Brian Claar

Brian Claar
Personal information
Full nameBrian J. Claar
Born (1959-07-29) July 29, 1959 (age 65)
Santa Monica, California
Height5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Weight150 lb (68 kg; 11 st)
Sporting nationality United States
Career
CollegeUniversity of Tampa
Turned professional1981
Former tour(s)PGA Tour
Asia Golf Circuit
Professional wins3
Best results in major championships
Masters TournamentCUT: 1990
PGA ChampionshipT9: 1992
U.S. Open5th: 1989
The Open ChampionshipT49: 1995
Achievements and awards
PGA Tour
Rookie of the Year		1986
Asia Golf Circuit
Order of Merit winner		1989

Brian J. Claar (born July 29, 1959) is an American professional golfer.

Early life

Claar was born in Santa Monica, California. He played college golf at the University of Tampa where he was a two-time All-American.[1] He was inducted into their Athletic Hall of Fame in 1989.[2]

Professional career

Claar turned professional in 1981.[1] He played on the PGA Tour from 1986 to 1998. He was selected as the PGA Rookie of the Year in 1986.[3] His best finish was a T-2 at the 1991 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. He then played primarily on the Nationwide Tour from 1999 to 2002. His best finishes on this tour were a pair of T-2s in 2002, a playoff loss at the Hershey Open and T-2 at the Utah Classic.

Outside of the United States, Claar had success on the Asia Golf Circuit. In 1989 he claimed the Order of Merit title having won twice during the season, at the Hong Kong and Thailand opens.[4]

Claar twice finished in the top-10 at a major. At the 1989 U.S. Open, he finished fifth, two shots behind Curtis Strange. At the 1992 PGA Championship, he finished tied for ninth, six shots behind Nick Price.[5]

Claar has also worked as Champions Tour official.[6][7]

Professional wins (3)

Asia Golf Circuit wins (2)

No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory		 Runner(s)-up
1 Feb 19, 1989 Johnnie Walker Hong Kong Open −6 (70-68-69-67=274) 1 stroke Sweden Mats Lanner, United States Gary Rusnak
2 Feb 26, 1989 Thai International Thailand Open −16 (66-67-68-71=272) 3 strokes United States E. J. Pfister

Other wins (1)

Playoff record

Buy.com Tour playoff record (0–1)

No. Year Tournament Opponents Result
1 2002 Hershey Open United States Steve Ford, United States Cliff Kresge,
United States Joel Kribel 		Kresge won with birdie on third extra hole

Results in major championships

Tournament 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995
Masters Tournament CUT
U.S. Open 5 T29 CUT T46
The Open Championship T49
PGA Championship CUT T9 CUT T49
  Top 10
  Did not play

CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Official 1991 PGA TOUR Media Guide. PGA Tour. 1990. p. 58.
  2. ^ University of Tampa Athletic Hall of Fame Archived 2010-05-27 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ The Power of Love
  4. ^ "Sport Shorts". The Associated Press. April 23, 1989.
  5. ^ "Golf Major Championships".
  6. ^ Preparing for Champions: Crosswater gets a 'major' new look from Tour officials Archived July 7, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  7. ^ "Champions Tour event suspended due to high winds". Archived from the original on July 8, 2011. Retrieved March 10, 2011.