Lanny Wadkins was born in Richmond, Virginia, and is graduate of Meadowbrook High School and Wake Forest University, is one of the Commonwealth’s greatest golf champions. Wadkins was the 1968 and 1970 Southern Amateur champion and the U.S. Amateur champion in 1970. Over the course of PGA Tour career, Wadkins registered 21 tournament victories, with his first coming in 1972 at Sahara Invitational in his first full year on tour. A model of consistency, Wadkins won twice in the same season five times in 1973-77-79-83-88 and three times in a season twice in 1982 and ’85. He won the 1977 PGA Championship in a playoff with Gene Littler for his only major championship victory. Three weeks later, he defeated Hale Irwin and Tom Weiskopf by by five strokes at the World Series of Golf. Wadkins finished third on money list that year and also placed third on the money list in 1983, when he won twice in the Greater Greensboro Open and MONY Tournament of Champions along with two seconds and a third. He won the 1979 Tournament Players Championship (now THE PLAYERS Championship) at Sawgrass CC, and in 1985 was named the PGA Tour Player of the Year. While Wadkins was known as one of the games great competitors his brilliance was on full display during Ryder Cup competitions. A member of 9 USA Ryder Cup teams, 8 as a player and once as a captain, Wadkins finished his career with a 20-11-3 record in Ryder Cup, good for 21.5 points, tied for 3rd all-time. Following his playing days, Wadkins has continued to stay close to the game through multiple roles in broadcasting.
