Stephen Ames Bio
Stephen Michael Ames (born April 28, 1964) is a professional golfer who competed on the PGA Tour for many years before moving to the PGA Tour Champions. His most celebrated victory came at The Players Championship in 2006, where he set a record-tying six-shot margin of victory. Born in San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago, Ames later obtained Canadian citizenship and now resides in Vancouver, British Columbia. He holds dual citizenship of Trinidad and Tobago and Canada, and he is recognized as one of the most accomplished golfers to emerge from the Caribbean.
Across his career, Ames has accumulated 20 professional wins spanning the PGA Tour, European Tour, Korn Ferry Tour (then the Ben Hogan Tour), PGA Tour Champions, and other events. He reached a career-high Official World Golf Ranking of 17 in July 2004. His contributions to golf have been honored with the Chaconia Medal (Gold) and induction into the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame.
Early Life and Background
Stephen Michael Ames was born in San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago, and is of English and Portuguese descent. Much of his extended family remains in the Caribbean nation. He grew up on the Petrotrin employee compound, then known as Trintoc, in Pointe-à-Pierre. Ames learned the game at the Petrotrin staff club, the Pointe-à-Pierre Golf Club, which gave him his earliest formal exposure to the sport.
Ames’ early development was supported and shaped by his father, Michael, whose discipline helped nurture a young player’s talent. In his Hoerman Cup debut at age 16 in 1980, he set the course record at Sandy Lane, Barbados, with a six-under-par total of 66. That early breakthrough hinted at the competitive pedigree he would later carry onto the game’s biggest stages.
Path to Professional Golf
As a teenager, Ames earned a golf scholarship to the College of Boca Raton in Florida, an opportunity that took him from Trinidad to the United States to refine his game. He turned professional in 1987, but the early years were challenging; he struggled to secure a PGA Tour card, in part because of a neck injury. His first professional victory in the United States came at the 1991 Ben Hogan Pensacola Open on what was then the Ben Hogan Tour, a confidence-building result during a difficult stretch.
Seeking a steadier competitive path, Ames entered the European Tour Qualifying School in 1992 and earned his card. Over the next five seasons he played consistently on the European Tour, making the top 80 on the Order of Merit each year with a best finish of 13th in 1996. Along the way, he captured the 1994 Open V33 Grand Lyon in France and the 1996 Benson & Hedges International Open in England, building the résumé that would later allow him to return to the PGA Tour full-time.
Stephen Ames Career
Early Career (1987–1996)
During his early professional years, Ames split his time between developmental tours in the United States and the European Tour, gradually improving his consistency. The 1991 Ben Hogan Pensacola Open marked his first victory on American soil and signaled his readiness for higher-level competition. By the mid-1990s he had added two European titles and was a steady presence in European events, giving him the foundation to attempt a return to the PGA Tour.
The turning point came in 1997, when Ames finished third at the PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament to earn exempt status for the 1998 season. A visa issue prevented him from playing much of the PGA Tour in 1999, but he remained determined to establish himself among the world’s best players.
PGA Tour Breakthrough (1998–2006)
In his first six PGA Tour seasons, Ames did not break into the top 40 of the money list, though he came close at the 2002 Players Championship, where he finished runner-up to Craig Perks. The breakthrough arrived in 2004 when he won the Cialis Western Open, a star-studded field that included Tiger Woods, Vijay Singh, and Davis Love III. Later that year, he cracked the top 20 of the Official World Golf Ranking for the first time.
In February 2006, Ames famously provoked Tiger Woods by suggesting that anything could happen in match play, only to be thrashed 9 and 8 at the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship. He answered that loss emphatically on March 26, 2006, capturing The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass by a record-tying six strokes over Retief Goosen, the second-largest margin in championship history. The win pushed him past US$10 million in career earnings and lifted him 37 spots to No. 27 in the world ranking.
