so I feel like I deserve everything I've achieved, but this does cap a pretty amazing year for me," he said.
Through July of his rookie season, Wood has made 13 of 17 cuts while recording four top-10 finishes. A superb final round at Turnberry in the 2009 Open Championship
put Wood in contention for his first major
win. A birdie at the final hole would have sufficed but Wood's approach took a hard bounce and ran through the green. A par would have seen him contest the playoff but his par putt finished on the edge of the hole so he had to settle for a joint 3rd place finish with Lee Westwood
. "I've never hit a nine iron 210 yards in my life," he told BBC Sport. "There's nothing I could have done about it. It went miles."
Thanks to his performance at the Open, Wood qualified for the Dubai World Championship
and was named the European Tour's rookie of the year. Finishing in the top four at the Open also gave Wood a spot in the 2010 Masters Tournament
. He missed the cut by seven strokes.
Wood made a good start to 2011 by tying for the Africa Open
but lost to Open champion Louis Oosthuizen
on the first playoff hole.
LA = Low amateur
DNP = did not play
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10.
Professional
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
professional golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
er who currently plays on the European Tour. He was the low amateur in the 2008 Open Championship
2008 Open Championship
The 2008 Open Championship was the 137th Open Championship, played 17–20 July, at Royal Birkdale Golf Club, England. Pádraig Harrington of Ireland successfully defended his Open Championship title for his second Open title...
at Royal Birkdale and tied for third in the following year's tournament held at Turnberry.
Amateur career
Wood was born in Bristol, England. He went to school at Golden Valley Primary School in NailseaNailsea
Nailsea is a town in the unitary authority of North Somerset within the ceremonial county of Somerset, England, approximately to the southwest of Bristol and about to the northeast of the seaside resort of Weston-super-Mare. The nearest village is Backwell, which lies south of Nailsea on the...
between the ages of 4 and 11, before leaving to join Backwell School
Backwell School
Backwell School is an academy in Backwell, North Somerset, England. The school, which has had academy status since May 2011, is a specialist Arts College, and includes a sixth form and takes pupils from the age of 11 to the age of 18...
. He began playing golf at a young age. He was a keen footballer with aspirations to play for Bristol City Football Club
Bristol City F.C.
Bristol City Football Club is one of two football league clubs in Bristol, England . They play at Ashton Gate, located in the south-west of the City...
but following a serious knee injury he devoted himself to golf. He became a member at the Long Ashton Golf Club near Bristol at the age of 9 and obtained a single-figure handicap
Golf handicap
A handicap is a numerical measure of an amateur golfer's playing ability based on the tees played for a given course. It is used to calculate a net score from the number of strokes actually played, thus allowing players of different proficiency to play against each other on somewhat equal terms...
by age 12. Wood was the English Amateur Order of Merit winner in 2007 and 2008.
In May 2008, Wood won the Welsh Open Amateur Stroke Play Championship at Conwy
Conwy
Conwy is a walled market town and community in Conwy County Borough on the north coast of Wales. The town, which faces Deganwy across the River Conwy, formerly lay in Gwynedd and prior to that in Caernarfonshire. Conwy has a population of 14,208...
. He finished with a score of 289 (74–75–69–71) to take the title by six strokes over teammate Sam Hutsby and by eight over Jamie Abbott from Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
. After his victory Wood said “I putted much better today. I stayed pretty patient all the way around. My swing felt good and playing with Gary Wolstenholme
Gary Wolstenholme
Gary P. Wolstenholme is an English professional golfer known for his long amateur career.Wolstenholme was born in Egham, Surrey. His father was Guy Wolstenholme a professional golfer. He has won The Amateur Championship twice as well as many other amateur tournaments around the world...
kept me relaxed. This is the biggest event I’ve won so I may take a few days off now.”
On 17 July 2008, Wood teed off at Royal Birkdale
Royal Birkdale Golf Club
Royal Birkdale Golf Club is a golf course in the town of Southport, England, and is one of the clubs in the Open Championship rotation for both men and women. The club has hosted the men's championship nine times since 1954, most recently in July 2008, and has hosted the women's tournament five...
for the 2008 Open Championship
2008 Open Championship
The 2008 Open Championship was the 137th Open Championship, played 17–20 July, at Royal Birkdale Golf Club, England. Pádraig Harrington of Ireland successfully defended his Open Championship title for his second Open title...
with his father as his caddy
Caddy
In golf, a caddy is the person who carries a player's bag and clubs, and gives insightful advice and moral support. A good caddy is aware of the challenges and obstacles of the golf course being played, along with the best strategy in playing it. This includes knowing overall yardage, pin...
. He raised speculation in the press that he could have become the first amateur to win the tournament since Bobby Jones
Bobby Jones (golfer)
Robert Tyre "Bobby" Jones Jr. was an American amateur golfer, and a lawyer by profession. Jones was the most successful amateur golfer ever to compete on a national and international level...
, who won it in 1926, 1927 and 1930. He spoke about his qualification into the weekend of The Open and play at the tournament; “I love playing in front of a crowd,” he said after a two over par third round 73. “I've been getting standing ovations on every green. It's been awesome. But I must admit it is now getting daunting for me and I got nervous when they announced my name on the first tee in the third round.” He finished joint fifth overall alongside Jim Furyk
Jim Furyk
James Michael Furyk is an American professional golfer, 2010 FedEx Cup champion, and 2010 PGA Tour Player of the Year. He has won one major championship, the 2003 U.S. Open. Furyk is known for consistently playing at the top level and for a visibly unconventional, looping golf swing...
and was awarded the silver medal as the top amateur.
