2 - PGA TOUR Media

SECTION 2 PLAYER BIOGRAPHIES
2-50
ors with George Archer and won the Arnold Palmer Award
as the leading money-winner on the Champions Tour after
recording five victories…Went over $1 million in earnings
for the only time in his career, and was the leading moneywinner
in all of golf that season…The $150,000 check at
the season-ending New York Life Champions pushed him
past the $1-million plateau in single-season earnings and
made him the second Champions Tour player to top that
level (Lee Trevino was the first in 1990) in a year. 1990:
Posted five wins and was runner-up to Trevino on the
money list…First Champions Tour title came at the GTE
Suncoast Classic near Tampa, a two-stroke victory over
Trevino. 1989: Was ninth on the final money list and was
runner-up to Bob Charles at the Digital Seniors Classic.
OTHER CAREER HIGHLIGHTS:
Claimed three PGA TOUR titles…Defeated Jim Colbert by
four strokes for his first win at the 1970 Doral-Eastern
Open…Won the San Antonio-Texas Open late in 1972
with four consecutive rounds in the 60s…Last victory
JOINED CHAMPIONS TOUR: 2006
PGA TOUR VICTORIES (11):1980 Quad Cities
Open. 1982 USF&G Classic. 1984 Miller High Life QCO.
1989 Las Vegas Invitational. 1994 Bob Hope Chrysler
Classic. 1995 Greater Milwaukee Open. 1996 Michelob
Championship at Kingsmill. 1997 Greater Milwaukee
Open. 2001 Greater Greensboro Chrysler Classic, Advil
Western Open. 2003 Ford Championship at Doral.
OTHER VICTORIES (6): 1982 Pacific Masters, Casio
World Open. 1986 Casio World Open. 1990 Korean Open.
1991 Korean Open. 1995 Heineken Dutch Open.
PGA TOUR CAREER EARNINGS: $18,487,114
BEST 2005 PGA TOUR FINISH: T32—Ford
Championship at Doral.
2005 SEASON:
Played in two PGA TOUR events, both in March…Was
T32 at the Ford Championship at Doral and then reinjured
his left hand during the Bay Hill Invitational and withdrew
after an opening-round 79…After attempting to rehab the
hand for most of the season, finally underwent surgery on
25 MEMORABLE MOMENTS
October 18. Doctors removed pieces of bone and cartilage
in his hand and repaired a torn tendon that had snapped
in April. Played just four events in 2003 with a nagging
wrist injury and then sprained left wrist during the 2004
PGA Championship when, during the second round, he put
his hands out to break his fall after walking off a tee box
and ground gave way.
OTHER CAREER HIGHLIGHTS:
Was perhaps the PGA TOUR's most consistent performer
from 1982 through 2002 when he finished among the top
40 on the money list every year during that 20-year span
Mike Hill (continued)
came at the 1977 Ohio Kings Island Open, where he fired
a final-round 64 to edge Tom Kite by a stroke…Most profitable
TOUR year was 1974, when he earned $76,802 and
finished 28th on the money list…Needed three tries at
the PGA TOUR National Qualifying Tournament before
finally earning his card in the spring of 1968.
PERSONAL:
Younger brother of Dave Hill…Grew up on a dairy farm
adjacent to a golf course and started the game as a caddie…Spent
nearly four years in the Air Force and attended
both Jackson (MI) Junior College and Arizona State
prior to turning pro…Owns an 18-hole municipal golf
course in Brooklyn, MI, known as Hill's Heart of the
Lakes…Inducted into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame in
1994…Lists Ben Hogan and Gordie Howe as his
heroes…Got started in golf by working as a caddie at
Jackson CC…Biggest thrill outside of golf is being married
to his wife, Sandy, for 37 years and being around his
children and grandchildren.
Scott Hoch (hoak)
EXEMPT STATUS: Top 30 on All-Time Money List
FULL NAME: Scott Mabon Hoch
HEIGHT: 5-11
WEIGHT: 170
BIRTHDATE: November 24, 1955
BIRTHPLACE: Raleigh, NC
RESIDENCE: Orlando, FL
except for 1992 when surgery to repair a shoulder injury
slowed him…Has collected 160 top-10s in his PGA TOUR
career…Last of 11 PGA TOUR victories came at the 2003
Ford Championship at Doral, his fifth win since turning 40.
Shared the third-round lead with Bob Tway, then went on
to defeat Jim Furyk with birdie on the third extra hole. Play
was suspended due to darkness on Sunday night while
both players were on the green on the second playoff hole.
