Lonnie Nielsen
Encyclopedia
Lonnie Dean Nielsen is an American
professional golfer
.
Nielsen was born and raised in Belle Plaine, Iowa
. His father started him in golf as a youngster on the sand green courses in and around his hometown. He attended the University of Iowa
, where earned a Bachelor of Business Administration
degree in 1976.
Neilsen was a member of the PGA Tour
from 1978–1983 but did not win any tournaments. He has won over 30 other tournaments though, most of which were played in New York
.
Nielsen became a member of the Champions Tour
upon reaching the age of 50 in the summer of 2003. He won his first Champions Tour event at the Commerce Bank Championship
in 2007. His second Champions Tour win came in 2009 at the Dick's Sporting Goods Open, where he came from three strokes behind Fred Funk
in the final round with a 9 under par 63 to win by three strokes.
In 2009, Nielsen became the first tour professional to serve as a lead contributor to the GIVE (Golf For Injured Veterans Everywhere) Foundation.
DNP = Did not play
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
professional golfer
Professional 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;...
.
Nielsen was born and raised in Belle Plaine, Iowa
Belle Plaine, Iowa
Belle Plaine is a city in Benton County, Iowa, United States. The population was 2,878 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Cedar Rapids Metropolitan Statistical Area....
. His father started him in golf as a youngster on the sand green courses in and around his hometown. He attended the University of Iowa
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
, where earned a Bachelor of Business Administration
Bachelor of Business Administration
The Bachelor of Business Administration is a bachelor's degree in Commerce and business administration. In most universities, the degree is conferred upon a student after four years of full-time study in one or more areas of business concentrations; see below...
degree in 1976.
Neilsen was a member of the PGA Tour
PGA Tour
The PGA Tour is the organizer of the main men's professional golf tours in the United States and North America...
from 1978–1983 but did not win any tournaments. He has won over 30 other tournaments though, most of which were played in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
.
Nielsen became a member of the Champions Tour
Champions Tour
The Champions Tour, a golf tour run by the PGA Tour, hosts a series of events annually in the United States and the United Kingdom for golfers 50 years of age and older. Many of the PGA Tour's most successful golfers have gone on to play on the Champions Tour.The Senior PGA Championship, founded in...
upon reaching the age of 50 in the summer of 2003. He won his first Champions Tour event at the Commerce Bank Championship
Commerce Bank Championship
The Commerce Bank Championship was a golf tournament on the Champions Tour from 1988 to 2008. It was played annually in June/July in East Meadow, New York at the Red Course at Eisenhower Park. Commerce Bancorp was the main sponsor of the tournament....
in 2007. His second Champions Tour win came in 2009 at the Dick's Sporting Goods Open, where he came from three strokes behind Fred Funk
Fred Funk
Frederick Funk is an American professional golfer.Funk was born in Takoma Park, Maryland. He graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park in 1980 with a degree in law enforcement. He turned professional in 1981, but worked as a golf coach at his alma mater from 1982 to 1988; he did not...
in the final round with a 9 under par 63 to win by three strokes.
In 2009, Nielsen became the first tour professional to serve as a lead contributor to the GIVE (Golf For Injured Veterans Everywhere) Foundation.
Regular career wins (33)
- 1979 Waterloo Open Golf ClassicWaterloo Open Golf ClassicThe Waterloo Jaycees Greater Waterloo Open Golf Classic is a the oldest and largest golf tournament in the state of Iowa. It has been played annually since 1934, and celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2008...
- 1984 Western New York PGA Match Play Championship
- 1985 New York State Open, Western New York Section PGA Championship
- 1986 Western New York PGA Match Play Championship, Western New York Section PGA Championship
- 1987 Western New York Section PGA Championship
- 1988 PGA Match Play Championship, PGA Stroke Play Championship
- 1989 New York State Open, Western New York Open, Western New York Section PGA Championship, PGA Match Play Championship
- 1990 Western New York Open, Western New York PGA Match Play Championship, Western New York Section PGA Championship
- 1991 Western New York PGA Match Play Championship
- 1993 Western New York PGA Match Play Championship, Western New York Open, Western New York Section PGA Championship
- 1994 Western New York PGA Match Play Championship, Western New York Section PGA Championship
- 1995 Western New York Open
- 1996 Western New York Section PGA Championship
- 1997 Western New York Open
- 1998 Western New York Open, Western New York PGA Match Play Championship
- 1999 Western New York PGA Match Play Championship
- 2000 Western New York Section PGA Championship
- 2001 Western New York PGA Match Play Championship
- 2002 Western New York PGA Match Play Championship, Western New York Open
- 2003 Western New York Open
Champions Tour wins (2)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning Score | Margin of Victory | Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jul 1, 2007 2007 Champions Tour The 2007 Champions Tour was the 28th season since the Champions Tour officially began in 1980 as the Senior PGA Tour. The season consisted of 29 official money events with purses totalling $54,100,000, including five majors. Jay Haas won the most tournaments, four... |
Commerce Bank Championship Commerce Bank Championship The Commerce Bank Championship was a golf tournament on the Champions Tour from 1988 to 2008. It was played annually in June/July in East Meadow, New York at the Red Course at Eisenhower Park. Commerce Bancorp was the main sponsor of the tournament.... |
2 strokes |  Loren RobertsLoren Roberts Loren Lloyd Roberts is an American professional golfer.-Early life:Roberts was born in San Luis Obispo, California. He competed for San Luis Obispo Senior High School and Cal Poly-SLO... |
|
| 2 | Jun 28, 2009 2009 Champions Tour The 2009 Champions Tour was the 30th season since the Champions Tour officially began in 1980 as the Senior PGA Tour. The season consisted of 25 official money events with purses totalling $48,875,000, including five majors. Bernhard Langer won the most tournaments, four... |
Dick's Sporting Goods Open | 3 strokes | Ronnie Black Ronnie Black Ronald Jay Black is an American professional golfer who has played on the PGA Tour, Nationwide Tour and Champions Tour.Black was born in Lovington, New Mexico. He attended Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas, where he was a member of the golf team. He turned pro in 1981.Black won two events on the... , Fred FunkFred Funk Frederick Funk is an American professional golfer.Funk was born in Takoma Park, Maryland. He graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park in 1980 with a degree in law enforcement. He turned professional in 1981, but worked as a golf coach at his alma mater from 1982 to 1988; he did not... |
Other senior wins (2)
- 2003 Otesago Senior Open Championship, Turning Stone Seniors Championship
Results in major championships
| Tournament | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Masters The Masters Tournament The Masters Tournament, also known as The Masters , is one of the four major championships in professional golf. Scheduled for the first full week of April, it is the first of the majors to be played each year... |
DNP | DNP | DNP |
| 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... |
CUT | DNP | DNP |
| The 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... |
DNP | DNP | DNP |
| 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 | DNP | DNP |
| Tournament | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Masters The Masters Tournament The Masters Tournament, also known as The Masters , is one of the four major championships in professional golf. Scheduled for the first full week of April, it is the first of the majors to be played each year... |
DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| 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 | CUT | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| The 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... |
DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| 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... |
CUT | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | T11 | T56 | CUT | CUT |
| Tournament | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Masters The Masters Tournament The Masters Tournament, also known as The Masters , is one of the four major championships in professional golf. Scheduled for the first full week of April, it is the first of the majors to be played each year... |
DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| 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 | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| The 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... |
DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| 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... |
CUT | T70 | DNP | DNP | CUT | DNP | CUT |
DNP = Did not play
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10.