Phil Hancock
Encyclopedia
Phillip Ranson Hancock is an American professional golfer
who formerly played on the PGA Tour
.
growing up in Greenville, Alabama
from their father, a local dentist. Hancock and his friends would often play 45 or 54 holes in the summer time. He won his first tournament at the 1969 Alabama State Junior Championship at age 16. His brother Bunky later played for the golf team at the University of Alabama
.
to attend the University of Florida
in Gainesville, Florida
, where he played for coach Buster Bishop
's Florida Gators men's golf team in National Collegiate Athletic Association
(NCAA) competition from 1973 to 1976. During his freshman year, the Gators golf team, which included future PGA Tour members Andy Bean
, Gary Koch
and Woody Blackburn
, won the 1973 NCAA Championship
. As a Gator golfer, Hancock received All-SEC honors for four consecutive years (second-team in 1973 and 1974; first-team in 1975 and 1976), and was an All-American in 1974, 1975 and 1976. He won the SEC individual championship in 1975 and 1976, and was the winner of the Haskins Award
in 1976. He graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor's degree
in public relations
in 1976, and was inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a "Gator Great" in 1992.
his first year, after failing to earn a spot on the PGA Tour by a single stroke in qualifying school
. He joined the PGA Tour the following year. Hancock played full-time on the PGA Tour from 1977 to 1985; his career was plagued by long absences due to back ailments. After leaving the tour, he has held various teaching and club professional jobs in Florida
and Alabama
.
Hancock lives in Montgomery, Alabama
, and works as a club and teaching professional at Indian Pines Golf Course
in Auburn, Alabama
.
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;...
who formerly played on 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...
.
Early life
Hancock and his older brother "Bunky" learned the game of golfGolf
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....
growing up in Greenville, Alabama
Greenville, Alabama
Greenville is a city in Butler County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census, the population was 7,228. The city is the county seat of Butler County and is known as the Camellia City. The movement to change the Official Alabama State Flower from the goldenrod to the camellia originated in...
from their father, a local dentist. Hancock and his friends would often play 45 or 54 holes in the summer time. He won his first tournament at the 1969 Alabama State Junior Championship at age 16. His brother Bunky later played for the golf team at the University of Alabama
University of Alabama
The University of Alabama is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States....
.
College career
After high school, Hancock accepted an athletic scholarshipAthletic scholarship
An athletic scholarship is a form of scholarship to attend a college or university awarded to an individual based predominantly on his or her ability to play in a sport...
to attend the University of Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
in Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Alachua County, Florida, United States as well as the principal city of the Gainesville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area . The preliminary 2010 Census population count for Gainesville is 124,354. Gainesville is home to the sixth...
, where he played for coach Buster Bishop
Buster Bishop
Bernays Emery "Buster" Bishop was an American college golf coach. Bishop was best known for leading the Florida Gators men's golf team of the University of Florida to National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I championships in 1968 and 1973.- Early life and education :Bishop was born in...
's Florida Gators men's golf team in National Collegiate Athletic Association
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
(NCAA) competition from 1973 to 1976. During his freshman year, the Gators golf team, which included future PGA Tour members Andy Bean
Andy Bean
Thomas Andrew Bean is an American professional golfer who previously played on the PGA Tour and currently plays on the Champions Tour...
, Gary Koch
Gary Koch
Gary D. Koch is an American professional golfer, sportscaster and golf course designer, who formerly played on the PGA Tour, Nationwide Tour and Champions Tour.- Early years :...
and Woody Blackburn
Woody Blackburn
Woody T. Blackburn is a former American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour in the 1970s and 1980s.Blackburn was born in Pikeville, Kentucky. He attended the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, where he played for coach Buster Bishop's Florida Gators men's golf team from...
, won the 1973 NCAA Championship
NCAA Division I Men's Golf Championships
The NCAA Division I Men's Golf Championships, played in late May or early June, is the top annual competition in U.S. men's collegiate golf. It is a stroke play team competition, starting in 2009 the competition changed to a stroke play/match play competition with the top 8 teams after 54 holes of...
. As a Gator golfer, Hancock received All-SEC honors for four consecutive years (second-team in 1973 and 1974; first-team in 1975 and 1976), and was an All-American in 1974, 1975 and 1976. He won the SEC individual championship in 1975 and 1976, and was the winner of the Haskins Award
Haskins Award
The Haskins Award is presented annually by the Haskins Commission to honor the most outstanding collegiate golfer in the United States. The award is named in memory of the late Fred Haskins, former golf teaching professional at the Columbus Country Club. Votes are tabulated by the Haskins...
in 1976. He graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in public relations
Public relations
Public relations is the actions of a corporation, store, government, individual, etc., in promoting goodwill between itself and the public, the community, employees, customers, etc....
in 1976, and was inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a "Gator Great" in 1992.
Professional career
Hancock turned professional in 1976 and played briefly in EuropeEurope
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
his first year, after failing to earn a spot on the PGA Tour by a single stroke in 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...
. He joined the PGA Tour the following year. Hancock played full-time on the PGA Tour from 1977 to 1985; his career was plagued by long absences due to back ailments. After leaving the tour, he has held various teaching and club professional jobs in Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
and Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
.
Hancock lives in Montgomery, Alabama
Montgomery, Alabama
Montgomery is the capital of the U.S. state of Alabama, and is the county seat of Montgomery County. It is located on the Alabama River southeast of the center of the state, in the Gulf Coastal Plain. As of the 2010 census, Montgomery had a population of 205,764 making it the second-largest city...
, and works as a club and teaching professional at Indian Pines Golf Course
Indian Pines Golf Course
Indian Pines Golf Course is an 18-hole public golf course located in Auburn and adjacent Opelika, Alabama, USA. In 2005, the course was cited by Golf Digest in their rating of Auburn as the "best golf city in America". It is a is a par 71 course with summer bermuda grass and a bentgrass/ryegrass...
in Auburn, Alabama
Auburn, Alabama
Auburn is a city in Lee County, Alabama, United States. It is the largest city in eastern Alabama with a 2010 population of 53,380. It is a principal city of the Auburn-Opelika Metropolitan Area...
.
Amateur wins
- 1969 Alabama State Junior Championship
- 1975 SEC Championship (individual)
- 1976 SEC Championship (individual)
Other wins
- 1977 Colombian OpenColombian OpenThe Colombian Open, or Abierto de Colombia, is a golf tournament on the Colombian Tour that was first played in 1945. It has also on occasion been an event on the Tour de las Americas....
- 1984 Chrysler Team ChampionshipChrysler Team ChampionshipThe Chrysler Team Championship was an unofficial event on the PGA Tour from 1983 to 1990. It used a two-man better-ball format. It was played at Boca West Resort and Club and Broken Sound Country Club in Boca Raton, Florida from 1983 to 1986; at Palm Beach Polo Club, Wellington Club and Greenview...
(with Ron StreckRon StreckRonald Raymond Streck is an American professional golfer who has played on the PGA Tour and Nationwide Tour, and is a current player on the Champions Tour....
)
See also
- Florida GatorsFlorida GatorsThe Florida Gators are the intercollegiate sports teams that represent the University of Florida located in Gainesville, Florida. The "Lady Gators" is an alternative nickname sometimes used by the Gators women's teams...
- Golfers with most PGA Tour winsGolfers with most PGA Tour winsThis is a list of golfers who have won five or more official money events on the PGA Tour.Players under 50 years of age are shown in bold. On his 50th birthday a golfer becomes eligible to compete on the Champions Tour, and he is unlikely to add to his tally of PGA Tour wins after that date This is...
- List of Florida Gators golfers
- List of University of Florida alumni