Hal Sutton

Hal Evan Sutton (born April 28, 1958) is an American professional golfer who competes on the PGA Tour Champions. Over his career, he has won 14 PGA Tour events, most notably the 1983 PGA Championship, his only major title, and The Players Championship in both 1983 and 2000. He topped the PGA Tour’s money list in 1983 and was named Player of the Year that same season.

Sutton grew up in Shreveport, Louisiana, and played college golf at Centenary College. There, he won 14 tournaments, earned All-American honors, led the Gents to the NCAA Tournament, finished ninth nationally, and was named Golf Magazine’s College Player of the Year in 1980.

He broke through on the PGA Tour in 1982 with a win at the Walt Disney World Golf Classic, beating Bill Britton in a playoff after both finished at 19-under-par 269. The following year, Sutton captured the Tournament Players Championship in March and then the PGA Championship at Riviera in August. After that, he endured a long winless stretch from 1987 through 1994, nearly losing his tour card and keeping it only through a one-time exemption for players in the top 50 of the all-time money list. He revived his career in 1995 with a victory at the B.C. Open.

In 1998, Sutton won the Valero Texas Open and the Tour Championship, finishing fifth on the money list. His best season outside of 1983 came in 2000, when he defeated Tiger Woods in the final group of The Players Championship. On the 72nd hole, as his 6-iron approach was in the air, he shouted, “Be the right club. Be the right club today!”—a line that became famous. He added a win at the Greater Greensboro Chrysler Classic two starts later and ended the year fourth on the money list. In 2001, he made the cut in 22 of 26 events, won the Shell Houston Open, and earned $1.7 million.

Sutton spent more than 50 weeks in the top 10 of the Official World Golf Ranking from 1986 to 1987, and again for over 50 weeks between 1999 and 2001, reaching as high as fifth. He played on four U.S. Ryder Cup teams (1985, 1987, 1999, 2002) and served as non-playing captain in 2004. That year, Europe defeated the U.S. 18½ to 9½ at Oakland Hills, and Sutton faced criticism for his decision to pair Tiger Woods with Phil Mickelson on the first day.

Off the course, Sutton received the Payne Stewart Award in 2007 for his charitable work, including founding the Christus Schumpert Sutton Children’s Hospital in Shreveport. He also teamed with fellow Louisianans Kelly Gibson and David Toms to raise over $2 million for victims of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. In 2004, he earned the Omar N. Bradley Spirit of Independence Award, and in 2006, the Golf Writers Association of America’s Charlie Bartlett Award with Gibson and Toms for their relief efforts.

Sutton became eligible for the Champions Tour in April 2008, with his best finish a tie for third at the 2009 Outback Steakhouse Pro-Am. In April 2025, he endorsed Makefield Putters.

A Republican, Sutton has donated to several GOP causes. He has five children.

His amateur wins include the 1974 Louisiana Junior Amateur, the 1979 Western Amateur, and four titles in 1980: the North and South Amateur, U.S. Amateur, Western Amateur, and Northeast Amateur. He also played on winning Walker Cup teams in 1979 and 1981 and on the 1980 Eisenhower Trophy team that won as a team and individually.