José María Cañizares

José María Cañizares
Personal information
Full nameJosé María Cañizares
Born (1947-02-16) 16 February 1947 (age 77)
Madrid, Spain
Height5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Sporting nationality Spain
ResidenceManilva, Málaga, Spain
SpouseFelicidad
ChildrenGenoveva, Gabriel, Alejandro
Career
Turned professional1967
Current tour(s)Champions Tour
European Seniors Tour
Former tour(s)European Tour
Professional wins19
Number of wins by tour
European Tour6
PGA Tour Champions1
Other12
Best results in major championships
Masters TournamentDNP
PGA ChampionshipCUT: 1986
U.S. OpenDNP
The Open ChampionshipT11: 1985, 1986

José María Cañizares (born 18 February 1947) is a Spanish golfer.

Early life

Cañizares was born in Madrid.

Professional career

In 1967, he turned professional. He made the top hundred on the European Tour Order of Merit every year from the first season in 1972 through to 1993. He placed in the top ten five times, with a best ranking of fourth in 1983. He won six events on the tour.

Cañizares was a member of four European Ryder Cup teams and had a record of 5 wins, 4 losses and two ties, including 2.5 points in four singles matches. In 1985 his singles victory over Fuzzy Zoeller rubber-stamped a European win that took the trophy from the Americans for the first time in 28 years. In 1989 his putt to beat Ken Green on the 18th at The Belfry ensured a 14–14 tie and keep the cup in European hands.

Cañizares won the World Cup team event for Spain on two occasions. In 1982, his partner was Manuel Piñero. In 1984, he teamed up with José Rivero, and on that occasion he also took the individual prize.

After becoming eligible for senior tournaments in 1997 Cañizares played mainly on the U.S.-based Champions Tour. He won once as a senior, at the 2001 Toshiba Senior Classic. In 2000 he had ten top ten finishes and set a then tour record for season earnings without a win of US$1,155,939. He also played a few times on the European Seniors Tour.

Personal life

Cañizares' son Alejandro won a European Tour event in 2006 and a second one in 2014.

Professional wins (19)

European Tour wins (6)

No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory 		Runner(s)-up
1 22 Oct 1972 Lancia d'Oro −5 (69-70-75-73=287) Playoff England Peter Townsend
2 1 Jun 1980 Avis Jersey Open +1 (71-67-71-72=281) 2 strokes Scotland Steve Martin
3 28 Sep 1980 Bob Hope British Classic −19 (68-67-70-64=269) 1 stroke Spain Seve Ballesteros, United States Lee Trevino,
England Brian Waites
4 3 May 1981 Italian Open −8 (68-71-70-71=280) Playoff United States Bobby Clampett
5 25 Sep 1983 Bob Hope British Classic (2) −19 (70-65-68-66=269) 1 stroke Northern Ireland David Feherty
6 5 Apr 1992 Roma Masters −2 (72-71-69-74=286) Playoff England Barry Lane

European Tour playoff record (3–3)

No. Year Tournament Opponent(s) Result
1 1972 Lancia d'Oro England Peter Townsend Won with birdie on fifth extra hole
2 1981 Italian Open United States Bobby Clampett Won with birdie on first extra hole
3 1983 Paco Rabanne Open de France England Nick Faldo, England David J. Russell Faldo won with par on third extra hole
Russell eliminated by birdie on first hole
4 1983 Martini International England Nick Faldo Lost to par on third extra hole
5 1985 Cepsa Madrid Open Spain Manuel Piñero Lost to birdie on fourth extra hole
6 1992 Roma Masters England Barry Lane Won with birdie on second extra hole

Safari Circuit wins (1)

No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory 		Runner-up
1 11 Mar 1984 555 Kenya Open −7 (69-72-69-67=277) Playoff England David J. Russell

Other wins (11)

Senior PGA Tour wins (1)

No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory 		Runner-up
1 4 Mar 2001 Toshiba Senior Classic −11 (65-70-67=202) Playoff United States Gil Morgan

Senior PGA Tour playoff record (1–3)

No. Year Tournament Opponent(s) Result
1 1998 Bell Atlantic Classic United States Jay Sigel Lost to birdie on third extra hole
2 1999 Southwestern Bell Dominion United States Bruce Fleisher, United States John Mahaffey Mahaffey won with birdie on second extra hole
Fleisher eliminated by birdie on first hole
3 2000 ACE Group Classic United States Walter Hall, United States Lanny Wadkins,
United States Tom Watson 		Wadkins won with par on third extra hole
Hall and Watson eliminated by par on first hole
4 2001 Toshiba Senior Classic United States Gil Morgan Won with birdie on ninth extra hole

Results in major championships

Tournament 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979
The Open Championship CUT
PGA Championship
Tournament 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989
The Open Championship CUT CUT T22 CUT T36 T11 T11 CUT CUT
PGA Championship CUT
Tournament 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994
The Open Championship 72 CUT CUT CUT
PGA Championship

Note: Cañizares never played in the Masters Tournament nor the U.S. Open.

  Did not play

CUT = missed the half-way cut (3rd round cut in 1975 and 1981 Open Championships)
"T" = tied

Team appearances

References

  1. ^ "2020 Official Competition Guide" (PDF). Royal Spanish Golf Federation. pp. 114–115. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 October 2020. Retrieved 9 November 2020.