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Gary Koch

January 07, 2023

For the statistician, see Gary Grove Koch.

Gary D. Koch (born November 21, 1952) is an American professional golfer, sportscaster and golf course designer, who formerly played on the PGA Tour, Nationwide Tour and Champions Tour.

Gary Koch
Personal information
Full nameGary D. Koch
Born (1952-11-21) November 21, 1952 (age 70)
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Height5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight170 lb (77 kg; 12 st)
Sporting nationality United States
ResidenceTampa, Florida
Career
CollegeUniversity of Florida
Turned professional1975
Current tour(s)Champions Tour
Former tour(s)PGA Tour
Professional wins10
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour6
Best results in major championships
Masters TournamentT16: 1985, 1986
PGA ChampionshipT10: 1979
U.S. OpenT6: 1982
The Open ChampionshipT4: 1988

Early years

Koch was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana in 1952, and raised in Florida. He won the Florida Open in 1969 as an amateur at the age of 16. He won the U.S. Junior Amateur in 1970.[1] He attended C. Leon King High School in Tampa, Florida. The 1969 King High golf team consisting of Koch, Eddie Pearce, Brian Hawke and Phil Reid won the Florida high school title setting a scoring record that stood for thirty years.

College career

Koch accepted an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, where he became a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity (Florida Upsilon Chapter). While he was an undergraduate, Koch played for coach Buster Bishop's Florida Gators men's golf team in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) competition from 1971 to 1974.[2] As a Gator golfer, he was a four-time first-team All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) selection, and a three-time All-American.[2][3] He was also a member of the Gators teams that won SEC championships in 1973 and 1974 and an NCAA Championship in 1973.[4] Individually, he was a two-time medalist in the SEC tournament (1973, 1974), and the runner-up behind Ben Crenshaw at the 1973 NCAA championship tournament.[2] His Gators teammates included fellow future PGA Tour professionals Woody Blackburn, Andy Bean, Phil Hancock and Andy North.[2] Koch graduated from Florida with a bachelor's degree in journalism in 1976, and was inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a "Gator Great" in 1978.[5][6]

Professional career

Koch turned professional in 1975, and won six events as a professional on the PGA Tour during the 1970s and 1980s. His career year in professional golf came in 1984 when he finished seventeenth on the money list and captured two titles: the Isuzu-Andy Williams San Diego Open and the Bay Hill Classic.

In preparation for play on the Champions Tour, Koch played some on the Nationwide Tour in his late 40s. After turning 50 in November 2002, he began play on the Champions Tour. His best finish in this venue was a tie for second at both the ACE Group Classic and Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf in 2004.

Post-professional career

Koch's career as a sportscaster began in 1990 with ESPN working Champions Tour telecasts. Before the end of the decade, he joined NBC Sports. A long-time member of the NBC Sports announcing team (1996–present), he is best known for his "Better than Most"[7] call in the third round of the 2001 Players Championship at the TPC at Sawgrass. Three down from leader Jerry Kelly, Tiger Woods was facing a long, triple-breaking, fringe putt for birdie on the 17th hole's famous Island Green. Koch's call of that putt has gone down as one of the most famous in golf history as it was during the height of Tiger's dominance, on an iconic hole of a well-known course, on the way to an inevitable, yet routine Woods comeback to win the tournament.

Koch also maintains an interest in golf course design and helped design the front nine of "The Forest" course at The Eagles Golf Course in Odessa, Florida. Koch was inducted into the Florida Sports Hall of Fame in 2012.[8] Koch currently resides in Tampa, Florida.

Golf courses (original design)

Amateur wins

this list may be incomplete

Professional wins (10)

PGA Tour wins (6)

No. Date Tournament Winning score To par Margin of
victory		 Runner(s)-up
1 Apr 18, 1976 Tallahassee Open 71-69-67-70=277 −11 1 stroke   John Mahaffey
2 Mar 7, 1977 Florida Citrus Open 70-69-65-70=274 −14 2 strokes   Dale Hayes,   Joe Inman
3 Feb 27, 1983 Doral-Eastern Open 69-67-65-70=271 −17 5 strokes   Ed Fiori
4 Jan 29, 1984 Isuzu-Andy Williams San Diego Open 68-70-69-65=272 −16 Playoff   Gary Hallberg
5 Mar 18, 1984 Bay Hill Classic (2) 69-68-72-63=272 −12 Playoff   George Burns
6 May 8, 1988 Panasonic Las Vegas Invitational 68-73-66-67=274* −14 1 stroke   Peter Jacobsen,   Mark O'Meara

*Note: The 1988 Panasonic Las Vegas Invitational was shortened to 72 holes due to weather.

