Charley Lindley Hoffman (born December 27, 1976) is an American professional
golf
Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various Golf club, clubs to hit a Golf ball, ball into a series of holes on a golf course, course in as few strokes as possible.
Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standa ...
er who plays on the
PGA Tour
The PGA Tour (stylized as PGA TOUR by its officials) is the organizer of professional golf tours in North America. It organizes most of the events on the flagship annual series of tournaments also known as the PGA Tour, the PGA Tour Champion ...
.
Early years and amateur career
Born in
San Diego
San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...
, California, Hoffman won the California state high school championship in 1994 and 1995, becoming the first two-time winner. He graduated from Poway High School in 1995. He qualified three times for the
Buick Invitational
Buick () is a division of the American automobile manufacturer General Motors (GM). Started by automotive pioneer David Dunbar Buick in 1899, it was among the first American automobile brands and was the company that established General Motors ...
as an amateur. In college, Hoffman was a member of the 1998
NCAA championship
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...
team at the
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Paradise, Nevada, United States. The campus is about east of the Las Vegas Strip. It was formerly part of the ...
. He was an honorable mention All-American in the same year. While at
UNLV
The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) is a public land-grant research university in Paradise, Nevada, United States. The campus is about east of the Las Vegas Strip. It was formerly part of the University of Nevada from 1957 to 1969. ...
, his teammates included
Chris Riley,
Chad Campbell
David Chad Campbell (born May 31, 1974) is an American professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour, where he has won four times. He also notably finished as a runner-up at the 2009 Masters, after losing in a sudden-death playoff.
Early life ...
,
Bill Lunde, and
Adam Scott. He graduated in 2000 with a
bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...
in communications and turned professional.
Professional career
2000–2005: Nationwide Tour
Hoffman struggled in his first year on the
Buy.com Tour
The Korn Ferry Tour is the developmental tour for the U.S.-based PGA Tour, and features professional golfers who have either not yet reached the PGA Tour, or who have done so but then failed to win enough FedEx Cup points to stay at that level. T ...
in
2000
2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year.
Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...
, only making four of 19 cuts. He had a better year in
2001
The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...
, making 12 of 23 cuts including a top-10 finish. He only played in three events on tour in
2002
The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...
, making one cut. He also played in three events on the
European Tour
The European Tour, currently titled as the DP World Tour for sponsorship reasons, and legally the PGA European Tour or the European Tour Group, is the leading men's professional golf tour in Europe. The organisation also operates the European ...
where he finished tied for 5th at the
Madeira Island Open and tied for 12th at the
Qatar Masters
The Qatar Masters is a European Tour golf tournament held at Doha Golf Club in Doha, Qatar. When founded in 1998, it was one of two European Tour events to be staged in the Arabian Peninsula, but was at one point, one of six. From 2005 to 2007 ...
.
Hoffman did not play on the renamed Nationwide Tour in
2003
2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater.
In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War.
Demographic ...
but returned in
2004
2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO).
Events January
* January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...
and won his first professional event at the
Permian Basin Charity Golf Classic. In 2004, Hoffman made 13 of 15 cuts and recorded two top-10 finishes and 10 top-25 finishes. Hoffman's breakthrough year on tour was
2005
2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...
, making 18 of 26 cuts while recording a runner up finish, 8 top-10s and 12 top-25s. He earned $212,322 on the year and finished 19th on the money list, earning him his PGA Tour card for 2006. Hoffman won the 2005
Straight Down Fall Classic
The Straight Down Fall Classic is a professional golf team tournament. It is played at San Luis Golf and Country Club near San Luis Obispo, California shortly after the PGA Tour's final tournament of the season. It pairs a professional with an amat ...
with
Ed Cuff Jr.
2006–2009: Early PGA Tour career and first win
Hoffman made 21 of 29 cuts and recorded five top-10s and 10 top-25s. He finished tied for 46th at the
2006 U.S. Open, his first major. His best finish came at the
Frys.com Open where he finished tied for fifth. Hoffmann earned $1,115,193 and finished 82nd on the money list.
Hoffman won his first event of the
2007
2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year.
Events
January
* January 1
**Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...
season at the
Bob Hope Chrysler Classic
The Desert Classic (currently known as The American Express for sponsorship reasons; previously known as the CareerBuilder Challenge, Palm Springs Golf Classic, the Bob Hope Desert Classic, the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic, and the Humana Challeng ...
in January. This victory lifted Hoffman into the top 100 of the
Official World Golf Rankings
The Official World Golf Ranking is a system for rating the performance level of professional golfers. It was started in 1986. The rankings are based on a player's position in individual tournaments (i.e. not pairs or team events) over a "rolling ...
