| Lon Hinkle | |
|---|---|
| Personal information | |
| Full name | Lon Currey Hinkle |
| Born | July 17, 1949 Flint, Michigan |
| Sporting nationality |  United States |
| Career | |
| College | San Diego State University |
| Turned professional | 1972 |
| Former tour(s) | PGA Tour Champions Tour |
| Professional wins | 5 |
| Number of wins by tour | |
| PGA Tour | 3 |
| Korn Ferry Tour | 1 |
| Other | 1 |
| Best results in major championships | |
| Masters Tournament | T28: 1981 |
| PGA Championship | T3: 1980 |
| U.S. Open | T3: 1980 |
| The Open Championship | T19: 1975 |
Lon Currey Hinkle (born July 17, 1949) is an American professional golfer who has played on both the PGA Tour and the Champions Tour.
Hinkle was born in Flint, Michigan. He attended Santana High School in Santee, California, graduating in 1967. He then attended San Diego State University, where he was a member of the golf team. He turned pro and joined the PGA Tour in 1972.
Hinkle won three tournaments in his career on the PGA Tour, all of which came in the late 1970s. In 1979, he earned $247,693, finished 3rd on the money list, and won two Tour events, including the World Series of Golf. That year in the first round of the U.S. Open at Inverness Club he took a shortcut, cutting the dogleg on the par-5 8th hole by hitting onto the 17th fairway. Overnight, USGA officials planted a tree (known ever afterwards as The Hinkle Tree) to block the shortcut.[1] His best finish in a major was a T-3 at both the U.S. Open and the PGA Championship in 1980.[2] During his career on the PGA Tour, he had more than 50 top-10 finishes. He also played on the European Tour occasionally. Though he never won he finished runner-up at the 1975 German Open and 1980 European Open.
In 1981, Hinkle won the World Long Drive Championship.
After turning 50 in 1999, Hinkle joined the Champions Tour. His best finish at that level is a T-12 in the 2000 Audi Senior Classic.
Hinkle lives in Bigfork, Montana in the northwest corner of the state.
- ^ The Hinkle Tree
- ^ "Golf Major Championships". Retrieved January 25, 2008.