Steven John Wheatcroft (born February 21, 1978) 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 ...

Early life and amateur career

Wheatcroft was born in

Indiana, Pennsylvania Indiana is a borough in Indiana County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. The population was 14,044 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Indiana, Pennsylvania micropolitan area, about northeast of Pittsburgh. ...

, grew up in

Washington, Pennsylvania Washington, also known as Little Washington to distinguish it from the District of Columbia, is a city in Washington County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. The population was 13,176 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 censu ...

, and attended

Indiana University Bloomington Indiana University Bloomington (IU Bloomington, Indiana University, IU, IUB, or Indiana) is a public university, public research university in Bloomington, Indiana, United States. It is the flagship university, flagship campus of Indiana Univer ...

and

Kelley School of Business The Kelley School of Business (KSB) is an undergraduate and graduate business school for Indiana University Bloomington and Indiana University Indianapolis. As of 2022, approximately 13,538 full-time undergraduate and graduate students are enr ...

earning a degree in Sports Marketing and Management.

Professional career

In 2001, Wheatcroft turned professional and has played in several tours over the years. His first victory came at the

Pennsylvania Open Championship The Pennsylvania Open Championship is the Pennsylvania state open golf tournament, open to both amateur and professional golfers. It is organized by the Pennsylvania Golf Association. It has been played annually since 1912 (except for war years) at ...

in 2003. He is currently a member of 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 ...

. In his 2006

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. ...

debut season, Wheatcroft recorded only one top-10 and missed the cut 12 times. Despite his difficulties, he would perform well at the PGA Tour

Q-School In professional golf, the term qualifying school is used for the annual qualifying tournaments for leading golf tours such as the U.S.-based PGA and LPGA Tours and the European Tour. A fixed number of players in the event win membership of the ...

. He finished 7th to earn his card for 2007. He would make only 10 cuts out of 25 attempts and post one top 25. Consequently, he lost his card. He returned to the Nationwide Tour in 2008 and had disappointing results until the summer of 2009. Wheatcroft made some changes to his game. As a result, he recorded six top-10s and two top-25s before the end of the season. He launched up the money list to 20th and earned his card for the 2010 PGA Tour. Wheatcroft would play well at the

Puerto Rico Open The Puerto Rico Open is a professional golf tournament on the PGA Tour that was first played in 2008. It is the only PGA Tour event held in Puerto Rico to date. The tournament is played at the Coco Beach Golf Course (previously Trump Internation ...

, finishing tied for 3rd, three strokes behind fellow Nationwide Tour graduate, Derek Lamely. He also qualified for the 2010 U.S. Open after winning a 4-way playoff at the

Rockville, Maryland Rockville is a city in and the county seat of Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, and is part of the Washington metropolitan area. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census tabulated Rockville's population at 67,117, making it the fourth ...

sectional qualifier. He led briefly midway through the second round. He returned to the Nationwide Tour for the 2011 season after finishing 166th on the PGA Tour's money list. At the 2011

Melwood Prince George's County Open The Mid-Atlantic Championship was a professional golf tournament on the Web.com Tour played at TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm. Proceeds from the Mid-Atlantic Championship benefited thSalute Military Golf Association From 2007 to 2011, it was played ...

, Wheatcroft won by a record-breaking 12 strokes. At the 72nd hole, he made an eagle putt to finish at 255 (-29); shattering the previous 72-hole scoring record by three strokes. He also set the record for largest 54-hole lead by eight strokes. Wheatcroft's strong play would continue through the 2011 season, with three more top-10s and four top-25s. After finishing tied for 8th at the season-ending Nationwide Tour Championship, he ended the year at 20th on the money list. Wheatcroft returned to the PGA Tour once again for 2012. Wheatcroft played on the

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 ...

in 2013 and 2014. In 2014, he finished 19th in the regular season rankings to earn another return to the PGA Tour.

Professional wins (11)

Web.com Tour wins (2)

Web.com Tour playoff record (1–0)

Golden Bear Tour wins (4)

Gateway Tour wins (4)

Other wins (1)

*2003

Results in major championships

"T" = Tied
''Note: Wheatcroft only played in the U.S. Open.''

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Wheatcroft, Steve American male golfers Indiana Hoosiers men's golfers PGA Tour golfers Korn Ferry Tour graduates Golfers from Pennsylvania Kelley School of Business alumni People from Indiana, Pennsylvania Golfers from Jacksonville, Florida 1978 births Living people