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Tom Lehman

United States · born , Austin, Minnesota, USA

1major championship

Summary

  • First major 1996 The Open
  • Ryder Cup 3 Cups · 5-3-2 · 6 points (60.0%)
  • Ryder Cup captain 2006
  • Runner-up in majors 2 times

Wins

  1. 1996 The Open Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club · 271 (-13) · by 2 strokes from Ernie Els and Mark McCumber

Near misses

  1. 1994 The Masters Augusta National Golf Club · runner-up to Jose Maria Olazabal · 281
  2. 1996 U.S. Open Oakland Hills C.C. · runner-up to Steve Jones
  3. 2000 The Open Old Course, St Andrews · finished T4 · 278 (-10)

Ryder Cup

3 Cups, 10 matches: 5 won, 3 lost, 2 halved, 6 points. Foursomes 1-2-1, four-ball 1-1-1, singles 3-0-0.

  1. 1995 Oak Hill Country Club (East Course) USA · Europe won 14.5–13.5 · 2-1-0, 2 points · automatic
  2. 1997 Valderrama Golf Club USA · Europe won 14.5–13.5 · 1-1-2, 2 points · automatic
  3. 1999 The Country Club (Championship/Composite Course) USA · USA won 14.5–13.5 · 2-1-0, 2 points · captain's pick
  4. 2006 Captain USA · lost 9.5–18.5

Rivals

Beat him

Ryder Cup partners

Ryder Cup opponents

Next in the chain: José María Olazábal's rivals →

Moments

  1. 1996 Open Lehman's third-round 64 set a 54-hole course record of 198 and gave him a six-shot lead over Faldo.
  2. 1996 Open Ernie Els made four back-nine birdies in the final round but bogeyed two of the last three holes. Amateur Tiger Woods shot 66 in round 2, equalling the amateur record.

Results by championship

    Best day

    1996 The Open

    Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club · 271 (-13) · by 2 strokes from Ernie Els and Mark McCumber

    Lehman's third-round 64 set a 54-hole course record of 198 and gave him a six-shot lead over Faldo.

    Ernie Els made four back-nine birdies in the final round but bogeyed two of the last three holes. Amateur Tiger Woods shot 66 in round 2, equalling the amateur record.

    Chosen by rule: his widest winning margin in a major. Year page: 1996.

    Career line, 1994–2000

    Masters
    1994 Masters: runner-up to Jose Maria Olazabal
    U.S. Open
    1996 U.S. Open: runner-up to Steve Jones
    The Open
    1996 The Open: won2000 The Open: finished T4
    Ryder Cup
    1995 Ryder Cup (USA): 2-1-01997 Ryder Cup (USA): 1-1-21999 Ryder Cup (USA): 2-1-0
    1994199619982000

    7 results. Hover or tap a mark; click it for the year.

    • Major win
    • Runner-up
    • Top 10
    • Ryder Cup, USA

    Tom Lehman was born on March 7, 1959, in Austin, Minnesota, USA. Lehman won one major championship: the 1996 Open. Lehman played in 3 Ryder Cups for USA (1995, 1997, 1999), winning 5, losing 3 and halving 2 of 10 matches for 6 points, and captained the side in 2006.

    See Tom Lehman in our rooms: The Masters, U.S. Open, The Open, Greatest Golfer by State and Every Ground.

    Cards you pull this visit stack here. Tap one to go back to it.

    The record

    Wins in the majors (1)

    1. 1996 The Open Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club · 271 (-13) · by 2 strokes from Ernie Els and Mark McCumber

    Near misses

    Top-10 finishes are listed for The Open, the one championship with a full top 10 every year.

    1. 1994 The Masters Augusta National Golf Club · runner-up to Jose Maria Olazabal · 281
    2. 1996 U.S. Open Oakland Hills C.C. · runner-up to Steve Jones
    3. 2000 The Open Old Course, St Andrews · finished T4 · 278 (-10)

    U.S. Open top-10 finishes in his career: 5 (GNN U.S. Open room data).

    Ryder Cup

    Lehman played 3 Ryder Cups for USA: 10 matches, 5 won, 3 lost, 2 halved, 6 points (60.0% of those available). By format: foursomes 1-2-1, four-ball 1-1-1, singles 3-0-0 (won-lost-halved). Vice-captain: 2010; 2016.

    1. 1995 Oak Hill Country Club (East Course) USA · Europe won 14.5–13.5 · 2-1-0, 2 points · automatic
    2. 1997 Valderrama Golf Club USA · Europe won 14.5–13.5 · 1-1-2, 2 points · automatic
    3. 1999 The Country Club (Championship/Composite Course) USA · USA won 14.5–13.5 · 2-1-0, 2 points · captain's pick
    4. 2006 Captain USA · lost 9.5–18.5

    Partners, with matches played together: Phil Mickelson (3), Corey Pavin (2), Jim Furyk (1), Tiger Woods (1).

    Sources

    Every fact on this page comes from Golf Network News data sets compiled in October 2026 (Masters, PGA Championship, The Open, U.S. Women's Open, Ryder Cup, PGA Tour 2024–2026, major host sites, Champions Dinner menus, and the U.S. Open and state rooms). These are the sources those rows cite.

    1. where2golf
    2. WP: List of American Ryder Cup golfers
    3. rydercup.com — link no longer works (checked October 17, 2026): https://rydercup.com/news-media/usa/ryder-cup-team-usa-past-captains
    4. Golf Compendium
    5. Golf Compendium
    6. R&A 1996
    7. GC 1996
    8. R&A 2000
    9. GC: 1995 ryder cup
    10. Deseret News 1995
    11. Wikipedia: 1995 Ryder Cup
    12. Golf Channel
    13. GC: 1997 ryder cup
    14. SI Vault 1997 — link no longer works (checked October 17, 2026): https://vault.si.com/vault/1997/08/25/you-da-man-lee-janzen-made-tom-kites-job-as-captain-a-little-easier-by-proving-with-his-play-at-winged-foot-that-he-belonged-on-the-ryder-cup-team
    15. Wikipedia: 1997 Ryder Cup
    16. GC: 1999 ryder cup
    17. Wikipedia: 1999 Ryder Cup
    18. CBS News 1999