Harrison Frazar Bio
Harrison Frazar is an American professional golfer who has competed on the PGA Tour, the Web.com Tour, and the PGA Tour Champions. Born on July 29, 1971, in Dallas, Texas, he built a reputation as a steady player and later enjoyed his finest moment with a breakthrough PGA Tour title in 2011. He currently plays on the PGA Tour Champions after turning 50 in 2021.
Over the course of a long career that began in 1996, Frazar became known for his resilience through injuries and for one of the most remarkable rounds in tour history, a 59 at PGA West. He has recorded four professional wins, one each on the PGA Tour, the Korn Ferry Tour, the PGA Tour Champions, and in other competition, and he has continued to compete at a high level into his fifties.
Early Life and Background
Harrison Frazar was born on July 29, 1971, in Dallas, Texas, and was raised there and in Abilene. He attended Highland Park High School in the Dallas area, where he won two state golf championships and was a three-time all-Texas selection. Those high school years helped establish him as one of the most promising young amateurs in the state.
He went on to attend the University of Texas, where he majored in Psychology and Business Foundations. At Texas, he played on the Longhorns golf team and was a three-time honorable mention All-American. In his junior year, he shot a 65 and led the Longhorns to a second-place team finish at the NCAA Championship, capping a strong amateur résumé.
Path to Professional Golf
Before turning professional, Frazar worked as an analyst at a Dallas commercial real estate firm, where he managed and developed golf courses as part of his job. It was originally his intent to stay off the pro tour, but fellow Texan Mark Brooks convinced him to give tournament golf a try. That decision redirected his career and led him to join the PGA Tour in 1996.
He spent his earliest years grinding his way through qualifying and development tours while based in his home state of Texas. The early years were marked by steady play, consistent cuts made, and the kind of experience that prepares a player for the biggest stages in the game.
Harrison Frazar Career
Early Career (1996–2007)
Frazar turned professional in 1996 and became a fixture on the PGA Tour through the late 1990s and 2000s. In 1999, he reached a career-high Official World Golf Ranking of 82nd, an early signal that he could compete against the best players in the world. Through the 2000s he added top finishes and gained valuable experience in major championships.
His early years also included a Nike Tour victory and consistent play that kept him in the mix on the PGA Tour. Off the course, he balanced golf with his Dallas-based business interests, providing a steady foundation for a long career.
Defining Moments and the 59 at PGA West (2008–2011)
On December 6, 2008, Frazar became one of the few golfers in history to shoot a 59 at a professional event. He produced the round on the Nicklaus Tournament Course at PGA West in La Quinta, California, in the fourth round of the qualifying school finals, then went on to win medalist honors by eight strokes with a total of 32 under par after six rounds. The performance was a defining moment in his career.
Throughout his career, Frazar battled a series of injuries. He suffered a hip injury in 2001, a wrist injury in 2005, and in 2010 he required additional surgery on his hip and his shoulder. At one point he considered retirement from professional golf, but he continued to work his way back to form.
PGA Tour Breakthrough (2011)
In 2011, Frazar was playing the PGA Tour on a medical exemption that required him to earn more than $600,000 in 11 tournaments to keep his card. After missing five straight cuts, he took several weeks off to reassess his game and returned with a tie for 14th at the HP Byron Nelson Championship. Two weeks later, with only two starts remaining on his exemption, he captured his maiden PGA Tour title at the FedEx St. Jude Classic.
Frazar won in a playoff over Robert Karlsson of Sweden. He had a one-stroke lead entering the final hole on Sunday but found the water hazard with his second shot, sending the event to sudden death. After both players parred the first two playoff holes, Frazar won at the third extra hole when Karlsson missed a 12-foot par putt. The victory was his first win in 355 career starts on the PGA Tour and came after four second-place finishes over thirteen years. The win secured his PGA Tour card through the 2013 season, earned him an invitation to the 2012 Masters, and lifted him 138 places in the FedEx Cup standings, from 178th to 40th. It also moved him from 583rd to 144th in the Official World Golf Ranking. That same stretch earned him exemptions into the 2011 U.S. Open, where he finished tied for 30th, and the 2011 Open Championship, where he finished 69th.
Later Career and the Champions Tour (2012–Present)
Frazar’s best major result during this era was a tie for 20th at the 2006 PGA Championship, with a tie for 30th at the 2011 U.S. Open and a missed cut at the 2012 Masters among his other notable major appearances. He also reached a career-high world ranking of 82nd after a tie for second at the 2012 Sony Open in Hawaii.
In 2013, he sat out the season with a back injury and spent the following seasons working his way back under medical extensions, trying to regain his PGA Tour card. In 2015, Frazar announced his retirement from professional golf. He returned to the PGA Tour in 2021 on a Major Medical Extension, did not meet the terms, and moved to the Past Champions category. Later that year, after turning 50, he joined the PGA Tour Champions. His first win on the senior circuit came at the 2023 Dominion Energy Charity Classic.
Notable Events and Milestones
The most celebrated milestone of Frazar’s career was his 59 at PGA West in 2008, a round that placed him in rare company in professional golf history. His 2011 FedEx St. Jude Classic victory remains his lone PGA Tour title, and his 2023 Dominion Energy Charity Classic win marked his arrival as a successful Champions Tour competitor.
Harrison Frazar Career Wins
Harrison Frazar has accumulated four professional wins across multiple tours, including one PGA Tour title, one Korn Ferry Tour title, one PGA Tour Champions title, and one other professional victory. His win total reflects a long career that has spanned development tours, the PGA Tour, and the senior circuit.
PGA Tour Highlights
Frazar’s lone PGA Tour victory came at the 2011 FedEx St. Jude Classic, where he defeated Robert Karlsson in a three-hole playoff. The win, his first in 355 career PGA Tour starts, was the centerpiece of his career on the main tour and earned him a card through 2013 along with a 2012 Masters invitation.
Champions Tour and Other Wins
Frazar joined the PGA Tour Champions in late 2021 and captured his first senior victory at the 2023 Dominion Energy Charity Classic. He also won once on the Korn Ferry Tour during the developmental stage of his career and has added one other professional victory elsewhere on his resume.
Harrison Frazar Family
Personal Life
Harrison Frazar is married to his wife, Allison, and the couple has three children. He has long been based in Dallas, Texas, where he has lived and worked between tour stops. His family life and Texas roots have remained a constant throughout his decades-long professional career.
2025 Season Outlook
As Harrison Frazar continues his career on the PGA Tour Champions, the 2025 season represents another opportunity to add to his senior resume after his 2023 Dominion Energy Charity Classic breakthrough. He is expected to compete in a full slate of Champions events, drawing on the experience that comes with more than 25 years of professional golf.
Building on his 2023 Champions Tour win, Frazar will look to remain a regular contender in the senior majors and signature events. The combination of his knowledge of Texas golf, his longstanding relationships within the professional game, and his steady ball-striking should keep him competitive in 2025.
For a player who has overcome hip, wrist, shoulder, and back injuries to remain active into his fifties, the 2025 season offers another chance to extend a remarkable professional journey. Frazar’s career has been defined by persistence, and that approach figures to guide his play on the Champions Tour for the foreseeable future.