Phil Tataurangi

Born:  October 31, 1971

Birthplace: Auckland, New Zealand

Height: 5 ft 10 in

Turned Pro: 1993

 
Some golf fans know Phil Tataurangi through his role as an analyst on Sirius XM satellite radio’s PGA golf coverage.  Tataurangi was a solid golfer in his own right, winning titles on the PGA, Web.com and Australasian tours. 

Tataurangi was a decorated amateur player.  He led New Zealand to the 1992 Eisenhower Cup where he finished as the individual medalist.  He also won the 1993 New Zealand Amateur Championship.
Tataurangi turned pro in 1993.  After struggling his first few seasons, he had some important breakthroughs in 1996.  He won on the Nike Tour (now the Web.com Tour) at the Tri-Cities Open.  Later that season, Tataurangi got a much bigger win – the Australian PGA Championship.

After another extended period of mediocre play, Tataurangi earned his 2002 PGA Tour card at the 2001 qualifying school tournament by tying for 23rd place.  He would collect his first PGA Tour win, the only one of his career, at the 2002 Invensys Classic in Las Vegas, Nevada. 

Tataurangi struggled with his form after that victory, recording only 1 more top ten between 2003 and 2011 and 2 top tens during 2005-2011 on Web.com. 

Tataurangi’s best performance in a Major was a tie for 39th place at the Masters.