First Monday finish since the 2001 Buick Classic. His
$900,000 paycheck was the largest of his career. Victory in
Miami gave him the 10th-longest span between first and
last wins (22 years, seven months and 21 days) in PGA
TOUR history…Had his career year in money earned in
2001 when, at age 45, he made $2,875,319 (seventh on
money list) and claimed a pair of tournament titles.
Became the first 45-year-old to win twice in a single season
since Hale Irwin in 1990. Only Julius Boros (47 and 48
in 1967 and '68), Sam Snead (47 in 1960) and Irwin had
won multiple times at 45 or older…Victory at 2001
Greater Greensboro Chrysler Classic was first in 94 starts,
and at 45 years, 5 months and 5 days, made him the oldest
TOUR winner since Tom Watson won the 1998 Colonial
at 48…Fired a closing-round 64 to claim the Advil
Western Open, edging Davis Love III by a stroke. The 267
total broke the tournament record set by Sam Snead in
1949 and equaled by Chi Chi Rodriguez in 1964…First victory
came in rookie season of 1980, winning first of two
Quad Cities Opens…Had first money-list top-10 finish in
1989 (No. 10), earning $670,680…Three weeks after playoff
loss to Nick Faldo at 1989 Masters, won Las Vegas
Invitational in playoff over Robert Wrenn…After four
years without a victory, captured 1994 Bob Hope Chrysler
Classic…Shot back-to-back 65s on weekend at 1995
Greater Milwaukee Open for three-stroke victory…Lost
playoff to Payne Stewart at 1995 Shell Houston Open after
holding a five-stroke lead through 54 holes…Six top-three
finishes in 1996, topped by wire-to-wire victory at the
Champions Tour 2006 Guide
PLAYER STATISTICS
2005 CHAMPIONS TOUR STATISTICS:
Scoring Average . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72.52 (N/A)
Driving Distance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .271.4 (N/A)
Driving Accuracy Percentage . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68.4% (N/A)
Greens in Regulation Pct. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64.6% (N/A)
Putting Average . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1.861 (N/A)
MISCELLANEOUS CHAMPIONS TOUR STATISTICS
2005 Low Round: 65–Blue Angels Classic/3
Career Low Round: 63–3 times, most recent 1994 The
IntelliNet Challenge/3
Career Largest Paycheck: $150,000–2 times, most recent
1991 New York Life Champions/1
MISCELLANEOUS PGA TOUR STATISTICS
Career Low Round: 63–1975 Phoenix Open/2
Career Largest Paycheck: $30,000–2 times, most recent
1977 Ohio Kings Island Open/1
FAMILY: Wife, Sally; Cameron (5/1/84), Katie (5/16/86)
EDUCATION: Wake Forest University (1978,
Communications)
SPECIAL INTERESTS: All sports
TURNED PROFESSIONAL: 1979
JOINED PGA TOUR: 1980
Michelob Championship at Kingsmill…Won second
Greater Milwaukee Open in 1997 and that year, had a
career-high 11 top-10 finishes, including a second at THE
PLAYERS Championship, T6 at the PGA Championship and
T10 at both the U.S. Open and THE TOUR
Championship…Won 1996 Vardon Trophy, with 70.08
scoring average…Winner of 1986 Chrysler Team
Championship with Gary Hallberg…Runner-up to John
Cook at 1978 U.S. Amateur…Member of 1975 national
championship team at Wake Forest…An All-America
selection in 1977 and 1978 when he won the Atlantic
Coast Conference title.
PERSONAL:
Donated $100,000 of 1989 Las Vegas Invitational winnings
to Arnold Palmer Children's Hospital in Orlando. Has a
floor named after him at the Arnold Palmer Hospital,
thanks to his family's donations. Although son, Cameron,
was successfully treated elsewhere for rare bone infection
in right leg, he and wife, Sally, are strong supporters of
Orlando facility…Family has also made large donations to
area hospitals and churches…Brother Buddy was a professional
bowler, while their father won All-American honors
in baseball at Wake Forest.
PLAYER STATISTICS
MISCELLANEOUS PGA TOUR STATISTICS
2005 Low Round: 68–Ford Championship at Doral/1
Career Low Round: 62–1994 Bob Hope Chrysler Classic/2
Career Largest Paycheck: $900,000–2003 Ford
Championship at Doral/1
SEE SECTION 6 FOR COMPLETE PGA TOUR SUMMARY
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