Steve Flesch

Steve Flesch
Steve Flesch
Personal information
Full name	Stephen J. Flesch
Born	May 23, 1967; Cincinnati, Ohio
Height	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight	165 lb (75 kg; 11.8 st)
Sporting nationality	United States
Spouse	Dina Flesch
Children	2
Career
College	University of Kentucky
Turned professional	1990
Current tour(s)	PGA Tour Champions; PGA Tour; (past champion status)
Professional wins	12
Highest ranking	22 (June 27, 2004)[1]
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour	4
Korn Ferry Tour	1
PGA Tour Champions	4
Other	3
Best results in major championships;
Masters Tournament	T5: 2008
PGA Championship	6th: 2008
U.S. Open	T7: 2004
The Open Championship	T20: 2000
Achievements and awards
PGA Tour; Rookie of the Year
PGA Tour; Rookie of the Year	1998

Stephen J. Flesch (born May 23, 1967) is an American professional golfer who currently plays on the PGA Tour Champions. He was a four-time winner on the PGA Tour, and worked briefly as a TV golf analyst for Fox Sports and Golf Channel before joining the PGA Tour Champions.

Early life

Flesch was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, and attended Covington Catholic High School in Park Hills, Kentucky. After graduation, he played golf at the University of Kentucky and turned professional in 1990.[2]

Professional career

Flesch finished in the top ten on the Asia Golf Circuit Order of Merit in 1993, 1994 and 1996. He won the 1997 NIKE Tour Championship to earn a PGA Tour card for the following season, only the second left-hander to win on what is now the Korn Ferry Tour. His first win on the PGA Tour was the 2003 HP Classic of New Orleans, but is probably best known for his come-from-behind victory at the 2004 Bank of America Colonial in Fort Worth, Texas. He has been featured in the top 50 of the Official World Golf Rankings, reaching a career high of 22nd in 2004.[3]

Entering the 2008 Masters Tournament, Flesch was ranked number 107 in the world rankings.[4] After three rounds, he was in third place at eight-under, three strokes behind leader and eventual champion Trevor Immelman. Playing in the penultimate pairing on breezy Sunday, Flesch posted a 78 to finish six strokes back, tied for fifth. This strong showing in a major tournament strengthened his world ranking by 28 slots, improving it to number 79.[5]

Flesch last played a full season in 2011, then missed the cut in the 12 events he played during the 2012 season. In 2015, he finished T7 at the Barracuda Championship, his first top ten in four years.[2]

In 2015, Flesch became an analyst for Fox Sports.[6] He also worked as an analyst for Golf Channel before returning to competition on the PGA Tour Champions in 2017.[2]

Professional wins (12)

PGA Tour wins (4)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up
1	May 4, 2003	HP Classic of New Orleans	−21 (67-70-65-65=267)	Playoff	Bob Estes
2	May 23, 2004	Bank of America Colonial	−11 (66-69-67-67=269)	1 stroke	Chad Campbell
3	Aug 5, 2007	Reno–Tahoe Open	−15 (63-69-69-72=273)	5 strokes	Kevin Stadler, Charles Warren
4	Sep 23, 2007	Turning Stone Resort Championship	−18 (66-65-66-73=270)	2 strokes	Michael Allen

PGA Tour playoff record (1–0)

No.	Year	Tournament	Opponent	Result
1	2003	HP Classic of New Orleans	Bob Estes	Won with birdie on first extra hole

Nike Tour wins (1)

Legend
Tour Championships (1)
Other Nike Tour (0)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	Margin of victory	Runner-up
1	Oct 19, 1997	Nike Tour Championship	−10 (69-68-68-73=278)	4 strokes	Chris Smith

Asia Golf Circuit wins (1)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	Margin of victory	Runner-up
1	Jan 21, 1996	Benson & Hedges Malaysian Open	−6 (66-75-71-70=282)	Playoff	Craig Jones

Other wins (2)

1991 Kentucky Open
1993 Kentucky Open

PGA Tour Champions wins (4)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up
1	Apr 14, 2018	Mitsubishi Electric Classic	−11 (66-71-68=205)	Playoff	Bernhard Langer, Scott Parel
2	May 8, 2022	Mitsubishi Electric Classic (2)	−11 (67-73-65=205)	1 stroke	Fred Couples, Pádraig Harrington, David Toms
3	Sep 25, 2022	PURE Insurance Championship	−11 (66-71-68=205)	1 stroke	Steven Alker, Ernie Els, Paul Stankowski
4	Sep 10, 2023	Ascension Charity Classic	−19 (66-66-62=194)	3 strokes	Kevin Sutherland

PGA Tour Champions playoff record (1–1)

No.	Year	Tournament	Opponents	Result
1	2018	Mitsubishi Electric Classic	Bernhard Langer, Scott Parel	Won with birdie on second extra hole Langer eliminated by birdie on first hole
2	2021	Sanford International	K. J. Choi, Darren Clarke	Clarke won with birdie on second extra hole Flesch eliminated by par on first hole

Results in major championships

Tournament	1993	1994	1996	1998	1999
Masters Tournament
U.S. Open	84	CUT	CUT		CUT
The Open Championship
PGA Championship				T13	T34

Tournament	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010
Masters Tournament		CUT			T17	T29			T5	T6	T38
U.S. Open		CUT	T18	CUT	T7	T67			CUT
The Open Championship	T20	CUT		CUT	T54	77
PGA Championship	CUT	T13	T17	CUT	T37	T10	T24	T23	6	T32

Top 10

Did not play

CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied

Summary

Tournament	Top-5	Top-10	Top-25	Events	Cuts made
Masters Tournament	1	2	3	6	5
U.S. Open	0	1	2	10	4
The Open Championship	0	0	1	5	3
PGA Championship	0	2	7	12	10
Totals	1	5	13	33	22

Most consecutive cuts made – 11 (2004 Masters – 2008 Masters)
Longest streak of top-10s – 2 (2008 PGA – 2009 Masters)

Results in The Players Championship

Tournament	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010
The Players Championship	CUT	T38	T40	CUT	T39	CUT	T79	T63	CUT	CUT	T64	T32

CUT = missed the halfway cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place

Results in World Golf Championships

Tournament	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2008
Match Play		R64	R16		R32	R64
Championship	T11	NT¹		T21	T23
Invitational				T11	T48		T48

¹Cancelled due to 9/11