Justin Leonard played collegiate golf at the University of Texas at Austin, where he won the 1992 U.S. Amateur and the 1994 NCAA individual championship, earning the Fred Haskins Award as the nation’s top collegiate player. Shortly after turning professional in 1994, Leonard became one of only a few golfers to earn his PGA Tour card directly from college.
Leonard won 12 PGA Tour events during his career, highlighted by his victory at the 1997 Open Championship, his lone major title, and the 1998 Players Championship. He was ranked in the world’s top 10 in the late 1990s and represented the United States in multiple Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup teams; his long putt in the 1999 Ryder Cup is considered one of the defining moments of that event.
After turning 50 in 2022, Leonard joined the PGA Tour Champions Tour and also works as a golf analyst for televised coverage.