{{for| Australian cricketer|Tom Whitney (cricketer)}} {{short description|American professional golfer (born 1989)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=September 2011}} {{Infobox golfer | name = Tom Whitney | image = 3rd Infantry Division participates in the Club Car Championship Military Appreciation Day (7).jpg | imagesize = | caption = Whitney in 2023 | fullname = | nickname = | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1989|5|16}} | birth_place = South Lake Tahoe, California, U.S. | height = {{height|ft=6|in=3}} | weight = 215 lb | nationality = {{USA}} | residence = Little Elm, Texas, U.S. | spouse = Jessica | children = 3 | college = United States Air Force Academy | yearpro = 2010 | tour = Korn Ferry Tour | extour = PGA Tour<br>PGA Tour Latinoamérica<br>Gateway Tour | prowins = 11 | otherwins = <!-- Number of Other wins --> | wghofid = <!-- World Golf Hall of Fame member ID --> | wghofyear = <!-- World Golf Hall of Fame year inducted --> | award1 = <!-- Achievement or award details --> | year1 = <!-- Year(s) of achievement or award --> | award2 = | year2 = }} '''Tom Whitney''' (born May 16, 1989) is an American professional golfer.
==Amateur career== Whitney was born in South Lake Tahoe, California and lives in Little Elm, Texas. He attended La Quinta High School in La Quinta, California. After high school, he attended the United States Air Force Academy.<ref>{{cite web |title=Tom Whitney |url=https://goairforcefalcons.com/sports/mens-golf/roster/tom-whitney/2256 |website=GoAirForceFalcons}}</ref> Whitney won four collegiate tournaments and set four low-scoring school records in his college career.<ref name="grfx.cstv">{{cite web |title=Air Force Golf 2010-11 Media Guide |url=http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/afa/sports/m-golf/auto_pdf/1011-Golf-MG.pdf |access-date=August 26, 2012}}</ref> Whitney also competed in the 2009 U.S. Amateur Public Links<ref>{{cite web |title=Whitney ends run at U.S. Publinks |url=https://goairforcefalcons.com/news/2009/7/16/Whitney_Ends_Run_at_U_S_Publinks |website=GoAirForceFalcons.com |date=16 July 2009}}</ref> and the 2009 U.S. Amateur.<ref>{{cite web |title=Tom Whitney wraps up competition at U.S. Amateur |url=https://goairforcefalcons.com/news/2009/8/25/Tom_Whitney_Wraps_Up_Competition_at_U_S_Amateur |website=GoAirForceFalcons |date=25 August 2009}}</ref> Whitney completed his college career as a two-time GCAA All-America Scholar <ref>{{cite web |title=Tom Whitney named All-America Scholar by GCAA |url=http://www.goairforcefalcons.com/sports/m-golf/spec-rel/070909aaa.html |website=GoAirForceFalcons |access-date=9 July 2009}}</ref> and a finalist for the Byron Nelson Award.<ref>{{cite web |title=Tom Whitney named finalist for Byron Nelson Award |url=http://www.goairforcefalcons.com/sports/m-golf/spec-rel/050410aaa.html |website=GoAirForceFalcons |access-date=4 May 2010}}</ref>
==Military service== Whitney is a 2010 graduate of the United States Air Force Academy where he earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Social Sciences. After his graduation from the academy he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Air Force in 2010 and rose to the rank of First Lieutenant while assigned to the 319th Missile Squadron at F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming. As an Air Force officer he served as a nuclear missile operator. After a four-year term of active duty in the Air Force, he left in May 2014 to pursue a career in professional golf.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Prise|first1=Kevin|title=Air Force veteran Whitney pursuing golf dreams|url=https://www.pgatour.com/webcom/tour-insider/2015/07/29/tom-whitney-air-force-utah-championship.html|work=PGATour.com|issue=Web.com Tour Insider|date=29 July 2015}}</ref>
