Ernest W. "Trip" Kuehne III (born June 20, 1972) is an Americanamateurgolfer. He is most remembered for his defeat at the hands ofTiger Woods in the 1994U.S. Amateur,[1] and his subsequent refusal to turnprofessional in favor of a successful amateur career.[2]
Kuehne was born inDallas, Texas. As a pupil atHighland Park High School in Dallas, he was coached byHank Haney,[3] who later gained renown as Tiger Woods' swing coach after Woods andButch Harmon split in 2002.[4] Under Haney's tutelage he won back-to-backTexas high school golf championships, an achievement shared withJustin Leonard,Ben Crenshaw andTom Kite.[5]
At college, he enrolled atArizona State University, where he was the roommate ofPhil Mickelson.[2] He then transferred toOklahoma State University, where he wasAll-American from 1994 to 1996 and won the 1995Ben Hogan Award.[6] But following his defeat at the 1994 U.S. Amateur, Kuehne found he was unwilling to make the sacrifices demanded in a professional golfer's life, and concentrated instead on a career in finance after graduating with anMBA in 1997.[3][7]
I want people to realize that you don't have to turn professional if you're an All-American. There are other things out there. You can get a good-paying job, you can enjoy the game of golf and play because you love the game of golf.
— Trip Kuehne, after winning the U.S. Mid-Amateur in October 2007.[8]
In 1994, Kuehne reached the final of the U.S. Amateur at theTPC at Sawgrass, where his opponent was a heavily hyped eighteen-year-old Tiger Woods. After shooting 66 in the morning round, Kuehne had a six-hole advantage, and was five up with twelve holes remaining.[9] Woods then staged the greatest turnaround in the tournament's 94-year history,[10] winning five of the next ten holes before sinking a fifteen-foot putt on the seventeenth to win the event in what was described as "one of golf's great performances".[11] The defeat caused Kuehne to question his own commitment to the sport and whether he really was good enough to compete.[3] He has since said that he views the match a "blessing in disguise,"[8][9] although he says that he still will not watch footage of the match.[12]
Kuehne played in threeWalker Cup teams for the United States, in 1995, 2003,[13] and 2007.[14] He also played in fourU.S. Opens, where he was the lowest scoring amateur in 2003 atOlympia Fields Country Club.[5][15] Thirteen years after hisMasters Tournament debut as runner-up to Woods, he returned to theAugusta National Golf Club in 2008,[16] this time by beating Dan Whitaker 9&7 at the 2007U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship atBandon Dunes Golf Resort inOregon to qualify.[17] The fulfillment of his ambition to "take my boy to the Masters",[8] along with his other 2007 successes—he was on the winning Walker Cup team for the first time, and helped Texas retain theUSGA state team title[7]—led him to make Augusta the scene of his final competitive tournament before retirement.[18]
At age 49, Kuehne entered a few amateur tournaments with an intent to participate in qualifying for major tournaments as he will have reached eligibility for the senior amateur and professional championships in 2022 when he turns 50.[19] In 2023, he qualified for theU.S. Senior Open.
Kuehne is the eldest child of Ernest W. "Ernie" Kuehne, Jr.[20] and ex-wife Pam Kuehne. His father is a successful lawyer and businessman who says he was a hard-driving parent: "I don't think my kids are competitive by accident."[3] All three children have wonU.S. Golf Association championships, a unique feat in the organization's history.[5][21] His sisterKelli scored back-to-back victories at theU.S. Women's Amateur in 1995 and 1996 before turning pro in 1998,[22] while brotherHank, before joining the PGA Tour in 1999,[23] won the 1998 U.S. Amateur with Trip as hiscaddie.[1]
He lives with wife Dusti and son Will inIrving, Texas,[24] and owns his own Dallas-basedinvestment management company, Double Eagle Capital,[25] which he started in 2005 after working as ahedge fund manager forLegg Mason.[5] His home club is the Vaquero Club atWestlake, Texas.[6]
| Tournament | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | CUT | CUT | ||||||||||||
| U.S. Open | T79 | T57LA | CUT | CUT |
Note: Kuehne only played in theMasters and theU.S. Open.
LA = Low amateur
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied
Amateur