PGA Tour playoff record (2–0)

No. Year Tournament Opponent Result
1 1984 Isuzu-Andy Williams San Diego Open   Gary Hallberg Won with birdie on second extra hole
2 1984 Bay Hill Classic   George Burns Won with birdie on second extra hole

Other wins (1)

Senior wins (3)

Playoff record

Japan Golf Tour playoff record (0–1)

No. Year Tournament Opponent Result
1 1984 Casio World Open   Sandy Lyle Lost to birdie on first extra hole

Champions Tour playoff record (0–1)

No. Year Tournament Opponents Result
1 2004 Vintage ARCO Invitational   Craig Stadler,   Tom Watson Stadler won with birdie on first extra hole

Results in major championships

Tournament 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979
Masters Tournament CUT CUT T42
U.S. Open 57 CUT CUT CUT
The Open Championship CUT
PGA Championship CUT CUT T64 T10
Tournament 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989
Masters Tournament CUT T35 T16 T16 T22 T25 CUT
U.S. Open CUT CUT T6 T24 T34 CUT T15 CUT CUT CUT
The Open Championship T14 T60 T11 T6 T4 T30
PGA Championship T46 CUT T54 CUT 66 T31 T61
Tournament 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001
Masters Tournament
U.S. Open CUT CUT CUT
The Open Championship
PGA Championship
  Top 10
  Did not play

CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place

Summary

Tournament Wins 2nd 3rd Top-5 Top-10 Top-25 Events Cuts made
Masters Tournament 0 0 0 0 0 4 10 6
U.S. Open 0 0 0 0 1 3 17 5
The Open Championship 0 0 0 1 2 4 7 6
PGA Championship 0 0 0 0 1 1 11 7
Totals 0 0 0 1 4 12 45 24
  • Most consecutive cuts made – 5 (twice)
  • Longest streak of top-10s – 1 (four times)

U.S. national team appearances

Amateur

See also

References

  1. ^ Associated Press, "Koch Ousts Champ in Junior Amateur," St. Petersburg Times, p. 2C (August 1, 1970). Retrieved April 20, 2010.
  2. ^ a b c d Florida Men's Golf 2011 Media Supplement April 2, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, pp. 34, 35, 37, 39, 41 (2010). Retrieved July 11, 2011.
  3. ^ 2008–09 Florida Gators Men's Golf Media Guide 2015-09-24 at the Wayback Machine, University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, p. 36 (2008). Retrieved July 14, 2011.
  4. ^ Robbie Andreu, "Top 25 Gator teams: #8 1973 Men's golf," Gainesville Sun (June 18, 2009). Retrieved April 20, 2010.
  5. ^ F Club, Hall of Fame, Gator Greats. Retrieved December 15, 2014.
  6. ^ "Bean And Koch Inducted," The Ledger, p. 1D (March 30, 1978). Retrieved June 23, 2010.
  7. ^ "Tiger Woods' 'Better Than Most' Putt".
  8. ^ "Cozart, Koch among 2012 Florida sports hall inductees". tbo.com. January 24, 2012. Archived from the original on February 3, 2013. Retrieved February 14, 2012.

