Early life and amateur career

Toms was born in Monroe in northeastern Louisiana. He is the son of Thomas E. "Buster" Toms of Minden in northwestern Louisiana. He won the 15-17 Boys' event at the 1984 Junior World Golf Championships. Toms also played little league baseball with future Major League Baseball players Albert Belle and Ben McDonald. After graduating from Airline High School in Bossier City, Louisiana, he attended Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, where he was a member of the golf team.

Professional career

1989-98: Early years and first win

In 1991, Toms finished T23 at the PGA Tour qualifying school to earn his first full tour card for the 1992 season. Toms made his first three cuts on tour including a third-place finish at the Northern Telecom Open, although this was the only top 10 he would earn all season. The following season was also a struggle for Toms as he made just 12 of 32 cuts for the season, of which three were top-10 finishes. In 1994, Toms' lack of success continued on the PGA Tour and he lost his playing rights for the 1995 season.

In 1995, Toms played the entire season on the Nike Tour (now Web.com Tour) with greater success, winning two tournaments, the Greater Greenville Classic and the Wichita Open. This success earned Toms his PGA Tour card for the 1996 season.

Upon his return to the PGA Tour in 1996, Toms had a disappointing season with just two top 10s. However, he did manage to qualify for his first major championship of his career at the 1996 U.S. Open, where he missed the cut.

In 1997, Toms won his first PGA Tour event at the Quad City Classic, winning by three strokes over Brandel Chamblee. He followed this success in the 1998 season with a runner-up finish at the Tucson Chrysler Classic. At his first visit to Augusta National, he recorded his best finish in a major championship at the time with a T-6 at the Masters. In his defense of the Quad City Classic title, Toms finished fourth.

1999-2000: Three more wins

In 1999, Toms enjoyed seven top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour. In September, he won his second title at the Sprint International, by three strokes over David Duval. Toms almost added another title the following week when he narrowly missed out at the Reno-Tahoe Open, finishing in T-2 behind Notah Begay III. Toms did, however, win his third PGA Tour title a month later at the Buick Challenge, defeating Stuart Appleby by three strokes.

In 2000, Toms made 26 of 31 cuts, including a tie for fourth at The Open Championship. He won the Michelob Championship at Kingsmill, defeating Canadian Mike Weir in a sudden-death playoff, giving Toms his fourth Tour victory.

2001: PGA Championship

Main article: 2001 PGA Championship

The standout year of Toms' career came in 2001. He had nine top-10 finishes and three wins on tour, one of which was his first major championship. Toms won the Compaq Classic of New Orleans by two strokes over Phil Mickelson for his fifth PGA Tour title. That summer, Toms won a major, the PGA Championship, by one stroke over Mickelson. His winning score of 265 in the 2001 PGA Championship is the lowest absolute 72-hole score ever recorded in a major championship. Toms followed up his first major win by successfully defending his title at the Michelob Championship at Kingsmill. At the last event of the year, Toms entered a four-man playoff at The Tour Championship where he, Sergio García and Ernie Els lost on the first extra hole to Mike Weir.

2002-06: Five more wins

In 2002, Toms lost in a playoff at the season opening Mercedes Championship to García when the Spaniard made birdie on the first extra hole. He did record a further 12 top-10 finishes with runner -up finishes at the MasterCard Colonial and the Buick Challenge followed by a sole third-place finish at The Tour Championship.

Toms finished runner-up at the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship in 2003 to Tiger Woods, losing 2&1, and also finished tied for eighth at The Masters. At the Wachovia Championship, he won his eighth PGA Tour title, by two strokes over Robert Gamez, and then recorded his best showing ever at the U.S. Open, finishing T-5. A few weeks later, Toms won his ninth PGA Tour title at the FedEx St. Jude Classic by three strokes over Nick Price.

In 2004, he defended his FedEx St. Jude Classic by finishing six strokes clear of American Bob Estes for his 10th victory on the PGA Tour. Despite this win, Toms endured a steady yet unspectacular season earning over 2.3 million dollars.

Toms enjoyed a much better start to the 2005 season in which he had top-10 finishes in five of his first seven events, including a win at the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship to record his first World Golf Championship victory. He defeated fellow American Chris DiMarco 6&5 in the 36-hole final on Sunday for his 11th PGA Tour win. Along the way, Toms defeated notables including Phil Mickelson, Adam Scott and Ian Poulter. Later in the season, he almost defended his FedEx St. Jude Classic title for a third successive year but finished one stroke behind Justin Leonard.

Early in 2006, Toms won his 12th PGA Tour title at the Sony Open in Hawaii, finishing five strokes ahead of Chad Campbell and Rory Sabbatini. He followed up this early season form with a T-2 finish at the Ford Championship at Doral behind Tiger Woods and then a T-3 finish a week later at The Honda Classic. Toms' form dipped during the rest of season, only recording a further two top-10 finishes.

