Richard Raymond Werenski (born December 22, 1991) is an American professional golfer.
Early life
Werenski was born in Springfield, Massachusetts, but grew up in South Hadley and played golf at The Orchards Golf Club. He played college golf at Georgia Tech.[2] He won the 2012 Porter Cup.
Professional career
Werenski turned professional after graduating from Georgia Tech in 2014. He won his first two professional events, the Cutter Creek Classic, on the NGA Pro Golf Tour, and the Vermont Open; he added another NGA Pro Golf Tour win in July 2014.[1][3]
In early 2015, Werenski won the Golf Channel's reality show Big Break The Palm Beaches, FL.[4] As the winner of The Big Break, he earned entry into the Barbasol Championship. He made the cut, finishing T72 in his first PGA Tour event.
Werenski earned his 2015 Web.com Tour card through qualifying school. He won for the first - and only - time on the Web.com Tour at the 2016 BMW Charity Pro-Am.[5] He finished the 2016 regular season second on the money list, which automatically earned him his PGA Tour card for 2017 as a Web.com graduate.[6]
On the PGA Tour in 2017, Werenski had a solid rookie year with three top-10s, including a playoff loss at the Barracuda Championship.[7] He made the 2017 FedEx Cup Playoffs and finished the season 106th in points to retain his card for 2018.[8] In 2018, he had another solid season, carding two top-10s, including another T-2 finish (this time at the Barbasol Championship), and made the playoffs again. He finished 110th in points and retained his card for 2019.[9]
In October 2019, Werenski broke a wrist in a car accident. He returned to the PGA Tour in January 2020.[10] At the 3M Open in July 2020, he led the field after the first round,[11] was tied for the lead after the second and third rounds, and finished with a T-3.[12]
On August 2, 2020, Werenski won the PGA Tour's opposite field event, the Barracuda Championship on Tahoe Mountain Club's Old Greenwood Course in Truckee, California. He holed a flop shot from the fairway on the par-4 16th for a five-point eagle and birdied the last for a one-point victory over Troy Merritt. Werenski won the event three years after losing to Chris Stroud on the second hole of a playoff.[13] The win made Werenski one of the last entrants into the 2020 PGA Championship.
Amateur wins
- 2012 Porter Cup
Professional wins (5)
PGA Tour wins (1)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aug 2, 2020 | Barracuda Championship | 39 pts (6-11-9-13=39) | 1 point |  Troy Merritt
|
PGA Tour playoff record (0–1)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponents | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2017 | Barracuda Championship |  Greg Owen, Chris Stroud
|
Stroud won with birdie on second extra hole Owen eliminated by birdie on first hole |
Web.com Tour wins (1)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | May 22, 2016 | BMW Charity Pro-Am | −21 (68-67-65-65=265) | 2 strokes | Brian Campbell,  Brett Drewitt, Zack Sucher
|
NGA Pro Golf Tour wins (2)
- 2014 Cutter Creek Classic, Seven Lakes NGA Classic
Other wins (1)
- 2014 Vermont Open
Results in major championships
Results not in chronological order before 2019 and in 2020.
| Tournament | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | ||||
| PGA Championship | CUT | CUT | T38 | |
| U.S. Open | CUT | CUT | ||
| The Open Championship | NT |
CUT = missed the halfway cut
NT = No tournament due to COVID-19 pandemic
Results in The Players Championship
| Tournament | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Players Championship | T23 | T47 | C | CUT | CUT |
"T" indicates a tie for a place
CUT = missed the halfway cut
C = Canceled after the first round due to the COVID-19 pandemic
See also
References
- ^ a b "Richy Werenski – Profile". PGA Tour. Retrieved June 5, 2018.
- ^ "Richard Werenski profile". Georgia Tech Sports. Retrieved June 1, 2016.
- ^ "Georgia Tech alum Richy Werenski grabs 3rd win in 5 starts at Seven Lakes NGA Classic in Pinehurst". Beach Carolina Magazine. July 20, 2014.
- ^ "Richy rich: Get to know Big Break winner Werenski". Golf Channel. Retrieved June 1, 2016.
- ^ "Richy Werenski wins Web.com Tour's BMW Charity Pro-Am". ESPN. Associated Press. May 22, 2016.
- ^ "2016 Web.com Tour Standings". PGA Tour. Retrieved January 24, 2019.
- ^ "Stroud wins Barracuda Championship on 2nd playoff hole". Asbury Park Press. August 6, 2017. Retrieved July 24, 2020.
- ^ "2017 FedEx Cup Standings". PGA Tour. Retrieved January 24, 2019.
- ^ "2018 FedEx Cup Standings". PGA Tour. Retrieved January 24, 2019.
- ^ Ferguson, Doug (February 6, 2020). "Nick Taylor takes lead, Richy Werenski 3 back on glorious day at Pebble Beach". Daily Hampshire Gazette. Associated Press. Retrieved July 24, 2020.
- ^ "Werenski leads 3M Open after 8-under 63". PGA Tour. Associated Press. July 23, 2020. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
- ^ "South Hadley's Richy Werenski finishes tied for third at 3M Open". Masslive.com. Associated Press. July 26, 2020. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
- ^ "Richy Werenski rallies to win Barracuda Championship". Associated Press. August 2, 2020. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
External links
- Richy Werenski at the PGA Tour official site
- Richy Werenski at the Official World Golf Ranking official site