Michael Christie (June 25, 1969 – April 22, 2004) was an American

professional golfer A professional golfer is somebody who receives payments or financial rewards in the sport of golf that are directly related to their skill or reputation. A person who earns money by teaching or playing golf is traditionally considered a "golf pr ...

who played 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 ...

Nationwide 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. ...

and

NGA Hooters Tour The NGA Pro Golf Tour was a developmental golf tour based in the United States. The tour consisted of around 25 professional golf tournaments, making it the third largest series in the United States after the elite PGA Tour and its developmental ...

Early life and amateur career

Christie was born in

Greenville, South Carolina Greenville ( ; ) is a city in Greenville County, South Carolina, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 70,720 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of municipalities in South Carolina, sixth-most pop ...

. He was an

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

n at the

University of South Carolina The University of South Carolina (USC, SC, or Carolina) is a Public university, public research university in Columbia, South Carolina, United States. Founded in 1801 as South Carolina College, It is the flagship of the University of South Car ...

in 1992.

Professional career

In 1993, Christie got his start in 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 ...

by qualifying for the 1993 U.S. Open where he finished T-52. He won his first pro tournament on the

Nike Tour Nike often refers to: * Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment * Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory Nike may also refer to: People * Nike (name), a surname and feminine given ...

at the 1995 Carolina Classic in

Raleigh, North Carolina Raleigh ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, second-most populous city in the state (after Charlotte, North Carolina, Charlotte) ...

by shooting a tournament record of 22-under-par. He played on the Nike Tour from 1994 to 1996 winning four times and earned his

card as a result of his three victories in 1996, finishing second

Stewart Cink Stewart Ernest Cink (born May 21, 1973) is an American professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour. He won the 2009 Open Championship, defeating Tom Watson in a four-hole aggregate playoff. He spent over 40 weeks in the top 10 of the Official ...

on the money list. Christie played on the

from 1997 to 2000; his best finish was a tie for sixth at the

Greater Vancouver Open The Greater Vancouver Open was a professional golf tournament in Canada on the PGA Tour, held in southwestern British Columbia from 1996 to 2002. It was played after the majors in late summer, at the Northview Golf & Country Club in Surrey, a su ...

in 1997. Christie began experiencing debilitating physical ailments beginning in 1998 which curtailed his golfing career. Through several surgeries, he attempted comebacks to the professional ranks through 2003. In addition to his successes on the PGA and Nationwide Tours, Christie won twice on the Hooters Tour. His teammates at the University of South Carolina included current pros Carl Paulson and

Brett Quigley Brett Quigley (born August 18, 1969) is an American professional golfer. He currently plays on the PGA Tour Champions, where he won the 2020 Morocco Champions. He was previously a member of the PGA Tour and the Korn Ferry Tour. Early life Quigle ...

Death

In 2004, Christie committed suicide at the age of 34.

Professional wins (6)

Nike Tour wins (4)

Hooters Tour wins (2)

Results in major championships

"T" = tied
''Note: Christie only played in the U.S. Open.''

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Christie, Michael American male golfers South Carolina Gamecocks men's golfers PGA Tour golfers Korn Ferry Tour graduates Golfers from South Carolina Sportspeople from Greenville, South Carolina Suicides by firearm in South Carolina 2004 suicides 1969 births 2004 deaths 20th-century American sportsmen