American professional golfer
Allen Michael Doyle (born July 26, 1948) is an American professional golfer . Though a talented golfer, Doyle elected not to turn pro after graduating from Vermont's Norwich University . He moved to the south where he owned and operated a driving range in Georgia. In his free time he played in elite amateur events, winning the Georgia Amateur and Sunnehanna Amateur several times each. At the age of 46, Doyle turned professional and had extraordinary success as a pro, winning three events on the Nike Tour and 11 events on the Champions Tour , including the U.S. Senior Open twice.
Early life
Doyle was born in Woonsocket, Rhode Island .[ 1] He raised in the Boston suburb of Norwood, Massachusetts .[ 2] He attended Catholic Memorial High School in West Roxbury, Massachusetts .[ 1]
Amateur career
Doyle attended Norwich University in Vermont. He currently hosts an annual golf tournament to benefit the Norwich Hockey Team.[ 3] [ 4] During his time at Norwich he finished runner-up at the Massachusetts Amateur , losing to Peter Drooker, 1 up, in the finals.[ 5]
Doyle moved to the south after college and settled in Georgia. He won the Georgia Amateur and Sunnehanna Amateur several times over the course of his amateur career.
Professional career
At the age of 46, Doyle turned professional.[ 6] In 1995, his first full professional season, he won three times on the Nike Tour . From 1996 to 1998 Doyle competed in 58 PGA Tour events, making the cut in 31, including two top-10 finishes.[ 7]
Doyle became eligible to play on the Senior PGA Tour when he turned 50 in July 1998 and won four official money events in 1999, including the Senior PGA Championship . In 2001, he won his second senior major , the Senior Players Championship , and led the tour on the money list. In 2005, he claimed a third major at the U.S. Senior Open , coming behind from a nine stroke deficit with a 63 in the final round.[ 8] He successfully defended his U.S. Senior Open title in 2006 by defeating Tom Watson at Prairie Dunes Country Club [ 9] and becoming the oldest U.S. Senior Open Champion at 57 years, 11 months and 17 days.[ 10] His career earnings on the Champions Tour at the time of his retirement is listed as $13,401,250.[ 11]
Doyle owns and operates The Doyle Golf Center driving range in La Grange, Georgia .[ 12] As a philanthropist, Doyle has donated over $1,000,000 to various charities including family members of slain rescuers of the 9/11 attacks.[ 13] [ 14] [ 15]
Awards and honors
Amateur wins
1978 Georgia Amateur[ 17]
1979 Georgia Amateur[ 17]
1982 Georgia Amateur[ 17]
1984 Georgia Mid-Amateur[ 18]
1986 Georgia Mid-Amateur[ 18]
1987 Georgia Amateur,[ 17] Georgia Mid-Amateur[ 18]
1988 Georgia Amateur,[ 17] Georgia Mid-Amateur,[ 18] Rice Planters Amateur[ 19]
1989 Sunnehanna Amateur , Georgia Mid-Amateur[ 18]
1990 Sunnehanna Amateur , Georgia Amateur,[ 17] Rice Planters Amateur[ 19]
1991 Cardinal Amateur[ 20]
1992 Sunnehanna Amateur
1993 Northeast Amateur
1994 Dogwood Invitational , Sunnehanna Amateur , Porter Cup , Cardinal Amateur,[ 20] Rice Planters Amateur[ 19]
Professional wins (19)
Nike Tour wins (3)
Legend
Tour Championships (1)
Other Nike Tour (2)
Nike Tour playoff record (2–0)
Champions Tour wins (11)
Legend
Champions Tour major championships (4)
Other Champions Tour (7)
No.