External links

January 07, 2023
gary, koch, statistician, gary, grove, koch, gary, koch, born, november, 1952, american, professional, golfer, sportscaster, golf, course, designer, formerly, played, tour, nationwide, tour, champions, tour, personal, informationfull, namegary, kochborn, 1952,. For the statistician see Gary Grove Koch Gary D Koch born November 21 1952 is an American professional golfer sportscaster and golf course designer who formerly played on the PGA Tour Nationwide Tour and Champions Tour Gary KochPersonal informationFull nameGary D KochBorn 1952 11 21 November 21 1952 age 70 Baton Rouge LouisianaHeight5 ft 11 in 1 80 m Weight170 lb 77 kg 12 st Sporting nationality United StatesResidenceTampa FloridaCareerCollegeUniversity of FloridaTurned professional1975Current tour s Champions TourFormer tour s PGA TourProfessional wins10Number of wins by tourPGA Tour6Best results in major championshipsMasters TournamentT16 1985 1986PGA ChampionshipT10 1979U S OpenT6 1982The Open ChampionshipT4 1988 Contents 1 Early years 2 College career 3 Professional career 4 Post professional career 4 1 Golf courses original design 5 Amateur wins 6 Professional wins 10 6 1 PGA Tour wins 6 6 2 Other wins 1 6 3 Senior wins 3 7 Playoff record 8 Results in major championships 8 1 Summary 9 U S national team appearances 10 See also 11 References 12 External linksEarly years EditKoch was born in Baton Rouge Louisiana in 1952 and raised in Florida He won the Florida Open in 1969 as an amateur at the age of 16 He won the U S Junior Amateur in 1970 1 He attended C Leon King High School in Tampa Florida The 1969 King High golf team consisting of Koch Eddie Pearce Brian Hawke and Phil Reid won the Florida high school title setting a scoring record that stood for thirty years College career EditKoch accepted an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville Florida where he became a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity Florida Upsilon Chapter While he was an undergraduate Koch played for coach Buster Bishop s Florida Gators men s golf team in National Collegiate Athletic Association NCAA competition from 1971 to 1974 2 As a Gator golfer he was a four time first team All Southeastern Conference SEC selection and a three time All American 2 3 He was also a member of the Gators teams that won SEC championships in 1973 and 1974 and an NCAA Championship in 1973 4 Individually he was a two time medalist in the SEC tournament 1973 1974 and the runner up behind Ben Crenshaw at the 1973 NCAA championship tournament 2 His Gators teammates included fellow future PGA Tour professionals Woody Blackburn Andy Bean Phil Hancock and Andy North 2 Koch graduated from Florida with a bachelor s degree in journalism in 1976 and was inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a Gator Great in 1978 5 6 Professional career EditKoch turned professional in 1975 and won six events as a professional on the PGA Tour during the 1970s and 1980s His career year in professional golf came in 1984 when he finished seventeenth on the money list and captured two titles the Isuzu Andy Williams San Diego Open and the Bay Hill Classic In preparation for play on the Champions Tour Koch played some on the Nationwide Tour in his late 40s After turning 50 in November 2002 he began play on the Champions Tour His best finish in this venue was a tie for second at both the ACE Group Classic and Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf in 2004 Post professional career EditKoch s career as a sportscaster began in 1990 with ESPN working Champions Tour telecasts Before the end of the decade he joined NBC Sports A long time member of the NBC Sports announcing team 1996 present he is best known for his Better than Most 7 call in the third round of the 2001 Players Championship at the TPC at Sawgrass Three down from leader Jerry Kelly Tiger Woods was facing a long triple breaking fringe putt for birdie on the 17th hole s famous Island Green Koch s call of that putt has gone down as one of the most famous in golf history as it was during the height of Tiger s dominance on an iconic hole of a well known course on the way to an inevitable yet routine Woods comeback to win the tournament Koch also maintains an interest in golf course design and helped design the front nine of The Forest course at The Eagles Golf Course in Odessa Florida Koch was inducted into the Florida Sports Hall of Fame in 2012 8 Koch currently resides in Tampa Florida Golf courses original