Rod Spittle (born 18 July 1955) is a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

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 ...

Amateur career

Spittle was born in

St. Catharines St. Catharines is the most populous city in Canada's Niagara Region, the eighth largest urban area in the province of Ontario. As of 2021, St. Catharines has an area of and 136,803 residents. It lies in Southern Ontario, south of Toronto ac ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

. He played college golf at

Ohio State University The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one ...

where his teammates included John Cook and

Joey Sindelar Joseph Paul Sindelar (born March 30, 1958) is an American professional golfer who currently plays on the PGA Tour Champions. He previously played on the PGA Tour, winning seven tournaments between 1985 and 2004. Early life Sindelar was born in F ...

.Champions Tour Media Guide entry
/ref> Spittle won the

Canadian Amateur 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 in ...

in 1977 and 1978. In 1978, Spittle graduated Ohio State with a degree in Business Administration. After graduating, Spittle did not turn professional in golf, instead choosing to sell

insurance Insurance is a means of protection from financial loss in which, in exchange for a fee, a party agrees to compensate another party in the event of a certain loss, damage, or injury. It is a form of risk management, primarily used to protect ...

, which he did for 25 years. He moved to

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

, and played amateur golf at a high standard during this period.

Professional career

In 2004, Spittle turned professional, shortly before turning 50. He began playing on the

Champions Tour PGA Tour Champions (formerly the Senior PGA Tour and the Champions Tour) is a men's professional senior golf tour, open to golfers age 50 and over, administered as a branch of the PGA Tour. History and format The Senior PGA Championship, f ...

in 2005. His best finish in his first four years was a T-2 at the 2007

Greater Hickory Classic at Rock Barn The Greater Hickory Kia Classic at Rock Barn was a 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, ...

. He did not play the Champions Tour at all in 2009. In 2010, he Monday-qualified into the AT&T Championship, and won the event in a one-hole sudden-death playoff over

Jeff Sluman Jeffrey George Sluman (born September 11, 1957) is an American professional golfer who has won numerous professional golf tournaments including six PGA Tour victories. Early life and amateur career Sluman was born and reared in Rochester, New Yo ...

Award and honors

In 2019, Spittle was inducted into the

Canadian Golf Hall of Fame The Canadian Golf Hall of Fame and Museum is a museum and hall of fame covering the history of the game of golf in Canada, and celebrating the careers and accomplishments of the most significant contributors to the game in that country. Operated b ...

Amateur wins

*1977

*1978

*2000 Ohio Mid-AmateurOhio Mid-Amateur, Past Champions
/ref> *2001 Ohio Mid-Amateur *2003 Ohio Mid-Amateur

Professional wins (1)

Champions Tour wins (1)

Champions Tour playoff record (1–0)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Spittle, Rod Canadian male golfers Ohio State Buckeyes men's golfers PGA Tour Champions golfers Golfing people from Ontario Sportspeople from St. Catharines 1955 births Living people 20th-century Canadian sportsmen