Date
Tournament
Winning score
Margin of victory
Runner(s)-up
1
Feb 28, 1999
ACE Group Classic
−13 (64-70-69=203)
5 strokes
Vicente Fernández
2
Apr 18, 1999
PGA Seniors' Championship
−14 (70-71-69-64=274)
2 strokes
Vicente Fernández
3
Jun 6, 1999
Cadillac NFL Golf Classic
−12 (67-66-71=204)
Playoff
Joe Inman
4
Sep 5, 1999
TD Waterhouse Championship
−12 (66-70-65=198)
2 strokes
Ed Dougherty
5
Mar 5, 2000
Toshiba Senior Classic
−6 (67-69=136)*
1 stroke
Jim Thorpe , Howard Twitty
6
Jul 15, 2001
Ford Senior Players Championship
−15 (67-69-70-67=273)
Playoff
Doug Tewell
7
Jul 29, 2001
State Farm Senior Classic
−11 (73-65-67=205)
Playoff
Bruce Fleisher
8
Aug 3, 2003
FleetBoston Classic
−15 (68-63-67=198)
3 strokes
Bruce Fleisher , Bob Gilder
9
Jun 13, 2004
Bayer Advantage Celebrity Pro-Am
−13 (65-66=131)*
1 stroke
Jerry Pate
10
Jul 31, 2005
U.S. Senior Open
−10 (71-67-73-63=274)
1 stroke
Loren Roberts , D. A. Weibring
11
Jul 9, 2006
U.S. Senior Open (2)
−8 (69-68-67-68=272)
2 strokes
Tom Watson
*Note: Tournament shortened to 36 holes due to weather.
Champions Tour playoff record (3–2)
Other senior wins (5)
Results in major championships
Tournament
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
U.S. Open
CUT
Tournament
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
U.S. Open
CUT
CUT
CUT = missed the halfway cut
Note: Allen only played in the U.S. Open.
Senior major championships
Wins (4)
Results timeline
Results not in chronological order before 2012.
Win
Top 10
Did not play
CUT = missed the halfway cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Note: Allen never played in The Senior Open Championship .
U.S. national team appearances
Amateur
See also
References
^ a b c "Allen Doyle – Profile" . PGA Tour. Retrieved November 18, 2018 .
^ Lieber, Jill (May 8, 1995). "Late Riser At 46, Allen Doyle Is Earning Kudos, And Big Money, As The Oldest Rookie On The Nike Tour" . Sports Illustrated .
^ "Norwich University Alumni & Family" . Retrieved January 17, 2018 .
^ "Allen Doyle Norwich Golf Classic" . Retrieved January 17, 2018 .
^ "Cadets' Doyle Falters, Bows in Amateur Finals" . The Burlington Free Press . July 14, 1969. p. 21. Retrieved June 21, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Kelley, Brent. "Oldest Rookies on the PGA Tour" . About.com. Archived from the original on January 16, 2015. Retrieved January 16, 2015 .
^ "Allen Doyle" . PGA Tour. Retrieved April 16, 2018 .
^ Shefter, David. "Two-Time U.S. Senior Open Champion Doyle Relishes Being Underdog" . USGA. Retrieved February 5, 2016 .
^ "2006: Allen Doyle's double" . July 15, 2006.
^ Senko, Dave (July 9, 2006). "Doyle becomes oldest winner of U.S. Senior Open" . PGA Tour. Archived from the original on July 16, 2006.
^ "Champions Career Money Leaders" .
^ "Doyle Making Best of Retirement" .
^ "Allen Doyle gives $1.1 million to Norwich" . Retrieved March 31, 2016 .
^ "He wins $1 million and gives it away" . Retrieved March 31, 2016 .
^ "Doyle's Cup Still Runneth Over" . Archived from the original on April 12, 2016. Retrieved March 31, 2016 .
^ "Georgia Golf Hall of Fame Member" . Retrieved March 31, 2016 .
^ a b c d e f "Georgia Amateur Championship Records" . Georgia State Golf Association. Archived from the original on April 27, 2014. Retrieved May 7, 2014 .
^ a b c d e "Georgia Mid-Amateur Championship Event History" . Georgia State Golf Association. Archived from the original on May 8, 2014. Retrieved May 7, 2014 .
^ a b c "Rice Planters Amateur Championship Tee Times & Scoring" .
^ a b "Cardinal Amateur Golf Championship" .
External links
† indicates the event was won in a playoff
† indicates the event was won in a playoff
† indicates the event was won in a playoff