Clifford Terry Kresge (born October 3, 1968) 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. He has 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 ...

and

Web.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 ...

since 1997.

Early life

Kresge was born in

Lakewood Township, New Jersey Lakewood Township is the most populous township in Ocean County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. A rapidly growing community, as of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 135,158, its highest decennial count ever and a ...

. His parents moved to central Florida in 1972 and lived on the Dubsdread Golf Course in Orlando where he took golf at age 8. Kresge graduated from the

University of Central Florida The University of Central Florida (UCF) is a public university, public research university with its main campus in unincorporated area, unincorporated Orange County, Florida, United States. It is part of the State University System of Florida. ...

with a liberal arts degree in 1991.

Professional career

Kresge turned professional in 1991. He played mainly on mini-tours until 1997 when he joined the

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. ...

. Kresge has three wins on the Nationwide Tour. His best finishes on the PGA Tour are a pair of T-3 at the 2002 B.C. Open and the 2008

Arnold Palmer Invitational The Arnold Palmer Invitational is a professional golf tournament on the PGA Tour. It is played each March at the Bay Hill Club and Lodge, a private golf resort owned since 1974 by Arnold Palmer in Bay Hill, a suburb southwest of Orlando, Florid ...

. He also finished tied for 10th in the 2003 U.S. Open. Kresge won a 2011

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 ...

event; the Bridgestone Winter Series at Deer Island GC in a four-hole playoff.

Personal life

Kresge currently resides with his wife Judy in

Kingsport, Tennessee Kingsport is a city in Sullivan and Hawkins counties in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It lies along the Holston River and had a population of 55,442 at the 2020 census. It is the largest city in the Kingsport–Bristol metropolitan area, ...

. Judy has three sons from previous marriage while Cliff has a son of his own also from a previous marriage. Judy's oldest son Peter often caddies for Kresge. Kresge has gone public, along with

Ernie Els Theodore Ernest Els (; born 17 October 1969) is a South African professional golfer. A former , he is nicknamed "the Big Easy" due to his physical stature along with his fluid golf swing. Among his more than 70 career victories are four major ...

, about both of their sons being diagnosed with

autism Autism, also known as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by differences or difficulties in social communication and interaction, a preference for predictability and routine, sensory processing d ...

. Kresge was the Honorary Walk Chair for the November 15, 2008 Orlando Walk Now For Autism, a fundraiser for

Autism Speaks Autism Speaks Inc. is an American non-profit autism awareness organization and the largest autism research organization in the United States. It sponsors autism research and conducts awareness and outreach activities aimed at families, governm ...

. In September 2009, Kresge along with Els and 18 other PGA Tour players held a charity Pro-Am at Ridgefields Country Club in Kingsport for his Autism Charity: Kresge's Krew Foundation.Golfers, community join up with Kresge's Krew in show of support for families touched by autism
/ref> The foundation again held their annual tournament at Ridgefields in 2010 and 2011.

returned to headline a field of 15

players

Professional wins (4)

Nationwide Tour wins (3)

Nationwide Tour playoff record (3–0)

Other wins (1)

*2011 Bridgestone Winter Series at Deer Island GC (

)

Results in major championships

CUT = missed the half way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kresge, Cliff American male golfers UCF Knights men's golfers PGA Tour golfers Korn Ferry Tour graduates Golfers from New Jersey Golfers from Florida Golfers from Tennessee Sportspeople from Lakewood Township, New Jersey Sportspeople from Seminole County, Florida Sportspeople from Kingsport, Tennessee 1968 births Living people 20th-century American sportsmen