Garrett Michael Willis (born November 21, 1973) is 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 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 ...

and 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. ...

Early life

Willis was born in

Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 United ...

. He attended

East Tennessee State University East Tennessee State University (ETSU) is a public research university in Johnson City, Tennessee. It was historically part of the State University and Community College System of Tennessee under the Tennessee Board of Regents, but since 2016, ...

where he was member of the

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 ...

team, a first-team

All-American 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 ...

his senior year. He won the

Canadian Amateur Championship The Canadian Amateur Championship, begun in 1895, is the men's amateur golf championship of Canada. It is staged annually by Golf Canada. It was played at match play until 1968, went to stroke play beginning in 1969, and reverted to match play i ...

in 1995. He graduated in 1996.

Professional career

In 1996, Willis turned pro. Willis began his career in professional golf playing on the Hooters Tour and in selected international events. He then moved up to the BUY.COM Tour (the precursor of the Nationwide Tour). Willis made his debut on the PGA Tour at the

Touchstone Energy Tucson Open The Tucson Open was a golf tournament in Arizona on the PGA Tour from 1945 to 2006, played annually in the winter in Tucson. It was last held at the Omni Tucson National Golf Resort in late February, with a $3 million purse and a $540,000 winne ...

in 2001, and became the fourth Tour player to win in his first start as a member joining

Marty Fleckman Martin Alan Fleckman (born April 23, 1944) is an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour in the 1960s and 1970s. Born in Port Arthur, Texas, Fleckman credits Byron Nelson, Carl Lohren, and Jim Hardy with teaching him how to play ...

(1967),

Ben Crenshaw Ben Daniel Crenshaw (born January 11, 1952) is a retired American professional golfer who has won 19 events on the PGA Tour, including two major championships: the Masters Tournament in 1984 and 1995. He is nicknamed '' Gentle Ben''. Early lif ...

(1973) and Robert Gamez (1990). In recent years, Willis has split his playing time between the PGA Tour and the Nationwide Tour. He posted a Nationwide Tour victory in 2005 at the Envirocare Utah Classic. He came close to winning again on the Nationwide Tour in 2007, when he and

Justin Bolli Justin Bolli (born March 18, 1976) is an American professional golfer. who has played on the PGA Tour and the Web.com Tour. Early life Bolli was born in Portland, Oregon. Professional career Bolli started playing on the Nationwide Tour ful ...

finished tied for second, a single stroke behind Jay Williamson in the

Fort Smith Classic The Fort Smith Classic was a golf tournament on the Nationwide Tour. It is held each year at Hardscrabble Country Club in Fort Smith, Arkansas. It was the only annual PGA Tour event in the U.S. state of Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landloc ...

. Willis won again in 2009 on the Nationwide Tour at the WNB Golf Classic by one stroke over Chad Collins. He finished 12th on the money list to earn his 2010 PGA Tour card. Willis last played a PGA Tour event in 2016.

Personal life

Willis lives in

Knoxville, Tennessee Knoxville is a city in Knox County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. It is located on the Tennessee River and had a population of 190,740 at the 2020 United States census. It is the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Division ...

with his wife, Jennifer.

Professional wins (9)

PGA Tour wins (1)

Nationwide Tour wins (2)

Nationwide Tour playoff record (0–1)

NGA Hooters Tour wins (2)

Other wins (4)

*1997 Panama Open *2000 Tennessee Open *2013 Tennessee Open *2015 Tennessee Open

Results in major championships

''Note: Willis only played in the U.S. Open.''
CUT = missed the half-way cut

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Willis, Garrett American male golfers East Tennessee State Buccaneers men's golfers PGA Tour golfers Korn Ferry Tour graduates Golfers from Charlotte, North Carolina Golfers from Knoxville, Tennessee 1973 births Living people 20th-century American sportsmen