Early years and education

Elkington was born in Inverell, New South Wales and grew up in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales. He moved to the United States to attend college at the University of Houston, where he played on the golf team. He became the first prominent Australian player to play college golf in the United States. He turned professional in 1985.

Professional career

Elkington has 10 wins on the PGA Tour, all of which were in the 1990s. He has 10 top-10 finishes in major championships, including a win in the 1995 PGA Championship at the Riviera Country Club, and a tie for second in the 2005 PGA Championship behind winner Phil Mickelson, which moved him back into the top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking.

Elkington was a member of the International Team in the 1994, 1996, 1998 and 2000 Presidents Cups. In 1995, he was awarded the Vardon Trophy; this award is given annually by the PGA of America to the tour player with the lowest scoring average.

Controversies

In December 2013, Elkington was widely condemned for remarks he made on Twitter following a fatal helicopter crash in Glasgow's Clutha pub. He wrote: "Helicopter crashes into Scottish pub... Locals report no beer was spilled." The tweet was quickly deleted but not before being shared by users of the social networking site. The comment provoked a furious backlash from his fellow players and commentators alike.

In February 2014, Elkington remarked on Twitter that openly gay football player Michael Sam was "leading the handbag throw" at the NFL Combine, which multiple sources described as homophobic.

Personal

Elkington is married and has two children. His family resides in Sydney, Australia and Houston, Texas. Elkington's professional career has been hampered by constant battles with allergies, which caused several absences from tournament play.

Professional wins (17)

PGA Tour wins (10)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up
1	22 Apr 1990	KMart Greater Greensboro Open	−6 (74-71-71-66=282)	2 strokes	Mike Reid, Jeff Sluman
2	31 Mar 1991	The Players Championship	−12 (66-70-72-68=276)	1 stroke	Fuzzy Zoeller
3	12 Jan 1992	Infiniti Tournament of Champions	−9 (69-71-67-72=279)	Playoff	Brad Faxon
4	2 Oct 1994	Buick Southern Open	−16 (66-66-68=200)	5 strokes	Steve Rintoul
5	8 Jan 1995	Mercedes Championships	−10 (69-71-71-67=278)	Playoff	Bruce Lietzke
6	13 Aug 1995	PGA Championship	−17 (68-67-68-64=267)	Playoff	Colin Montgomerie
7	9 Mar 1997	Doral-Ryder Open	−13 (70-66-70-69=275)	2 strokes	Larry Nelson, Nick Price
8	30 Mar 1997	The Players Championship	−16 (66-69-68-69=272)	7 strokes	Scott Hoch
9	4 Oct 1998	Buick Challenge	−21 (66-70-66-65=267)	Playoff	Fred Funk
10	7 Mar 1999	Doral-Ryder Open	−13 (72-70-69-64=275)	1 stroke	Greg Kraft

PGA Tour playoff record (4-4)

No.	Year	Tournament	Opponent(s)	Result
1	1992	Infiniti Tournament of Champions	Brad Faxon	Won with birdie on first extra hole
2	1992	Buick Open	Brad Faxon, Dan Forsman	Forsman won with par on second extra hole Faxon eliminated with par on first hole
3	1992	H.E.B. Texas Open	Nick Price	Lost to par on second extra hole
4	1993	KMart Greater Greensboro Open	Rocco Mediate	Lost to birdie on fourth extra hole
5	1995	Mercedes Championships	Bruce Lietzke	Won with birdie on second extra hole
6	1995	PGA Championship	Colin Montgomerie	Won with birdie on first extra hole
7	1998	Buick Challenge	Fred Funk	Won with par on first extra hole
8	2002	The Open Championship	Stuart Appleby, Ernie Els, Thomas Levet	Els beat Levet on first sudden-death hole, after Appleby and Elkington were eliminated from a four-hole playoff

PGA Tour of Australasia wins (1)

• 1992 Australian Open

Asian Tour wins (1)

• 1996 Honda Invitational

Other wins (5)

• 1993 Fred Meyer Challenge (with Tom Purtzer), Franklin Funds Shark Shootout (with Raymond Floyd)
• 1995 Franklin Templeton Shark Shootout (with Mark Calcavecchia)
• 1997 Diners Club Matches (with Jeff Maggert)
• 1998 Franklin Templeton Shark Shootout (with Greg Norman)

Major championships

Wins (1)

Year	Championship	54 holes	Winning score	Margin	Runner-up
1995	PGA Championship	6 shot deficit	−17 (68-67-68-64=267)	Playoff1	Colin Montgomerie

1 Defeated Montgomerie with birdie on first extra hole.

Results timeline

Tournament	1988	1989	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999
Masters Tournament	DNP	DNP	DNP	T22	T37	T3	CUT	T5	CUT	T12	30	T11
U.S. Open	DNP	T21	T21	T55	CUT	T33	DNP	T36	T40	T24	CUT	T51
The Open Championship	DNP	DNP	CUT	T44	T34	T48	T67	T6	CUT	CUT	WD	CUT
PGA Championship	T31	T41	CUT	T32	T18	T14	T7	1	T3	T45	3	DNP

Tournament	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011
Masters Tournament	T52	DNP	DNP	CUT	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
U.S. Open	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	T33	DNP	CUT	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
The Open Championship	T60	CUT	T2	WD	DNP	DNP	CUT	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
PGA Championship	DNP	WD	T48	DNP	DNP	T2	DNP	CUT	T39	CUT	T5	CUT

DNP = Did not play
WD = Withdrew
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a 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	1	2	2	5	11	8
U.S. Open	0	0	0	0	0	3	12	9
The Open Championship	0	1	0	1	2	2	15	7
PGA Championship	1	1	2	5	6	8	19	13
Totals	1	2	3	8	10	18	57	37

• Most consecutive cuts made - 6 (twice)
• Longest streak of top-10s - 2 (twice)

Team appearances

• Presidents Cup (International team): 1994, 1996, 1998 (winners), 2000
• World Cup (representing Australia): 1994
• Alfred Dunhill Cup (representing Australia): 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998

[ Source: Wikipedia ]