Gene Sauers

Height: 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)

Weight: 150 lb (68 kg; 11 st)

Birthday: August 22, 1962

College: Georgia Southern University

Year turned pro: 1984

Birthplace: Savannah, Georgia, USA

Country: USA

Sponsor: –

Sauers was born in Savannah, Georgia in 1962. He was encouraged to play golf by his father when he was nine years of age. After high school, Sauers attended college at Georgia Southern University in Statesboro, Georgia. He went on to turn professional in 1984. Sauers won on the PGA Tour for the first time at the Bank of Boston Classic, in 1986. Sauers achieved his best win in a major with a tie for second place, at the PGA Championships, in 1992. It was a further three years before he won on the Tour again, at the Hawaiian Open. That year, Sauers lost his PGA Tour Card, and commenced playing on the Nationwide Tour the following season. He achieved one win on the Nationwide Tour, at the NIKE South Carolina Classic, in 1998. Sauers did not win on the PGA Tour again, until he was victorious at the Air Canada Championship, in 2002. He was named 2002 PGA Comeback Player of the Year as a result. He also gained a two year exemption.

Sauers continued to compete on the PGA Tour until 2005. He was then diagnosed with a very rare and painful skin condition, and was given only a 25% chance of survival. Sauers did eventually recover from the condition, but he still bears the scars that resulted from having a number of skin grafts. As a result of his health problems, Sauers did not play any golf again until 2011, when he began playing a limited amount of tournaments on the Nationwide Tour. In 2012, Sauers began playing on the Champions Tour. The following year, he played a full season on the Tour, and finished in 19th place on the money list. Sauers continued playing on the Champions Tour in 2014, and tied for first place at the US Senior Open, before losing in a play-off.

As of the end of 2014, Sauers had achieved three wins on the PGA Tour, amassing total prize money of $4,660,570.