Lee Janzen
Lee Janzen (born August 28 1964) is an American golfer who is best known for twice winning the U.S. Open.
Overview
Although Janzen was born in Austin, Minnesota, he spent most of his childhood in Baltimore, where he played Little League baseball. When Janzen was 12, his father's company transferred his dad, and the family moved to Florida. Janzen's parents started him in golf and tennis, and he continued playing baseball; however, Janzen liked golf best and started playing that sport all the time. He won his first tournament at 15 as a member of the Greater Tampa Junior Golf Association.
Janzen chose to attend a small college – Florida Southern – rather than a big institution like Florida. In 1985 and 1986, Florida Southern won the Division II national team championship. Janzen was the individual medalist in 1986. He turned pro later that same year.
Janzen has won eight times on the PGA Tour, most notably the 1993 and 1998 U.S. Opens. In 1993, Janzen defeated Payne Stewart at the Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield, New Jersey, en route to tying the 72-hole U.S. Open scoring record of 8-under par. Five years later, Janzen again beat out Stewart to win his second U.S. Open, this time at the Olympic Club in San Francisco. Janzen overcame a 5-shot deficit on Sunday, marking the best final-round comeback in a U.S. Open since 1973.
Lee Janzen also notched a victory at The Players' Championship in 1995, the most signature non-major event on the PGA Tour. He has featured in the top 20 of the Official World Golf Rankings.
Janzen has had several more opportunities to win major golf championships. In 1996, he was in contention at both the U.S. Open and PGA Championship before finishing inside the Top 10 in both events. Janzen finished fourth at the 1997 PGA Championship after sharing the 36-hole lead at Winged Foot Country Club in New York.
Since 1999, Janzen's play has steadily worsened. He is currently 138th on the 2007 PGA Tour Money List.
Janzen also played on two American Ryder Cup teams, in 1993 and 1997.
Janzen has lived in various places in central Florida since becoming a professional golfer. He frequently speaks about his Christian beliefs.
Major Championships
Wins(2)
| Year | Championship | 54 Holes | Winning Score | Margin of Victory | Runners Up |
| 1993 | U.S. Open | 2 shots back | -8 (67-67-69-69=272) | 2 strokes |  Payne Stewart
|
| 1998 | U.S. Open | 2 shots back | E (73-66-73-68=280) | 2 strokes | Payne Stewart
|
Results timeline
| Tournament | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Masters | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| U.S. Open | CUT | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| The Open Championship | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| PGA Championship | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| Tournament | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Masters | DNP | DNP | T54 | T39 | T30 | T12 | T12 | T26 | T33 | T14 |
| U.S. Open | DNP | CUT | CUT | 1 | CUT | T13 | T10 | T52 | 1 | T46 |
| The Open Championship | DNP | DNP | T39 | T48 | T35 | T24 | CUT | CUT | T24 | 70 |
| PGA Championship | DNP | DNP | T21 | T22 | T66 | T23 | T8 | 4 | CUT | CUT |
| Tournament | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Masters | CUT | T31 | CUT | CUT | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| U.S. Open | T37 | CUT | CUT | T55 | T24 | T57 | CUT | T13 |
| The Open Championship | CUT | DNP | T80 | CUT | DNP | DNP | DNP | |
| PGA Championship | T19 | CUT | T53 | T34 | DNP | CUT | DNP |
DNP = did not play
CUT = missed the half way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place.
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10.
PGA Tour wins (8)
- 1992 (1) Northern Telecom Open
- 1993 (2) Phoenix Open, U.S. Open
- 1994 (1) Buick Classic
- 1995 (3) The Players Championship, Kemper Open, Sprint International
- 1998 (1) U.S. Open
Major championships are shown in bold.
Other wins (1)
- 2000 Franklin Templeton Shootout (with Rocco Mediate)