Sam Saunders

Born:  July 30, 1987

Birthplace: Orlando, Florida

Height: 6 ft 0 in

Turned Pro: 2009

Sponsors:  Callaway

 
Being the grandson of royalty means a lifetime of entitlement in England.  In the world of professional golf, being the grandson of “the King” counts a lot less.  Sam Saunders, grandson of Arnold Palmer, has continued to pursue the same career path as his legendary grandfather.
 
Saunders was born in Orlando, Florida and was a standout high school golfer.  He finished in the top 5 of the Florida State High School Championship four consecutive seasons, including a victory during his junior year.  Saunders went on to play collegiate golf at Clemson. 
 
Saunders left Clemson after his junior year and turned professional.  He played 8 PGA and 5 Nationwide events in 2011 and made it to the final stage of the PGA’s qualifying school tournament before fading to finish in 109th place. 
 
This forced Saunders to play on the Web.com Tour for 2012.  Saunders played well and finished the season in 50th place on the Web.com money list.  He played on Web.com again in 2013 and struggled, making the cut in only 6 of 19 events. 
 
Finally, in 2014, Saunders was able to break through and secure a PGA Tour card by finishing 9th in the Web.com Tour finals. 
 
Saunders has played well at times in his rookie season the PGA Tour.  Through the end of July, Saunders has made the cut in 13 of his 26 starts.  In March, he made the cut at the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill and finished tied for 29th.    He tied for 2nd at the Puerto Rico Open and took home $198,000.  He also made his first cut in a Major at the U.S. Open.  In total, Saunders has made just shy of a half-million and sits in 140thplace in the FedEx Cup standings.