Martin Davis Eichelberger Jr. (born September 3, 1943) is an American professional golfer who has won several tournaments at both the PGA Tour and Champions Tour levels.

Dave Eichelberger
Personal information
Full nameMartin Davis Eichelberger Jr.
Born (1943-09-03) September 3, 1943 (age 81)
Waco, Texas, U.S.
Height6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight195 lb (88 kg; 13.9 st)
Sporting nationality United States
ResidenceHonolulu, Hawaii
Children4
Career
CollegeOklahoma State University
Turned professional1966
Former tour(s)PGA Tour
Champions Tour
Professional wins12
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour4
PGA Tour Champions6
Other1 (regular)
1 (senior)
Best results in major championships
Masters TournamentT20: 1971
PGA ChampionshipT34: 1971
U.S. OpenT19: 1971
The Open ChampionshipDNP
Achievements and awards
Senior PGA Tour
Comeback Player of the Year
1994

Eichelberger was born in Waco, Texas. He started in the game at the age of 13 in the junior programs at his family's golf club in Waco. He attended Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, Oklahoma; and while there blossomed into an outstanding amateur. He led the Oklahoma State Cowboys to the 1963 NCAA Championship. He graduated in 1965 and turned pro in 1966.

Eichelberger has twelve professional victories. Four of which came on the PGA Tour, plus six Champions Tour triumphs. In 1971, he finished 9th on the PGA Tour money list.[1] On his way to a win at the 2002 Emerald Coast Classic, Eichelberger made a hole-in-one from 185 yards at the par 3 eighth hole during the first round of play.

Eichelberger made 784 PGA Tour starts, as of February 2022, 4th most in the history of the tour, and made the cut in 457 of them. Only Mark Brooks, Jay Haas and Davis Love III had more starts.[2] To that Eichelberger added 456 cuts made in 476 starts on the PGA Tour Champions.[3]

Although he is a native Texan, Eichelberger lived most of his adult life in New Canaan, Connecticut. In 2003, he moved to Honolulu, Hawaii, where he lives today with his wife, son and daughter – fraternal twins.

Professional wins (12)

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PGA Tour wins (4)

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No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory
Runner(s)-up
1 Jul 11, 1971 Greater Milwaukee Open −14 (64-70-68-68=270) 1 stroke   Bob Shaw
2 Jul 3, 1977 Greater Milwaukee Open (2) −10 (71-68-69-70=278) 2 strokes   Morris Hatalsky,   Gary McCord,
  Mike Morley
3 Mar 2, 1980 Bay Hill Classic −5 (69-66-70-74=279) 3 strokes   Leonard Thompson
4 Apr 19, 1981 Tallahassee Open −17 (66-66-69-70=271) Playoff   Bob Murphy,   Mark O'Meara

PGA Tour playoff record (1–1)

No. Year Tournament Opponents Result
1 1971 Greater Greensboro Open   Buddy Allin,   Rod Funseth Allin won with birdie on first extra hole
2 1981 Tallahassee Open   Bob Murphy,   Mark O'Meara Won with birdie on first extra hole

Other wins (1)

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Senior PGA Tour wins (6)

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Legend
Senior major championships (1)
Other Senior PGA Tour (5)
No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory
Runner(s)-up
1 Sep 11, 1994 Quicksilver Classic −7 (71-67-71=209) 2 strokes   Homero Blancas,   Raymond Floyd
2 Aug 4, 1996 VFW Senior Championship −10 (64-68-68=200) 2 strokes   Jim Colbert
3 Oct 12, 1997 The Transamerica −11 (67-68-70=205) 4 strokes   Frank Conner,   Terry Dill,
  John Jacobs,   DeWitt Weaver
4 Jul 11, 1999 U.S. Senior Open −7 (71-69-73-68=281) 3 strokes   Ed Dougherty
5 Aug 1, 1999 Novell Utah Showdown −19 (66-63-69=197) Playoff   Dana Quigley
6 Mar 31, 2002 Emerald Coast Classic −10 (65-65=130)* 2 strokes   Doug Tewell

*Note: The 2002 Emerald Coast Classic was shortened to 36 holes due to rain.

Champions Tour playoff record (1–2)

No. Year Tournament Opponent Result
1 1994 Raley's Senior Gold Rush   Bob Murphy Lost to bogey on fifth extra hole
2 1995 FHP Health Care Classic   Bruce Devlin Lost to birdie on second extra hole
3 1999 Novell Utah Showdown   Dana Quigley Won with par on first extra hole

Other senior wins (1)

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Results in major championships

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Tournament 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969
Masters Tournament CUT CUT
U.S. Open T43 T64
PGA Championship
Tournament 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979
Masters Tournament T20 CUT CUT
U.S. Open T19 T29 CUT T40 T21 59 CUT
PGA Championship T34 CUT T71 CUT T42
Tournament 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989
Masters Tournament CUT CUT
U.S. Open CUT T24 T75 CUT
PGA Championship T65 CUT CUT
Tournament 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000
Masters Tournament
U.S. Open T57
PGA Championship

Note: Eichelberger never played in The Open Championship.

  Did not play

CUT = missed the half way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place.

Champions Tour major championships

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Wins (1)

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Year Championship Winning score Margin Runner-up
1999 U.S. Senior Open −7 (71-69-73-68=281) 3 strokes   Ed Dougherty

U.S. national team appearances

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Amateur

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "1972 PGA Tour Media Guide" (PDF). PGA Tour. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  2. ^ Hamel, Riley (February 10, 2022). "The 10 players who have made the most starts in PGA Tour history". Golfweek. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  3. ^ "PGA Tour Champions, Players, Dave Eichelberger, Career, Achievements". PGA Tour Champions. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
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