. Hoffman won his first PGA tour event by defeating
John Rollins after he birdied the first hole in a playoff. The rest of 2007 was mediocre for Hoffman though, on the year he made 18 of 30 cuts and recorded two top-10s and 7 top-25s. He earned $1,689,366 and finished 50th on the money list and the FedEx Cup standings. He finished tied for 35th in his first
Open Championship
The Open Championship, often referred to as The Open or the British Open, is the oldest golf tournament in the world, and one of the most prestigious. Founded in 1860, it was originally held annually at Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland. Later th ...
and was cut from his first
PGA Championship
The PGA Championship (often referred to as the US PGA Championship or USPGA outside the United States) is an annual golf tournament conducted by the Professional Golfers' Association of America. The PGA is one of the four men's major golf champi ...
. He also finished tied for 7th at the
Deutsche Bank Players Championship of Europe on the European Tour.
Hoffman made 19 of 29 cuts in
2008
2008 was designated as:
*International Year of Languages
*International Year of Planet Earth
*International Year of the Potato
*International Year of Sanitation
The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...
and recorded three top-10 finishes and 6 top-25 finishes. His best finish came at the
Shell Houston Open
The Texas Children's Houston Open is a professional golf tournament in Texas on the PGA Tour, played in March. As a part of a restructuring of the schedule, the event moved to the fall in 2019. Because the tour year starts the previous fall, the ...
where he finished tied for 6th. He had his least successful year on tour, earning $945,702 and finishing 110th on the money list. The following year, Hoffman almost picked up his second win on Tour at the
FBR Open
The Phoenix Open (branded as the WM Phoenix Open for sponsorship reasons) is a professional golf tournament on the PGA Tour, held in early February at TPC Scottsdale in Scottsdale, Arizona, United States.
The tournament was originally the Arizo ...
in
2009
2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...
but he lost in a playoff to
Kenny Perry
James Kenneth Perry (born August 10, 1960) is an American professional golfer who currently plays on the PGA Tour Champions. He won 14 PGA Tour events and has won nine PGA Tour Champions events including four senior major championships: the 2 ...
. Hoffman recorded four top-10s and 11 top-25s in the 2009 season and finished a career high 41st on the money list.
2010–2013
Hoffman won his second
PGA Tour
The PGA Tour (stylized as PGA TOUR by its officials) is the organizer of professional golf tours in North America. It organizes most of the events on the flagship annual series of tournaments also known as the PGA Tour, the PGA Tour Champion ...
event at the
Deutsche Bank Championship
The Dell Technologies Championship, originally the Deutsche Bank Championship, was a professional golf tournament on the PGA Tour that was played annually from 2003 to 2018. It was held in Norton, Massachusetts, United States, over the Labor Day ...
in
Boston
Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
. This victory helped Hoffman to finish 25th on the money list, the first time he finished inside the top 30. Hoffman came close to his third PGA Tour win at the
Valero Texas Open
The Texas Open, known as the Valero Texas Open for sponsorship reasons, is a professional golf tournament on the PGA Tour, played near San Antonio, Texas. It dates back years to 1922, when it was first called the Texas Open; San Antonio-based Va ...
finishing tied for 2nd with
Kevin Chappell behind tour rookie
Brendan Steele
Brendan Dean Steele (born April 5, 1983) is an American professional golfer. He played predominantly on the PGA Tour, where he had three tournament victories, prior to joining LIV Golf in 2023.
Early years
Born in Idyllwild, California, Steele ...
. Hoffman best finish was T-2 at the
Travelers Championship
The Travelers Championship is a professional golf tournament on the PGA Tour in Cromwell, Connecticut, a suburb south of Hartford. Since 1984 the tournament has been held at TPC River Highlands. It is managed by The Greater Hartford Community Fou ...
, one stroke behind
Marc Leishman
Marc A. Leishman (born 24 October 1983) is an Australian professional golfer. He has won six times on the PGA Tour. In 2009 he won the Rookie of the Year award on the PGA Tour, the first Australian to win the award.
Career
Leishman was born i ...
. Hoffman's best
2013
2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years).
2013 was designated as:
*International Year of Water Cooperation
*International Year of Quinoa
Events
January
* January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...
finish was a T3 at the
Valero Texas Open
The Texas Open, known as the Valero Texas Open for sponsorship reasons, is a professional golf tournament on the PGA Tour, played near San Antonio, Texas. It dates back years to 1922, when it was first called the Texas Open; San Antonio-based Va ...
.
2014–2017
Hoffman captured his third career PGA Tour win on November 16, 2014, at the OHL Classic at Mayakoba. He shot rounds of 66-68-67-66 for a 17-under one-shot victory over
Shawn Stefani and earned $1.098 million. In January 2015 he was runner-up at the
Humana Challenge
The Desert Classic (currently known as The American Express for sponsorship reasons; previously known as the CareerBuilder Challenge, Palm Springs Golf Classic, the Bob Hope Desert Classic, the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic, and the Humana Challeng ...
