Dudley Hart Bio
Howard Dudley Hart (born August 4, 1968) is an American professional golfer who competed on the PGA Tour for nearly two decades and later moved to PGA Tour Champions. He is best known for capturing two PGA Tour titles, including the rain-shortened 1996 Bell Canadian Open, and for being named the PGA Tour Comeback Player of the Year in 2008.
Standing 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighing around 190 pounds during his playing career, Hart built his reputation on consistency rather than volume, recording 55 top-10 finishes between 1991 and 2009 despite a series of injuries that repeatedly interrupted his schedule.
Early Life and Background
Howard Dudley Hart was born on August 4, 1968, in Rochester, New York, and raised in a family that encouraged athletic activity from a young age. As a teenager he moved to Florida, where he attended Archbishop Curley-Notre Dame High School in Miami and developed his golf game on year-round courses.
The Florida climate and strong amateur competition helped sharpen his fundamentals, and by the time he finished high school he had attracted interest from several college programs. His early training in Miami laid the groundwork for the smooth, repeatable swing he would later carry onto the PGA Tour.
Path to Professional Golf
Hart accepted an athletic scholarship to the University of Florida in Gainesville, where he played for the Florida Gators men’s golf team from 1987 to 1990 under coaches Lynn Blevins and Buddy Alexander. In 1987 he was named the Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Year, and he went on to become a three-time first-team All-SEC selection and a four-time All-American.
He was also part of the Gators’ 1989 SEC championship team, an experience that introduced him to high-level team competition and pressure golf. After his senior season, Hart decided to forgo the amateur circuit and turn professional in 1990, joining the PGA Tour the following year.
Dudley Hart Career
Early Career (1991–1995)
Hart joined the PGA Tour in 1991 and spent his first few seasons learning the demands of week-to-week professional golf. He adjusted to the travel schedule, learned to manage difficult course setups, and gradually moved up the priority rankings through steady finishes.
During this developmental period he produced the occasional top-25 result and built the course-management habits that would later define his play. His breakthrough moment came in 1996, when he captured his first PGA Tour title at the rain-shortened Bell Canadian Open in just his 160th career start.
PGA Tour Breakthrough (1996–2002)
That 1996 victory at the Bell Canadian Open announced Hart as a legitimate PGA Tour winner. Four years later he added a second title at the 2000 Honda Classic, a win that pushed his career-high Official World Golf Ranking to 21st in April 2000.
Although he added only one more PGA Tour victory, Hart became one of the most consistent players on Tour, posting 55 top-10 finishes between 1991 and 2009, including four runner-up finishes. His best major result came at the 1993 PGA Championship, where he tied for sixth. He also tied for 12th at the 2002 U.S. Open and tied for 28th at the 2000 Masters Tournament, and he competed in The Open Championship in both 1999 and 2001.
Injury Years and Comeback (2003–2009)
In 2003 a herniated disc in his back limited him to twenty-two starts, the beginning of a long stretch of physical setbacks. In 2007 he stepped away from competition for six months to care for his wife, Suzanne, while she had a softball-sized tumor removed from her lungs.
Hart returned in 2008 using a major medical exemption and produced what was statistically his best season, earning more than $2 million and winning the PGA Tour Comeback Player of the Year award. A spinal fusion surgery in 2009 then kept him off the PGA Tour for all of 2010 and 2011.
PGA Tour Champions Era (2018–Present)
After additional recovery and short stints on developmental tours, Hart became eligible for PGA Tour Champions in August 2018. The senior circuit offered a more manageable schedule that better suited his back, allowing him to return to regular competitive golf.
Driving Style and Strengths
Hart was known as a steady, course-management player who relied on accurate iron play and a calm temperament under pressure. His strengths lay in plotting his way around demanding layouts, avoiding big numbers, and posting the kind of top-10 finishes that built his reputation for consistency.
Notable Events and Milestones
Signature moments include his 1996 Bell Canadian Open victory, his 2000 Honda Classic title, a tied-sixth finish at the 1993 PGA Championship, and his 2008 Comeback Player of the Year award after earning more than $2 million.
Dudley Hart Career Wins
Howard Dudley Hart has recorded six professional victories in total, including two PGA Tour wins and four wins on other tours. His PGA Tour titles came at the 1996 Bell Canadian Open and the 2000 Honda Classic, while his other victories came on satellite and developmental circuits.
PGA Tour Highlights
Hart captured his first PGA Tour title at the rain-shortened 1996 Bell Canadian Open, a breakthrough that came in his 160th career start. He added a second PGA Tour victory at the 2000 Honda Classic, a result that lifted his Official World Golf Ranking to a career-best 21st in April 2000. In the 2004 EDS Byron Nelson Championship he finished tied for first but lost a playoff to Sergio García.
Other Wins and Performances
Outside the PGA Tour, Hart added four wins on developmental and mini-tour events during his professional career. His consistency on those circuits helped him sharpen his game for the higher level of PGA Tour competition.
Dudley Hart Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Dudley Hart’s immediate family does not have a documented background in professional golf, and his path to the game was built largely on his own athletic development. He grew up in Rochester, New York, before moving to Florida as a teenager to pursue competitive golf.
Personal Life
Hart is married to Suzanne Hart, and the couple has four children. They welcomed a set of triplets, Ryan, Rachel, and Abigail, in 2001, and a fourth daughter, Avery, was born in 2010. The family lives in Buffalo, New York. Outside of golf, Hart enjoys fishing and reading and is a fan of professional hockey.
2025 Season Performance
Howard Dudley Hart continues to be associated with PGA Tour Champions, the senior circuit he joined after becoming eligible in August 2018. As a veteran player on the over-50 tour, his 2025 schedule typically features a selective number of starts chosen around his health and the courses that suit his iron-based game.
His primary focus in 2025 is maintaining competitive form and staying healthy enough to compete regularly on PGA Tour Champions. With two PGA Tour titles, a career-best world ranking of 21st, and a Comeback Player of the Year award on his resume, Hart continues to be recognized as one of the more consistent American players of his generation.