Woody Austin

Albert Woody Austin II (born January 27, 1964) is an American professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour.

Austin was born in Tampa, Florida. He attended the University of Miami, where he was a member of the golf team coached by Norman C. Parsons Jr. He graduated in 1986 with a degree in Business Administration and turned professional later that year.

Austin won Rookie of the Year honors on the PGA Tour in 1995. He has won three times on tour: the 1995 Buick Open, the 2004 Buick Championship, and the 2007 Stanford St. Jude Championship shooting a final round 62.

During the 1997 Verizon Heritage, Austin intentionally struck his head with his putter five times. He hit his head so hard that the shaft bent.

After the second round of the 2007 PGA Championship, Austin joked that he was named after actor Woody Harrelson (Harrelson being only three years older than Austin). He went on to finish 2nd behind Tiger Woods, his best major finish. This achievement moved Austin into the top 50 of the Official World Golf Rankings. During the 2007 Presidents Cup, Austin fell into a pond while attempting to hit a shot with one foot in the water. During his singles match against 2007 U.S. Open Champion Ángel Cabrera, he wore a pair of swimming goggles.

Austin was inducted into the University of Miami Sports Hall of Fame at its 40th Annual Banquet held February 13, 2008 at Miami's Jungle Island. He resides in Derby,......
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