. In the spring, he finished ninth at the
Masters Tournament
The Masters Tournament (usually referred to as simply the Masters, or as the U.S. Masters outside North America) is one of the four men's major championships in professional golf. Scheduled for the first full week in April, the Masters is the ...
, his best finish in a major championship to date. In May he finished tenth at the
Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial
The Colonial National Invitation, titled for sponsorship reasons as the Charles Schwab Challenge since 2019, is a professional golf tournament in Texas on the PGA Tour, played annually in May in Fort Worth at Colonial Country Club, which organiz ...
and was runner-up at the
AT&T Byron Nelson, and in July he finished seventh at the
RBC Canadian Open
The Canadian Open () is a professional golf tournament in Canada. It is co-organized by Golf Canada (formerly known as the Royal Canadian Golf Association) and the PGA Tour. It was first played in 1904, and has been held annually since then, ...
. Hoffman won the
Valero Texas Open
The Texas Open, known as the Valero Texas Open for sponsorship reasons, is a professional golf tournament on the PGA Tour, played near San Antonio, Texas. It dates back years to 1922, when it was first called the Texas Open; San Antonio-based Va ...
in April
2016
2016 was designated as:
* International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly.
* International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...
, for this fourth career victory, shooting a 3-under-par 69 in the final round. He defeated
Patrick Reed
Patrick Nathaniel Reed (born August 5, 1990) is an American professional golfer. He has nine tournament victories on the PGA Tour, including one major championship, the 2018 Masters Tournament, and two World Golf Championships, the 2014 WGC-C ...
by a single stroke.
On April 6, 2017, Hoffman shot a 65 in windy conditions to lead by four strokes after the first round of the
2017 Masters.
His round consisted of nine birdies and is biggest lead after the first round of the Masters since 1941. He followed this up with a three over round of 75 in the second round to drop back into a four-way tie for the lead. Hoffman was in possession of the lead or co-lead for the majority of round three, until he found the water on the 16th, culminating in a double bogey. He finished with a level par round of 72, which left him two shots back of
Sergio García
Sergio García Fernández (; born 9 January 1980) is a Spanish professional golfer. He turned professional in 1999 and played on the European Tour and PGA Tour prior to joining LIV Golf in 2022. García has won 36 international tournaments as ...
and
Justin Rose
Justin Peter Rose (born 30 July 1980) is an English professional golfer who plays on the European Tour and PGA Tour. He is a former world number one in the Official World Golf Ranking, first reaching that position in 2018.
Rose came to prominen ...
, entering the final round. He finished with a closing round of 78 in the final round to finish T-22. After losing by a fraction of a point to
Kevin Chappell for the final guaranteed selection to the
2017 Presidents Cup, Hoffman was named a captain's pick. Hoffman reached a career high world ranking of 20th in 2017.
Professional wins (9)
PGA Tour wins (4)
PGA Tour playoff record (1–3)
Nationwide Tour wins (1)
Nationwide Tour playoff record (1–0)
Gateway Tour wins (3)
Other wins (1)
*2005
Straight Down Fall Classic
The Straight Down Fall Classic is a professional golf team tournament. It is played at San Luis Golf and Country Club near San Luis Obispo, California shortly after the PGA Tour's final tournament of the season. It pairs a professional with an amat ...
(with
Ed Cuff Jr.)
Results in major championships
''Results not in chronological order in 2020.''
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied
NT = No tournament due to
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
Summary
*Most consecutive cuts made – 7 (2017 Masters – 2018 Open)
*Longest streak of top-10s – 1 (twice)
Results in The Players Championship
CUT = missed the halfway cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
C = Canceled after the first round due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
Results in World Golf Championships
''Results not in chronological order prior to 2015.''
QF, R16, R32, R64 = Round in which player lost in match play
"T" = tied
Note that the HSBC Champions did not become a WGC event until 2009.
U.S. national team appearances
Professional
*
Presidents Cup
The Presidents Cup is a series of men's golf matches between a team representing the United States and an International Team representing the rest of the world except Europe as that continent competes against the United States in a similar but ...
:
2017
2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly.
Events January
* January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...
(winners)
See also
*
2005 Nationwide Tour graduates
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hoffman, Charley
American male golfers
UNLV Rebels men's golfers
PGA Tour golfers
Presidents Cup competitors for the United States
Korn Ferry Tour graduates
Golfers from San Diego
Golfers from Las Vegas
Sportspeople from Poway, California
1976 births
Living people