He added a third PGA Tour title at the 2007 Children’s Miracle Network Classic and capped his PGA Tour win count with a fourth victory at the same event in 2009, sinking a final-round 64 to win a three-way playoff over George McNeill and Justin Leonard. He also launched the Stephen Ames Cup, an international Ryder Cup-style event pitting CJGA Team Canada against Team Trinidad & Tobago, and co-hosts an annual charity golf tournament for kids with Jim Prentice.
PGA Tour Champions Era (2017–Present)
Ames began his PGA Tour Champions career in 2017 with a breakthrough win at the Mitsubishi Electric Classic on April 16. Shooting a final-round 66, he finished four strokes ahead of Bernhard Langer and became the third Canadian to win on the tour. He was also the 11th golfer to win on all three PGA Tour-operated circuits: the PGA Tour, PGA Tour Champions, and Web.com Tour.
He added a second Champions victory at the 2021 Principal Charity Classic, coming from behind to win in Des Moines. In 2023, Ames enjoyed one of the most productive senior seasons of his career, capturing four PGA Tour Champions titles and reinforcing his status as a consistent contender on the over-50 circuit.
Driving Style and Strengths
Ames is known for a steady, ball-striking style that holds up well on classical parkland courses, where accuracy and iron play tend to decide champions. His match-play record against elite fields, including a one-sided loss and a six-shot Players Championship win, hints at a player willing to take risks when matchups call for it.
Notable Events and Milestones
The 2006 Players Championship remains the defining moment of his career, both for its record-tying margin and for the redemption arc that followed his lopsided loss to Woods a month earlier. In 2014, he was inducted into the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame, and in 2004 he received the Chaconia Medal (Gold), one of Trinidad and Tobago’s highest civilian honors.
Stephen Ames Career Wins
Stephen Ames has 20 verified professional wins across multiple tours, including four on the PGA Tour, two on the European Tour, one on the Korn Ferry Tour, nine on the PGA Tour Champions, and four in other events. The headline victory is The Players Championship in 2006, while his Champions wins include the 2017 Mitsubishi Electric Classic, the 2021 Principal Charity Classic, and four titles in 2023.
PGA Tour Highlights
Ames won four times on the PGA Tour, beginning with the 2004 Cialis Western Open and reaching its peak with The Players Championship in 2006. He added the 2007 and 2009 Children’s Miracle Network Classic, the latter decided in a three-way playoff. His four PGA Tour victories remain the foundation of his major-tour résumé.
European Tour and Other Wins
On the European Tour, Ames captured the 1994 Open V33 Grand Lyon and the 1996 Benson & Hedges International Open. His other wins include developmental and international events, including the Hoerman Cup record-setting performance in 1980 and his first U.S. victory at the 1991 Ben Hogan Pensacola Open.
| Tour | Wins |
|---|---|
| PGA Tour | 4 |
| European Tour | 2 |
| Korn Ferry Tour | 1 |
| PGA Tour Champions | 9 |
| Other | 4 |
Stephen Ames Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Ames is of English and Portuguese descent, and much of his family continues to reside in Trinidad and Tobago. His grandmother was a Trinidad and Tobago Champion twice, giving the family a multi-generational connection to the sport. His father, Michael, played a central role in his early development.
Personal Life
Ames married his first wife, Jodi, in 1991; the couple later divorced in 2016, and they have two sons. He married Kelly Norcott in 2018. He separated from Jodi in 2014 and moved from Calgary to Vancouver, British Columbia, where he currently resides.
2025 Season Outlook
Entering 2025, Stephen Ames remains an active competitor on the PGA Tour Champions, where he enjoyed one of his best seasons in 2023 with four titles. His consistency on the senior circuit keeps him in regular contention, and his veteran course-management skills remain well suited to the Champions Tour schedule. With his recent form, he is expected to be a factor in several senior majors and full-field Champions events throughout the year.
As he continues to build on his nine PGA Tour Champions wins, Ames also serves as an ambassador for golf in both Canada and Trinidad and Tobago through events like the Stephen Ames Cup. His experience, calm match-play temperament, and elite ball-striking suggest another competitive season on the over-50 circuit in 2025.