design Edit Bardmoor Golf and Tennis Club Mill Creek Mission Inn Resort amp Club Las Colinas course Mystic Dunes Golf Club The Eagles Golf Club Forest course The Groves Golf amp Country ClubAmateur wins Editthis list may be incomplete 1970 U S Junior Amateur 1973 Trans Mississippi AmateurProfessional wins 10 EditPGA Tour wins 6 Edit No Date Tournament Winning score To par Margin ofvictory Runner s up1 Apr 18 1976 Tallahassee Open 71 69 67 70 277 11 1 stroke John Mahaffey2 Mar 7 1977 Florida Citrus Open 70 69 65 70 274 14 2 strokes Dale Hayes Joe Inman3 Feb 27 1983 Doral Eastern Open 69 67 65 70 271 17 5 strokes Ed Fiori4 Jan 29 1984 Isuzu Andy Williams San Diego Open 68 70 69 65 272 16 Playoff Gary Hallberg5 Mar 18 1984 Bay Hill Classic 2 69 68 72 63 272 12 Playoff George Burns6 May 8 1988 Panasonic Las Vegas Invitational 68 73 66 67 274 14 1 stroke Peter Jacobsen Mark O Meara Note The 1988 Panasonic Las Vegas Invitational was shortened to 72 holes due to weather PGA Tour playoff record 2 0 No Year Tournament Opponent Result1 1984 Isuzu Andy Williams San Diego Open Gary Hallberg Won with birdie on second extra hole2 1984 Bay Hill Classic George Burns Won with birdie on second extra holeOther wins 1 Edit 1969 Florida Open as an amateur Senior wins 3 Edit 2003 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf Raphael Division with Roger Maltbie 2008 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf Raphael Division with Roger Maltbie 2009 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf Raphael Division with Roger Maltbie Playoff record EditJapan Golf Tour playoff record 0 1 No Year Tournament Opponent Result1 1984 Casio World Open Sandy Lyle Lost to birdie on first extra holeChampions Tour playoff record 0 1 No Year Tournament Opponents Result1 2004 Vintage ARCO Invitational Craig Stadler Tom Watson Stadler won with birdie on first extra holeResults in major championships EditTournament 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979Masters Tournament CUT CUT T42U S Open 57 CUT CUT CUTThe Open Championship CUTPGA Championship CUT CUT T64 T10Tournament 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989Masters Tournament CUT T35 T16 T16 T22 T25 CUTU S Open CUT CUT T6 T24 T34 CUT T15 CUT CUT CUTThe Open Championship T14 T60 T11 T6 T4 T30PGA Championship T46 CUT T54 CUT 66 T31 T61Tournament 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001Masters TournamentU S Open CUT CUT CUTThe Open ChampionshipPGA Championship Top 10 Did not play CUT missed the half way cut T indicates a tie for a place Summary Edit Tournament Wins 2nd 3rd Top 5 Top 10 Top 25 Events Cuts madeMasters Tournament 0 0 0 0 0 4 10 6U S Open 0 0 0 0 1 3 17 5The Open Championship 0 0 0 1 2 4 7 6PGA Championship 0 0 0 0 1 1 11 7Totals 0 0 0 1 4 12 45 24Most consecutive cuts made 5 twice Longest streak of top 10s 1 four times U S national team appearances EditAmateur Walker Cup 1973 winners 1975 winners Eisenhower Trophy 1974 winners See also Edit Biography portalFall 1975 PGA Tour Qualifying School graduates List of Florida Gators men s golfers on the PGA Tour List of Sigma Alpha Epsilon members List of University of Florida alumni List of University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame membersReferences Edit Associated Press Koch Ousts Champ in Junior Amateur St Petersburg Times p 2C August 1 1970 Retrieved April 20 2010 a b c d Florida Men s Golf 2011 Media Supplement Archived April 2 2012 at the Wayback Machine University Athletic Association Gainesville Florida pp 34 35 37 39 41 2010 Retrieved July 11 2011 2008 09 Florida Gators Men s Golf Media Guide Archived 2015 09 24 at the Wayback Machine University Athletic Association Gainesville Florida p 36 2008 Retrieved July 14 2011 Robbie Andreu Top 25 Gator teams 8 1973 Men s golf Gainesville Sun June 18 2009 Retrieved April 20 2010 F Club Hall of Fame Gator Greats Retrieved December 15 2014 Bean And Koch Inducted The Ledger p 1D March 30 1978 Retrieved June 23 2010 Tiger Woods Better Than Most Putt Cozart Koch among 2012 Florida sports hall inductees tbo com January 24 2012 Archived from the original on February 3 2013 Retrieved February 14 2012 External links EditGary Koch at the PGA Tour official site Gary Koch at the Official World Golf Ranking official site Golf With Gary Biography Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Gary Koch amp oldid 1127427940, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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