Professional career
After his success at the Open championship, Wood decided to turn professionalProfessional golfer
In golf the distinction between amateurs and professionals is rigorously maintained. An amateur who breaches the rules of amateur status may lose his or her amateur status. A golfer who has lost his or her amateur status may not play in amateur competitions until amateur status has been reinstated;...
. In November he gained his European Tour card for 2009 by finishing in a tie for 5th at qualifying school
Qualifying school
In professional golf the term qualifying school is used for the annual qualifying tournaments for leading golf tours such as the U.S. based PGA and LPGA Tours and the European Tour. A fixed number of players in the event win membership of the tour for the following season, otherwise known as a...
held at PGA Golf de Catalunya near Girona
Girona
Girona is a city in the northeast of Catalonia, Spain at the confluence of the rivers Ter, Onyar, Galligants and Güell, with an official population of 96,236 in January 2009. It is the capital of the province of the same name and of the comarca of the Gironès...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. Wood admitted that he was delighted to secure his playing card and revealed his relief that the week was over. "I've worked really hard for this so I feel like I deserve everything I've achieved, but this does cap a pretty amazing year for me," he said.
Through July of his rookie season, Wood has made 13 of 17 cuts while recording four top-10 finishes. A superb final round at Turnberry in the 2009 Open Championship
2009 Open Championship
The 2009 Open Championship was the 138th Open Championship, one of the four major golf championships, and was played from 16–19 July at the Turnberry Resort, in Ayrshire, Scotland. It was the fourth time The Open Championship had been played at Turnberry...
put Wood in contention for his first major
Men's major golf championships
The men's major golf championships, commonly known as the Major Championships, and often referred to simply as the majors, are the four most prestigious annual tournaments in professional golf...
win. A birdie at the final hole would have sufficed but Wood's approach took a hard bounce and ran through the green. A par would have seen him contest the playoff but his par putt finished on the edge of the hole so he had to settle for a joint 3rd place finish with Lee Westwood
Lee Westwood
Lee John Westwood OBE is an English professional golfer. Noted for his consistency, Westwood is one of the few golfers who has won tournaments on every major continent, including victories on the European Tour and the PGA Tour. He was named player of the year for the 1998, 2000, and 2009 seasons...
. "I've never hit a nine iron 210 yards in my life," he told BBC Sport. "There's nothing I could have done about it. It went miles."
Thanks to his performance at the Open, Wood qualified for the Dubai World Championship
Dubai World Championship
The Dubai World Championship is a golf tournament on the European Tour that was held for the first time from 19–22 November 2009 on the Earth course at the Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai, United Arab Emirates....
and was named the European Tour's rookie of the year. Finishing in the top four at the Open also gave Wood a spot in the 2010 Masters Tournament
2010 Masters Tournament
The 2010 Masters Tournament, played April 8–11 at Augusta National Golf Club, was the 74th Masters Tournament. This was the first major championship of the 2010 season.Phil Mickelson won his third Masters title by three shots over runner-up Lee Westwood....
. He missed the cut by seven strokes.
Wood made a good start to 2011 by tying for the Africa Open
Africa Open
The Africa Open is a golf tournament on the Sunshine Tour that was first contested in February 2008, over the Gary Player designed championship course at the Fish River Sun Country Club, near Port Alfred, Eastern Cape, South Africa....
but lost to Open champion Louis Oosthuizen
Louis Oosthuizen
Lodewicus Theodorus "Louis" Oosthuizen is a South African professional golfer, who won the 2010 Open Championship.-Early life and career:...
on the first playoff hole.
Amateur wins (2)
- 2007 Russian Amateur Championship
- 2008 Welsh Amateur Open Stroke Play Championship
Results in major championships
| Tournament | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Masters | DNP | DNP | CUT |
| U.S. Open U.S. Open (golf) The United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open golf tournament of the United States. It is the second of the four major championships in golf, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour... |
DNP | DNP | DNP |
| Open Championship The Open Championship The Open Championship, or simply The Open , is the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf. It is the only "major" held outside the USA and is administered by The R&A, which is the governing body of golf outside the USA and Mexico... |
T5 LA | T3 | CUT |
| PGA Championship PGA Championship The PGA Championship is an annual golf tournament conducted by the PGA of America as part of the PGA Tour. It is one of the four major championships in men's professional golf, and is the golf season's final major, usually played in mid-August, customarily four weeks after The Open Championship... |
DNP | T76 | CUT |
LA = Low amateur
DNP = did not play
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10.
Team appearances
Amateur- Bonallack TrophyBonallack TrophyThe Bonallack Trophy is an amateur golf competition on the model of the Ryder Cup which opposes every two years a European team and a team representing Asia/Pacific. The venue alternates between courses in Europe and Asia/Pacific...
(representing Europe): 2008 (winners)
Professional
- Seve TrophySeve TrophyThe Seve Trophy is a biennial golf tournament between teams of professional male golfers representing Great Britain & Ireland and Continental Europe. It is named after five times major winner Seve Ballesteros, the most successful golfer ever from Continental Europe who was one of the key...
(representing Great Britain & Ireland): 20092009 Vivendi Trophy with Seve BallesterosThe 2009 Vivendi Trophy with Seve Ballesteros, formally known as the Seve Trophy, was played 24-27 September at Golf de Saint-Nom-la-Bretèche in France. The team captain for Great Britain and Ireland was Paul McGinley, with the captain for Continental Europe being Thomas Bjørn...
(winners)
Equipment
- Irons: Mizuno MP-62 (3–4) / MP-68 (5-PW)
- Wedges: Mizuno MP T-10 Black Satin 54/60
- Fairway woods: Mizuno MX-700 (15), MP Titanium (18)
- Driver MP-630 Fast Track (8.5)