| Des Smyth | |
|---|---|
 Smyth in 2010 | |
| Personal information | |
| Full name | Desmond John Smyth |
| Born | (1953-02-12)12 February 1953 (age 72) Drogheda,County Louth, Ireland |
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) |
| Weight | 168 lb (76 kg; 12.0 st) |
| Sporting nationality |  Ireland |
| Residence | Drogheda, County Louth, Ireland |
| Career | |
| Turned professional | 1974 |
| Former tours | European Tour European Senior Tour PGA Tour Champions |
| Professional wins | 26 |
| Highestranking | 48 (7 May 1989)[1] |
| Number of wins by tour | |
| European Tour | 8 |
| PGA Tour Champions | 2 |
| European Senior Tour | 5 |
| Other | 9 (regular) 2 (senior) |
| Best results in major championships | |
| Masters Tournament | DNP |
| PGA Championship | DNP |
| U.S. Open | DNP |
| The Open Championship | T4:1982 |
Desmond John Smyth (born 12 February 1953) is an Irishprofessional golfer. He won eight times on theEuropean Tour between 1979 and 2001. He also had a successful senior career winning twice on thePGA Tour Champions and five times on theEuropean Senior Tour between 2005 and 2012. He played in twoRyder Cup matches, 1979 and 1981.
Smyth turned professional in 1974 and was a member of theEuropean Tour for over a quarter of a century. His best finish on the European Tour Order of Merit was seventh in 1988. He won eight tournaments on the tour across four different decades, breakingNeil Coles' record as the oldest man to win a European Tour event when he claimed the 2001Madeira Island Open at the age of 48 years and 34 days. This record was broken byMiguel Ángel Jiménez (48 years, 11 months, 13 days) at the 2012UBS Hong Kong Open.
Smyth represented Europe in theRyder Cup in1979 and1981, losing on both occasions to the United States. Smyth also represented his country in theWorld Cup and theAlfred Dunhill Cup many times and was a member of the Irish team (alongsideEamonn Darcy andRonan Rafferty) which won the latter in 1988. At the2006 Ryder Cup, he was one ofIan Woosnam's vice-captains.[2]
After turning fifty in 2003, Smyth had a successful career in senior golf, winning tournaments on both theChampions Tour and theEuropean Senior Tour.
Smyth is the only golfer to win European Tour events in 4 different decades.
Smyth has a son, Greg, a horticultural student atITBlanchardstown. Greg won Ireland's eighth largestlottery jackpot of €9,426,636 on 13 August 2008.[3]
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 Aug1979 | Sun Alliance Match Play Championship | 1 up |  Nick Price | |
| 2 | 8 Jun1980 | Newcastle Brown "900" Open | −12 (67-70-70-69=276) | 1 stroke |  Graham Burroughs,Neil Coles, Greg Norman |
| 3 | 22 Jun 1980 | Cold Shield Greater Manchester Open | −7 (67-71-69-66=273) | Playoff | Brian Waites |
| 4 | 28 Jun1981 | Coral Classic | −6 (67-72-70-73=282) | 2 strokes | Michael King, Bernhard Langer,John O'Leary |
| 5 | 30 Oct1983 | Sanyo Open | −9 (72-66-70-71=279) | 1 stroke |  Hugh Baiocchi,Mark James |
| 6 | 23 Oct1988 | BNP Jersey Open | −15 (69-68-69-67=273) | Playoff | Roger Chapman |
| 7 | 31 Oct1993 | Madrid Open | −16 (65-68-68-71=272) | 3 strokes |  Domingo Hospital,José Rivero,Mark Roe,Wayne Westner |
| 8 | 18 Mar2001 | Madeira Island Open | −18 (66-70-68-66=270) | 2 strokes | John Bickerton |
European Tour playoff record (2–3)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1980 | Cold Shield Greater Manchester Open | Brian Waites | Won with birdie on sixth extra hole |
| 2 | 1982 | Jersey Open | Eamonn Darcy, Bernard Gallacher | Gallacher won with par on fifth extra hole Darcy eliminated by birdie on second hole |
| 3 | 1984 | Sanyo Open | Sam Torrance | Lost to par on first extra hole |
| 4 | 1986 | Whyte & Mackay PGA Championship | Rodger Davis | Lost to bogey on third extra hole |
| 5 | 1988 | BNP Jersey Open | Roger Chapman | Won with birdie on fifth extra hole |
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 13 Mar2005 | SBC Classic | −5 (71-72-68=211) | 1 stroke | Mark McNulty, D. A. Weibring |
| 2 | 24 Apr 2005 | Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf | −8 (66-71-71=208) | 2 strokes | Tom Jenkins |
Champions Tour playoff record (0–1)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2005 | The Senior British Open Championship | Tom Watson | Lost to par on third extra hole |
| Legend |
|---|
| Tour Championships (1) |
| Other European Senior Tour (4) |
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 Nov2005 | Arcapita Seniors Tour Championship | −10 (68-68-70=206) | 2 strokes | John Chillas |
| 2 | 5 Aug2007 | Wentworth Senior Masters | −6 (70-71-69=210) | 2 strokes |  Bob Charles |
| 3 | 5 Sep2010 | Travis Perkins plc Senior Masters | −10 (66-71-69=206) | 3 strokes | Carl Mason |
| 4 | 26 Jun2011 | Van Lanschot Senior Open | −6 (71-74-65=210) | 2 strokes | Peter Fowler,Tim Thelen |
| 5 | 2 Sep2012 | Travis Perkins plc Senior Masters (2) | −10 (72-66-68=206) | 1 stroke | Peter Fowler |
European Senior Tour playoff record (0–2)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2005 | The Senior British Open Championship | Tom Watson | Lost to par on third extra hole |
| 2 | 2011 | Cannes Mougins Masters | Juan Quirós | Lost to birdie on second extra hole |
| Tournament | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Open Championship | CUT | CUT | CUT |
| Tournament | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Open Championship | CUT | T31 | T4 | CUT | CUT | CUT | CUT | CUT | CUT |
| Tournament | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Open Championship | CUT | T44 | CUT | T27 | CUT | DQ | T15 | CUT |
| Tournament | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Open Championship | T13 | T28 |
Note: Smyth only played in The Open Championship.
CUT = missed the half-way cut (3rd round cut in 1977, 1980 and 1985 Open Championships)
DQ = Disqualified
"T" = tied
Amateur
Professional
Des Smyth in theRyder Cup | |||||||||
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