Allen Michael Doyle (born July 26, 1948) is an American professional golfer. Though a talented golfer, Doyle elected not to turn pro after graduating from Vermont's Norwich University. He moved to the south where he owned and operated a driving range in Georgia. In his free time he played in elite amateur events, winning the Georgia Amateur and Sunnehanna Amateur several times each. At the age of 46, Doyle turned professional and had extraordinary success as a pro, winning three events on the Nike Tour and 11 events on the Champions Tour, including the U.S. Senior Open twice.

Early life Doyle was born in Woonsocket, Rhode Island. He raised in the Boston suburb of Norwood, Massachusetts. He attended Catholic Memorial High School in West Roxbury, Massachusetts.

Amateur career Doyle attended Norwich University in Vermont. He currently hosts an annual golf tournament to benefit the Norwich Hockey Team. During his time at Norwich he finished runner-up at the Massachusetts Amateur, losing to Peter Drooker, 1 up, in the finals.

Doyle moved to the south after college and settled in Georgia. He won the Georgia Amateur and Sunnehanna Amateur several times over the course of his amateur career.

Professional career At the age of 46, Doyle turned professional. In 1995, his first full professional season, he won three times on the Nike Tour. From 1996 to 1998 Doyle competed in 58 PGA Tour events, making the cut in 31, including two top-10 finishes.

Doyle became eligible to play on the Senior PGA Tour when he turned 50 in July 1998 and won four official money events in 1999, including the Senior PGA Championship. In 2001, he won his second senior major, the Senior Players Championship, and led the tour on the money list. In 2005, he claimed a third major at the U.S. Senior Open, coming behind from a nine stroke deficit with a 63 in the final round. He successfully defended his U.S. Senior Open title in 2006 by defeating Tom Watson at Prairie Dunes Country Club and becoming the oldest U.S. Senior Open Champion at 57 years, 11 months and 17 days. His career earnings on the Champions Tour at the time of his retirement is listed as $13,401,250.

Doyle owns and operates The Doyle Golf Center driving range in La Grange, Georgia. As a philanthropist, Doyle has donated over $1,000,000 to various charities including family members of slain rescuers of the 9/11 attacks.

Awards and honors

Doyle is a member of the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame. Doyle is a member of the Georgia Golf Hall of Fame.

Amateur wins 1978 Georgia Amateur 1979 Georgia Amateur 1982 Georgia Amateur 1984 Georgia Mid-Amateur 1986 Georgia Mid-Amateur 1987 Georgia Amateur, Georgia Mid-Amateur 1988 Georgia Amateur, Georgia Mid-Amateur, Rice Planters Amateur 1989 Sunnehanna Amateur, Georgia Mid-Amateur 1990 Sunnehanna Amateur, Georgia Amateur, Rice Planters Amateur 1991 Cardinal Amateur 1992 Sunnehanna Amateur 1993 Northeast Amateur 1994 Dogwood Invitational, Sunnehanna Amateur, Porter Cup, Cardinal Amateur, Rice Planters Amateur

Professional wins (19) Nike Tour wins (3) Legend Tour Championships (1) Other Nike Tour (2) No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin ofvictoryRunner-up1Apr 9, 1995Nike Mississippi Gulf Coast Classic−15 (66-70-67-70=273)Playoff Franklin Langham2Aug 27, 1995Nike Texarkana Open−19 (66-70-66-66=269)1 stroke Gary Rusnak3Oct 22, 1995Nike Tour Championship−5 (72-68-72-71=283)Playoff John Maginnes

Nike Tour playoff record (2–0) No.YearTournamentOpponentResult11995Nike Mississippi Gulf Coast Classic Franklin LanghamWon with par on second extra hole21995Nike Tour Championship John MaginnesWon with par on first extra hole