2007-12: Injuries and comeback

In 2007, Toms had solid season with a succession of top-10 finishes, most notably a ninth-place finish at The Masters and an equal-best T-5 at the U.S. Open. Toms made just over $2 million in prize money and finished 33rd in the FedEx Cup standings.

Toms struggled during the 2008 season with injuries that forced him to miss large parts of the season and underperform. He only participated in 20 events during the season with only one top 10. He finished the season 136th on the FedEx Cup standings, making just under $800,000.

Toms enjoyed a much better season in 2009, with three runner-up finishes at the Sony Open in Hawaii, St. Jude Classic and the Travelers Championship amongst four other top-10 finishes. This form earned Toms a place in the season-ending The Tour Championship. He would finish 19th in the FedEx Cup standings with earnings over $3 million.

In 2010, Toms had just two top-10 finishes, his best placing coming at the Wyndham Championship where he finished in second place, one stroke behind winner Arjun Atwal. Toms made it to the third FedEx Cup playoff event the BMW Championship but did not make it into the top 30 to advance and eventually finished the season 55th in the standings.

Toms started the 2011 season well with a T-5 at the Mayakoba Golf Classic at Riviera Maya-Cancun and a T-3 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Toms then came close to his first PGA Tour win in five years at The Players Championship where he eventually lost on the first extra hole to South Korean K. J. Choi. This came despite leading the tournament for the majority of rounds two, three and four. Toms held the lead for the entire final round until he reached the par five 16th hole where he found the water with his second shot. This enabled Choi to take a one shot lead down the 18th hole; however Toms would make a birdie to Choi's par to take the event into a sudden-death playoff. At the first extra hole, the 17th, both players found the green with their tee shots. They would both go on to run their birdie attempts past the hole, but Toms would also see his par putt lip out from four feet, allowing Choi to make a three-foot putt for the victory.

Toms bounced back the week after his playoff loss to win the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial by one shot over Charlie Wi. Toms tied the PGA Tour scoring record for 36 holes after shooting a pair of 8-under-par 62s for a seven shot lead at the halfway stage. Toms' lead disappeared after a third round 74 when he trailed Wi by one stroke entering the final round. However, in the final round he shot a 67, which included a holed-out eagle from the fairway on the 11th hole for a one stroke victory. This was Toms' first win in over five years on the PGA Tour. The win guaranteed Toms a place in the U.S. Open and moved him up to 28th in the Official World Golf Ranking.

In June 2012, Toms recorded his best-ever performance in a U.S. Open when he finished T-4. Toms had been one of the co-leaders after 36 holes at one under par alongside fellow Americans Tiger Woods and Jim Furyk, but his challenge fell apart on day three when he found himself five over for his first six holes on his way to a 76. Toms did perform well on Sunday with a two-under round of 68, but fell short by two strokes.

Other ventures

Golf course design

Toms owns a golf course design business, which he describes as what he plans to do after his playing days are over. His early works, all in Louisiana, were as a player-consultant, and in renovation and redesign of existing courses. The first course for which he was the lead designer was Carter Plantation in Springfield, Louisiana.

Philanthropy

In 2003, Toms created the David Toms Foundation for the purpose of helping underprivileged, abused and abandoned children. Grants are made to programs that are designed to bolster a child's self-esteem, and help him or her develop into a productive citizen. His foundation raised more than $1.5 million for Hurricane Katrina relief. For his efforts, Toms shared the 2006 Golf Writers Association of America's Charlie Bennett Award with fellow Louisianans Kelly Gibson and Hal Sutton.

Personal life

Toms currently resides in Shreveport in northwestern Louisiana. He and wife, Sonya, have two children, Carter and Anna. In 2015, his son Carter signed to play for Louisiana State University, the same school as his father.

Professional wins (17)

PGA Tour wins (13)

Legend

Major championships (1)

World Golf Championships (1)

Other PGA Tour (11)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	Margin of victory	Runner(s) up
1	Jul 13, 1997	Quad City Classic	−15 (67-66-67-65=265)	3 strokes	Brandel Chamblee, Robert Gamez, Jimmy Johnston
2	Aug 22, 1999	Sprint International	47 pts. (16-13-10-8=47)	3 points	David Duval
3	Oct 3, 1999	Buick Challenge	−17 (68-66-66-71=271)	3 strokes	Stuart Appleby
4	Oct 8, 2000	Michelob Championship at Kingsmill	−13 (68-70-67-66=271)	Playoff	Mike Weir
5	May 6, 2001	Compaq Classic of New Orleans	−22 (66-73-63-64=266)	2 strokes	Phil Mickelson
6	Aug 19, 2001	PGA Championship	−15 (66-65-65-69=265)	1 stroke	Phil Mickelson
7	Oct 7, 2001	Michelob Championship at Kingsmill	−15 (64-70-67-68=269)	1 stroke	Kirk Triplett
8	May 11, 2003	Wachovia Championship	−10 (70-69-66-73=278)	2 strokes	Robert Gamez, Brent Geiberger, Vijay Singh
9	Jun 29, 2003	FedEx St. Jude Classic	−20 (68-67-65-64=264)	3 strokes	Nick Price
10	May 30, 2004	FedEx St. Jude Classic	−16 (67-63-65-73=268)	6 strokes	Bob Estes
11	Feb 27, 2005	WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship	6 & 5		Chris DiMarco
12	Jan 15, 2006	Sony Open in Hawaii	−19 (66-69-61-65=261)	5 strokes	Chad Campbell, Rory Sabbatini
13	May 22, 2011	Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial	−15 (62-62-74-67=265)	1 stroke	Charlie Wi

