Player Profile - Johnson Wagner

This week’s player profile highlights the recent career milestones of American golfer Johnson Wagner, winner of the 2012 Sony Open. Born in 1980 in the town of Amarillo, Texas, Johnson Wagner took to golf with great enthusiasm from a young age. His rugged build and love of sport were great assets to the young Wagner’s development as an athlete, and by the time he was nearing the end of his high school years, a career in golf was on the horizon.

After finishing high school, Wagner enrolled at Virginia Tech where he completed his college education and graduated in 2002. Following a successful debut on the Nationwide Tour in 2003, Wagner honed his skills for three years before coming second on the money list to earn his PGA Tour card for the 2007 season. Two wins in 2006, at the Cox Classic and Louisiana Open respectively, helped secure Wagner’s progression to the top-ranked tour in North America.

Since joining the US PGA Tour, Wagner has been victorious on three occasions. His first win on the Tour came in 2008 at the Shell Houston Open where he beat compatriot Chad Campbell and Australia’s Geoff Ogilvy to claim the title. Three years later, after weathering several career ups and downs, Wagner won again at the 2011 Mayakoba Golf Classic in Cancun. His third Tour victory to date came at the weekend when he beat a host of players to win the Sony Open in Hawaii.

After his impressive career debut on the Nationwide Tour, Wagner has struggled at times to gain traction on the highly competitive US PGA Tour. An easy-going player known for his great personality and big heart, Wagner forewent the option of hiring a professional caddy at the beginning of his career and gave the job to his brother T.J. Several years later, Wagner raised eyebrows once again when he appointed Steve Hale, a caddy who had been off the Tour for 13 years, to carry his bag. However, critics are not having last word as Wagner’s good nature simply adds to the list of qualities his fans admire. Golf fans can look forward to many more impressive moments on the course from this talented player.

Golfweather Editorial