Champions Tour wins (11) LegendChampions Tour major championships (4)Other Champions Tour (7) No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin ofvictoryRunner(s)-up1Feb 28, 1999 ACE Group Classic −13 (64-70-69=203)5 strokes Vicente Fernández2Apr 18, 1999PGA Seniors' Championship−14 (70-71-69-64=274)2 strokes Vicente Fernández3Jun 6, 1999Cadillac NFL Golf Classic−12 (67-66-71=204)Playoff Joe Inman4Sep 5, 1999TD Waterhouse Championship−12 (66-70-65=198)2 strokes Ed Dougherty5Mar 5, 2000 Toshiba Senior Classic−6 (67-69=136)*1 stroke Jim Thorpe, Howard Twitty6Jul 15, 2001 Ford Senior Players Championship−15 (67-69-70-67=273)Playoff Doug Tewell7Jul 29, 2001State Farm Senior Classic−11 (73-65-67=205)Playoff Bruce Fleisher8Aug 3, 2003 FleetBoston Classic−15 (68-63-67=198)3 strokes Bruce Fleisher, Bob Gilder9Jun 13, 2004 Bayer Advantage Celebrity Pro-Am−13 (65-66=131)*1 stroke Jerry Pate10Jul 31, 2005 U.S. Senior Open−10 (71-67-73-63=274)1 stroke Loren Roberts, D. A. Weibring11Jul 9, 2006 U.S. Senior Open (2)−8 (69-68-67-68=272)2 strokes Tom Watson *Note: Tournament shortened to 36 holes due to weather.

Champions Tour playoff record (3–2) No.YearTournamentOpponent(s)Result11999Toshiba Senior Classic Al Geiberger, John Jacobs, Gary McCordMcCord won with birdie on fifth extra holeDoyle and Geiberger eliminated by eagle on first hole21999Cadillac NFL Golf Classic Joe InmanWon with birdie on fourth extra hole32001NFL Golf Classic John SchroederLost to par on second extra hole42001Ford Senior Players Championship Doug TewellWon with par on first extra hole52001State Farm Senior Classic Bruce FleisherWon with par on third extra hole

Other senior wins (5) 1999 Senior Slam 2001 Senior Slam, Hyundai Team Matches (with Dana Quigley) 2002 Hyundai Team Matches (with Dana Quigley) 2017 Bass Pro Shops Legends of Golf – Legends Division (with Hubert Green)

Results in major championships Tournament 199119921993199419951996199719981999U.S. OpenCUT Tournament 20002001200220032004200520062007U.S. OpenCUTCUT CUT = missed the halfway cut Note: Allen only played in the U.S. Open.

Senior major championships Wins (4) YearChampionshipWinning scoreMarginRunner(s)-up 1999 PGA Seniors' Championship −14 (71-71-68-64=274) 2 strokes Vicente Fernández 2001 Ford Senior Players Championship −15 (67-69-70-67=273) Playoff Doug Tewell 2005 U.S. Senior Open −10 (71-67-73-63=274) 1 stroke Loren Roberts, D. A. Weibring 2006 U.S. Senior Open (2) −8 (69-68-67-68=272) 2 strokes Tom Watson

Results timeline Results not in chronological order before 2012. Tournament 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012Senior PGA Championship1T174T15T7T13T6T23T68T53T57The Tradition68T10T16T42T2T36T2573T52T2565T53T67Senior Players ChampionshipT19T121T12T15T9T5T45T46T59T43U.S. Senior OpenT13T8T4T7T4T4211CUTCUTCUTT38CUT

CUT = missed the halfway cut "T" indicates a tie for a place Note: Allen never played in The Senior Open Championship.

U.S. national team appearances Amateur Eisenhower Trophy: 1990, 1992, 1994 (team winners and individual leader) Walker Cup: 1989 (injured, did not play), 1991 (winners), 1993 (winners)

See also 1995 Nike Tour graduates 1996 PGA Tour Qualifying School graduates List of golfers with most Champions Tour major championship wins List of golfers with most Champions Tour wins Champions Tour awards

References

External links