PGA Tour playoff record (1-3)

No.	Year	Tournament	Opponent(s)	Result
1	2000	Michelob Championship at Kingsmill	Mike Weir	Won with par on first extra hole
2	2001	The Tour Championship	Ernie Els, Sergio García, Mike Weir	Weir won with birdie on first extra hole
3	2002	Mercedes Championship	Sergio García	Lost to birdie on first extra hole
4	2011	The Players Championship	K. J. Choi	Lost to par on first extra hole

Nike Tour wins (2)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	Margin of victory	Runner-up
1	May 28, 1995	NIKE Greater Greenville Classic	−21 (67-66-68-66=267)	Playoff	Tom Scherrer
2	Jul 20, 1995	NIKE Wichita Open	−19 (67-67-68-67=269)	Playoff	E.J. Pfister

Other wins (2)

• 1999 Hassan II Golf Trophy
• 2009 CVS Caremark Charity Classic (with Nick Price)

Major championships

Wins (1)

Year	Championship	54 holes	Winning score	Margin	Runner-up
2001	PGA Championship	2 shot lead	−15 (66-65-65-69=265)	1 stroke	Phil Mickelson

Results timeline

Tournament	1996	1997	1998	1999
Masters Tournament	DNP	DNP	T6	CUT
U.S. Open	CUT	WD	DNP	CUT
The Open Championship	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
PGA Championship	DNP	CUT	CUT	CUT

Tournament	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009
Masters Tournament	T49	T31	T36	T8	CUT	CUT	CUT	9	T42	DNP
U.S. Open	T16	T66	T45	T5	T20	T15	WD	T5	T60	CUT
The Open Championship	T4	CUT	83	CUT	T30	DQ	DNP	CUT	DNP	CUT
PGA Championship	T41	1	CUT	T29	T17	T10	T16	T42	T15	T36

Tournament	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015
Masters Tournament	T14	T24	T50	T13	DNP	DNP
U.S. Open	T33	CUT	T4	CUT	CUT	DNP
The Open Championship	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
PGA Championship	T33	T4	T42	7	DNP	CUT

DNP = did not play
CUT = missed the half-way cut
WD = withdrew
DQ = disqualified
"T" = tied for place
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10.

Summary

Tournament	Wins	2nd	3rd	Top-5	Top-10	Top-25	Events	Cuts made
Masters Tournament	0	0	0	0	3	6	15	11
U.S. Open	0	0	0	3	3	6	18	10
The Open Championship	0	0	0	1	1	1	8	3
PGA Championship	1	0	0	2	4	7	18	13
Totals	1	0	0	6	11	20	59	37

• Most consecutive cuts made - 6 (2000 Masters - 2001 U.S. Open)
• Longest streak of top-10s - 2 (twice)

World Golf Championships

Wins (1)

Year	Championship	54 holes	Winning score	Margin of victory	Runner-up
2005	WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship	n/a	6 & 5		Chris DiMarco

Results timeline

Tournament	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008
Accenture Match Play Championship	DNP	R32	R32	QF	2	R16	1	R16	R16	R32
Cadillac Championship	T11	T25	NT1	T4	5	T13	T6	53	T45	DNP
Bridgestone Invitational	DNP	DNP	T13	T15	T33	T6	T9	T8	T61	T48

Tournament	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013
Accenture Match Play Championship	DNP	R64	DNP	R32	R64
Cadillac Championship	DNP	T50	DNP	WD	DNP
Bridgestone Invitational	T22	DNP	T9	T8	DNP
HSBC Champions	DNP	DNP	T59	DNP	DNP

1Cancelled due to 9/11
DNP = Did not play
QF, R16, R32, R64 = Round in which player lost in match play
"T" = Tied
NT = No tournament
WD = Withdrew Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10.
Note that the HSBC Champions did not become a WGC event until 2009.

U.S. national team appearances

Professional

• Ryder Cup: 2002, 2004, 2006
• World Cup: 2002
• Presidents Cup: 2003 (tie), 2005 (winners), 2007 (winners), 2011 (winners)

[ Source: Wikipedia ]