Lee McLeod Janzen (born August 28, 1964) is an
American golfer who is best known for twice winning the
U.S. Open, in
1993 and
1998.
Early years and amateur career
Janzen was born in
Austin,
Minnesota, and spent most of his childhood in
Baltimore,
Maryland, where he played
Little League baseball. When Janzen was 12, his father's company transferred him to
Florida and his parents started him in
golf and
tennis, and he continued playing baseball. Janzen liked golf best and started playing that sport exclusively. He won his first tournament at age 15 as a member of the Greater Tampa Junior Golf Association.
Janzen chose to attend a small college –
Florida Southern – rather than a big institution like
Florida. In 1985 and 1986, Florida Southern won the
Division II national team championship. Janzen was the individual medalist in 1986. He turned professional later that same year.
Professional career
In 1989, Janzen joined the PGA Tour. He has won eight times on the
PGA Tour, most notably the 1993 and 1998
U.S. Open. In
1993, Janzen defeated
Payne Stewart at
Baltusrol in
Springfield,
New Jersey, en route to tying the 72-hole U.S. Open scoring record of 8-under par. Five years later, he again beat out Stewart to win his
second U.S. Open, this time at the
Olympic Club in
San Francisco. He overcame a five stroke deficit on Sunday, marking the best final-round comeback in a
U.S.......
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