Don Bies (born December 10, 1937) is an American former professional golfer who has won tournaments on the PGA Tour, the Senior PGA Tour (now known as the Champions Tour), and in the Pacific Northwest Section of the PGA of America.
Early life Bies was born in Cottonwood, Idaho. He attended Ballard High School in Seattle, Washington.
Professional career In 1957, Bies turned pro. His only PGA Tour win came at the 1975 Sammy Davis Jr.-Greater Hartford Open. His best finish in a major was a T-5 at the 1968 U.S. Open that was played at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, New York. He left the PGA Tour in 1980 in order to devote full-time to his restaurant he had opened just outside Seattle.
Bies has also had much success in local events in the Pacific Northwest. He is a three-time winner of the Washington Open and a six-time winner of the Washington State Match Play Championship.
Senior career After turning 50 at the end of 1987, Bies joined the Senior PGA Tour, where his fortunes improved dramatically for winning tournaments. He has won numerous events both on the regular Senior PGA Tour and in non-Tour senior events. These wins include a senior major championship – The Tradition at Desert Mountain in 1989.
Awards and honors In 1994, Bies was elected a member of the Pacific Northwest PGA Hall of Fame.
Professional wins (30) PGA Tour wins (1) No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin ofvictoryRunner-up1 Aug 17, 1975Sammy Davis Jr.-Greater Hartford Open−15 (65-66-67-69=267)Playoff Hubert Green
PGA Tour playoff record (1–0) No.YearTournamentOpponentResult11975Sammy Davis Jr.-Greater Hartford Open Hubert GreenWon with birdie on second extra hole
PGA Tour of Australia wins (1) No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin ofvictoryRunners-up1 Oct 29, 1989Air New Zealand Shell Open−5 (70-71-69-65=275)4 strokes Brad Andrews, Glenn Joyner
Other wins (15) this list may be incomplete 1959 Washington Open 1961 Washington State Match Play 1962 Northwest Open 1963 Washington State Match Play 1964 Washington State Match Play 1965 Washington State Match Play 1967 Pacific Northwest PGA Championship 1968 Washington State Match Play 1980 Washington Open, British Columbia Open 1983 Washington State Match Play 1984 Northwest Open 1987 Washington Open, PNW PGA Al Guisti Memorial 1988 PNW PGA Al Giusti Memorial
Senior PGA Tour wins (7) Legend Senior PGA Tour major championships (1) Other Senior PGA Tour (6) No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin ofvictoryRunner-up1Jun 19, 1988Northville Long Island Classic−14 (69-67-66=202)2 strokes Bob Charles2Dec 4, 1988GTE Kaanapali Classic−12 (68-67-69=204)1 stroke Don January3Apr 2, 1989 Murata Seniors Reunion−8 (68-67-73=208)6 strokes Harold Henning4Apr 16, 1989 The Tradition −13 (71-70-68-66=275)1 stroke Gary Player5Dec 9, 1989GTE Kaanapali Classic (2)−12 (68-64=132)1 stroke Dale Douglass6Jun 7, 1992 PaineWebber Invitational−13 (66-71-66=203)1 stroke Lee Trevino7Oct 15, 1995Raley's Senior Gold Rush−11 (69-68-68=205)1 stroke Lee Trevino
Senior PGA Tour playoff record (0–1) No.YearTournamentOpponentsResult11989Northville Long Island Classic Butch Baird, Frank Beard, Orville MoodyBaird won with birdie on first extra hole
Other senior wins (6) 1989 DuPont Cup (Japan vs. U.S. Senior Golf Match) 1990 Chrysler Cup 2002 Washington State PGA Senior Invitational 2003 Washington State PGA Senior Invitational 2004 Pacific Northwest Senior PGA Championship, Oregon Senior Open
Champions Tour major championships
Wins (1) YearChampionshipWinning scoreMarginRunner-up 1989 The Tradition at Desert Mountain −13 (71-70-68-66=275) 1 stroke Gary Player
References
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