Ernie Gonzalez

Height: 5 ft 8 in

Born: February 14, 1961

College: United States International University

Year Turned Pro: 1983

Birthplace: San Diego, California

The son of a Mexican father and Puerto Rican mother, Ernie Gonzalez’s claim to fame was becoming the first left-handed golfer in a dozen years to win a PGA Tour event when he captured the 1986 Pensacola Open by one stroke over Joey Sindelar.

The next season Gonzalez would make 17 cuts out of 36 events and eventually see his Official World Golf Ranking rise as high as #68.

Gonzalez was born in San Diego and played collegiate golf at United States International University.

Gonzalez played on tour for a four-year period in the late 1980’s. When he lost his tour card, he worked as a golf instructor and played a limited number of what are now Web.com Tour events. He also played a smattering of PGA events with the use of exemptions or special invitations.

He also realized he had to get a “real” job, working as a warehouseman for a beverage distributor in Las Vegas.

Along the way, he never gave in. In 2009, he fired a second round 63 at the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, making the cut and cashing his first PGA check since 2001.

Gonzalez credits his faith in God as a source of strength during his long struggles as a journeyman professional golfer. He and his wife reside in Las Vegas, Nevada.