==Military wins== Whitney won the Air Force Golf Championship four times{{clarify|reason=only two listed in the table below|date=July 2018}}, the Armed Forces Golf Championship three times and was the 2012 winner of the CISM World Military Golf Championship, making him one of the most successful golfers in the United States Air Force. {| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;" !No. !Date !Tournament !Winning score !To par !Margin<br>of victory !Runner-up |- |align=center|1 |align=right|Oct 19, 2010 |Air Force Golf Championship<ref>{{cite news |first=Steve |last=Bauer |title=Missile student wins 2010 Air Force Golf Championship|url=http://www.afspc.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/250104/missile-student-wins-2010-air-force-golf-championship/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180126184915/http://www.afspc.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/250104/missile-student-wins-2010-air-force-golf-championship/|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 26, 2018|work=Air Force Space Command|date=9 November 2010}}</ref> |279 |align=center|–9 | |Mark Gardiner |- |align=center|2 |align=right|Oct 26, 2010 |Armed Forces Golf Championship<ref>{{cite news |first=Jason J. |last=Brown |title=Eaglewood Golf Course hosts Armed Forces Golf Championship|url=https://www.acc.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/200693/eaglewood-golf-course-hosts-armed-forces-golf-championship/|work=Air Combat Command|date=27 October 2010}}</ref> |68-69-74-69=280 |align=center|–8 |8 strokes |Mark Gardiner |- |align=center|3 |align=right| Sep 25, 2011 |Air Force Golf Championship<ref name="usafsports">{{cite web|title=All Air Force Sports Teams--Golf|url=http://www.usafsports.com/Sports/Golf.htm|accessdate=August 26, 2012}}</ref> |62-65-65-63=255 |align=center|–29 |29 strokes |Jason Perry |- |align=center|4 |align=right|Oct 2, 2011 |Armed Forces Golf Championship<ref name="usafsports" /> |68-69-72-69=278 |align=center|–10 |9 strokes |Mark Gardiner |- |align=center|5 |align=right|Oct 18, 2012 |CISM World Military Golf Championship<ref>{{cite web|title=NAS Jacksonville Hosts World Military Golf Championship|url=https://armedforcessports.defense.gov/Sports/Golf/News/2012-CISM-Golf-Results/|website=Armed Forces Sports}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=2012 CISM Mens Golf Championship |url=https://armedforcessports.defense.gov/Portals/19/Documents/CISM%20Complete%20Results.pdf |access-date=November 21, 2012}}</ref> |70-66-67-67=270 |align=center|–11 |23 strokes |Adam Dickey |- |align=center|6 |align=right|Sep 15, 2013 |Armed Forces Golf Championship<ref>{{cite news |last=Hoachlander |first=Ian |title=Air Force Men win big at Armed Forces Golf Tournament |url=https://www.afpc.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/856642/air-force-men-win-big-at-armed-forces-golf-tournament/ |work=Air Force's Personnel Center |date=27 September 2013}}</ref> |67-71-73-70=281 |align=center|–7 |5 strokes |Andy Aduddell |}
==Professional career== Having turned professional after graduating from the US Air Force Academy, Whitney's first tournament was by means of a sponsor exemption at the 2010 Colorado Open. He made the cut and finished T32.<ref>{{cite web|title=2010 HealthONE Colorado Open Results|url=https://cogf.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/cogf10/event/cogf108/contest/1/leaderboard.htm|website=cogf.bluegolf.com}}</ref> In 2015 he made his first start on the Web.com Tour at the Utah Championship, where he made the cut and finished T63 having made the field via Monday qualifying. In 2016 he qualified for the PGA Tour Latinoamérica having missed out at the Web.com Tour qualifying school; he finished 11th on the money list to graduate to the Web.com Tour for 2017.
In 2017, Whitney gained his first start on the PGA Tour by winning the Monday qualifier for the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Bohannan|first1=Larry|title=Former La Quinta High golfer trades in nuclear missiles for first PGA Tour start|url=https://www.desertsun.com/story/sports/golf/2017/10/31/lqhs-grad-tom-whitney-getting-pga-tour-star-las-vegasformer-lqhs-golfer-gets-pga-tour-start-las-vega/818939001/|work=The Desert Sun|date=31 October 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Menta|first1=Nick|title=Meet Tom Whitney: From nuclear missiles to PGA Tour|url=http://www.golfchannel.com/article/nick-menta/meet-tom-whitney-missile-operator-pga-tour|work=Golf Channel|date=2 November 2017}}</ref> He finished the season ranked 89th on the Web.com Tour money list.
