David Toms

David Wayne Toms, born January 4, 1967, is an American professional golfer now competing on the PGA Tour Champions. He played on the PGA Tour from 1992 through 2017, collecting 13 victories, including the 2001 PGA Championship, his lone major title. Between 2001 and 2006, Toms spent 175 weeks inside the top 10 of the Official World Golf Ranking, peaking at No. 5 in both 2002 and 2003.

Toms grew up in Monroe, Louisiana, the son of Thomas Edward "Buster" Toms from Minden. He won the 15-17 Boys' division at the 1984 Junior World Golf Championships and played Little League baseball alongside future MLB stars Albert Belle and Ben McDonald. After graduating from Airline High School in Bossier City, he attended Louisiana State University and played for the golf team.

Toms earned his first full PGA Tour card by finishing T23 at the 1991 Qualifying School. His early years were uneven: a third-place finish at the 1992 Northern Telecom Open was his only top 10 that season, and he struggled through 1993 and 1994, losing his Tour card. In 1995, he played the Nike Tour, winning the Greater Greenville Classic and the Wichita Open, which regained his PGA Tour status. His return in 1996 was disappointing—just two top 10s and a missed cut at his first major, the U.S. Open.

He broke through in 1997 with a three-stroke win at the Quad City Classic. The next season brought a runner-up at the Tucson Chrysler Classic and a T-6 at the Masters, his best major finish to that point. In 1999, Toms won the Sprint International by three shots over David Duval, then added the Buick Challenge a month later. He won the Michelob Championship in 2000 in a playoff over Mike Weir.

The 2001 season defined his career. Toms won the Compaq Classic of New Orleans by two strokes over Phil Mickelson, then captured the PGA Championship by one stroke over Mickelson. His 72-hole total of 265 was the lowest in major history until Henrik Stenson’s 264 at the 2016 Open Championship. Toms successfully defended his Michelob Championship title later that year and lost a four-man playoff at The Tour Championship to Mike Weir.

Between 2002 and 2006, Toms added five more wins. He lost a playoff to Sergio García at the 2002 Mercedes Championship but posted 12 top-10 finishes that season. In 2003, he fell to Tiger Woods in the WGC-Accenture Match Play final, then won the Wachovia Championship and the FedEx St. Jude Classic. He defended the St. Jude title in 2004 by six strokes. In 2005, he won the WGC-Accenture Match Play, beating Chris DiMarco 6&5 in the final, and nearly won a third straight St. Jude, finishing one stroke behind Justin Leonard. His 12th Tour win came at the 2006 Sony Open in Hawaii, where he won by five shots.