In 2018, having received a sponsor exemption into the PGA Tour's CareerBuilder Challenge,<ref>{{cite news|last1=Bohannan|first1=Larry|title=For Tom Whitney, veteran tasked with launching nuke, exemption to CareerBuilder means a return to the desert|url=https://www.desertsun.com/story/sports/golf/careerbuilder/2018/01/16/tom-whitney-exemption-careerbuilder-challenge-means-return-desert/1037226001/|work=The Desert Sun|date=16 January 2018}}</ref> he made his first cut at the highest level<ref>{{cite news|last1=Spicer|first1=Judd|title=La Quinta grad Tom Whitney gets the job done, makes CareerBuilder Challenge cut|url=https://www.desertsun.com/story/sports/golf/careerbuilder/2018/01/20/la-quinta-grad-tom-whitney-gets-job-done-makes-careerbuilder-challenge-cut/1051450001/|work=Special to The Desert Sun|date=20 January 2018}}</ref> and went on to finish T67.<ref>{{cite news |title=Former LQHS golfer, Air Force veteran Tom Whitney set to compete in CareerBuilder Challenge |url=http://www.kesq.com/sports/local-sports-headlines/former-lqhs-golfer-air-force-veteran-tom-whitney-set-to-compete-in-careerbuilder-challenge/686068104 |work=KESQ |date=January 15, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Bohannan |first=Larry |title=Former La Quinta High golfer Tom Whitney makes his first PGA Tour check |url=https://www.desertsun.com/story/sports/golf/careerbuilder/2018/01/21/former-la-quinta-high-golfer-tom-whitney-makes-his-first-pga-tour-check/1051924001/ |work=The Desert Sun |date=January 21, 2018}}</ref> In 2019, Whitney won the Abierto OSDE del Centro on the PGA Tour Latinoamérica; he finished the season in second place on the tours Order of Merit to regain his place on the Korn Ferry Tour for the following season.
Whitney has also won ten tournaments on various mini-tours.
==Professional wins (11)== ===PGA Tour Latinoamérica wins (1)=== {| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;" !No.!!Date!!Tournament!!Winning score!!Margin of<br>victory!!Runner-up |- |align=center|1 |align=right|Apr 28, 2019 |Abierto OSDE del Centro |−14 (73-67-66-64=270) |1 stroke |{{flagicon|USA}} Nicolo Galletti |}
===Gateway Tour wins (1)=== {| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;" !No.!!Date!!Tournament!!Winning score!!Margin of<br>victory!!Runner-up |- |align=center|1 |align=right|Nov 19, 2015 |zTrip Classic |−10 (71-66-69=206) |4 strokes |{{flagicon|USA}} Cory Renfrew |}
===Mini-tour wins (4)=== *2011 Cimarron Golf Resort (Pepsi Tour) *2014 Avondale Open (eGolf Pro Tour West) *2015 Western North Dakota Charity Pro-Am (Dakotas Tour) *2016 Sun 'N Lake Golf Club (Swing Thought Tour)
===Other wins (5)=== *2014 Oregon Trail Pro-Am *2015 Waterloo Open Golf Classic, Nevada Open *2016 Waterloo Open Golf Classic *2017 Sand Hollow Open
==Professional records== *Low first-round record at the Colorado Open with an opening round 64 on July 26, 2012 <ref name="denverpost">{{cite news |title=Air Force Graduate Tom Whitney takes Colorado Open lead after record 7-under 64 |url=http://www.denverpost.com/golf/ci_21169767/air-force-graduate-tom-whitney-takes-colorado-open |newspaper=Denver Post |access-date=August 26, 2012}}.</ref> *Course record 64 at Jacksonville Naval Air Station (Red & White Course) on October 8, 2012<ref>{{cite web |title=Air Force men win 9th straight gold; Navy women at top in golf |url=https://armedforcessports.defense.gov/Sports/Golf/News/2012-Armed-Forces-Championship/ |website=Armed Forces Sports}}</ref>
==Team appearances== *Aruba Cup (representing PGA Tour Latinoamérica): 2016 (winners)
==See also== *2023 Korn Ferry Tour graduates *List of United States Air Force Academy alumni
==External links== *{{PGATour player|48319}} *{{OWGR|20353|Tom Whitney}}
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Whitney, Tom}} Category:American male golfers Category:PGA Tour golfers Category:Korn Ferry Tour graduates Category:Golfers from Riverside County, California Category:Golfers from Colorado Category:Golfers from Texas Category:Sportspeople from La Quinta, California Category:Sportspeople from Fort Collins, Colorado Category:People from Little Elm, Texas Category:Sportspeople from Denton County, Texas Category:1989 births Category:Living people