Gene Sauers

Began playing golf at age 9, joining his father and older brother on the golf course. Won three Georgia State Opens and the Trans-America Athletic Conference title while at Georgia Southern. An avid sports fisherman who has won a number of fishing tournaments.
Prior to joining the PGA Tour Champions, suffered from a rare skin condition, Stevens-Johnson syndrome. At first, doctors treated him for rheumatoid arthritis but the condition worsened and blood vessels in his arms and legs were clogged. This eventually caused his skin to burn from the inside out. Skin was taken from his upper thighs and shins and grafted to the affected areas.
Played on the PGA Tour between 1984 and 1998, then again in 2003 and 2004. Played in 466 events with three wins, six runner-ups, and 46 top 10s. Made the cut in 291 events earning a total of $4.6 million.
He played on the Korn Ferry Tour between 1998 and 2002, playing in 89 events, including a win and a runner-up. He had 11 top-10 finishes and earned $279,561.
2012 Notes: Debuted on the PGA Tour Champions in late August at the Boeing Classic and shot three consecutive scores of 71 at TPC Snoqualmie Ridge to finish T-21st. He played in four other events from the Career Victory Category and posted his first PGA Tour Champions top-10 finish when he was T-8th in his next start at the inaugural Pacific Links Hawaii Championship. Followed that up with another top-10 effort when he was T-10th in the SAS Championship. Prepped for the PGA Tour Champions by competing primarily on the Korn Ferry Tour, where his best effort in seven starts on that circuit was a T-29th at the BMW Charity Pro-Am.
2013 Notes: He played in 22 PGA Tour Champions events, finishing outside of the top 25 in just eight of them. He recorded two runner-up finishes, at the Liberty Mutual Insurance Legends of Golf and the Insperity Championship (lost playoff to Esteban Toledo), and also had a T-3rd at the Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic. Finished the year 19th on the money list with $893,272.
2014 Notes: His season was made in a five-week stretch from mid-July to mid-August. Best finish came at the U.S. Senior Open when he lost a playoff against Colin Montgomerie. At his next start, he finished T-3rd at the 3M Championship. Was T-31st at the Dick's Sporting Goods Open before finishing third at the Boeing Classic. Ended the year with his fourth top-10 at the Charles Schwab Cup Championship, finishing T-9th. For the year was 14th on the money list and 10th in Schwab Rankings.
2015 Notes: Equaled his career-best PGA Tour Champions performance in his second start of the year when he was 2nd at the Allianz Championship. Finished T-3rd at the Regions Tradition and T-9th at the Tucson Conquistadores Classic and Boeing Classic. Was 29th on the money list and 26th in the Scab rankings.
2016 Notes: Had a breakthrough year in his 4th full season on the Champions Tour, winning his first event and finishing 9th on the final money list with $1,258,598, nearly doubling his 2015 output. The highlight of his year came in August when he broke through for his inaugural senior victory, winning the U.S. Senior Open at Scioto Country Club in Columbus. Trailed Miguel Angel Jimenez by a shot with two holes remaining in the Monday finish, made clutch pars on his final two holes, which proved to be the difference as Jimenez closed with bogeys on Nos. 17 and 18 to relinquish his lead and the chance for victory. The win was his first since September 1, 2002, at the PGA Tour's Air Canada Championship, a span of 13 years, 11 months, 17 days. Earned a first-place check for $675,000 which moved his earnings over the $1 million mark, the first time in his career he had surpassed that total in season earnings. Also had two other top-ten finishes, T-4th American Family Insurance Open and 4th at the Boeing Classic.
2017 Notes: Played in 24 events with 10 top-10 finishes. Was 15th on the money list and 17th on the Schwab Cup Ranking. Started the year with a T-8th finish at the Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai. Was T-4th at the Tucson Conquistadores Classic; the next week, Jimenez returned the favor from the U.S. Senior Open by beating Sauers with a birdie on the first playoff hole at the Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic. Would lose another playoff at the 3M Championship, this time losing on the first hole to Paul Goydos when Sauers hit his second shot into a lake.
2018 Notes: Played in 25 PGA Tour Champions events with nine top-ten finishes: Was T-2nd at the Cologuard Classic and Regions Tradition, then T-3rd at the Rapiscan Systems Classic. T-5th at the SAS Championship, also T-7th at the Boca Raton Championship, T-9th at the Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai, and T-10th at the Senior PGA Championship. Advanced to the Charles Schwab Cup Championship for the 5th straight year. He finished 14th in the standings, matching his second-highest finish in six years on Tour.
2019 Notes: He played in 20 PGA Tour Champions events with four top-ten finishes. He was 37th on the Schwab rankings. He was T-5th at the Oasis Championship after opening with a first-round 65. He was T-5th again at the Principal Charity Classic. He was T-6th at the SAS Championship and T-10th in his last event of the year, Invesco QQQ.
2020 & 2021 Notes: Played in 36 PGA Tour Champions events with five top-ten finishes. He was 36th on the Schwab rankings. Was T-10th at the Pure Insurance Open. Finished T-4th at the SAS Championship, three shots back of winner Ernie Els. Was T-5th at the TimberTech Championship, three shots back of winner Darren Clarke. Was T-7th at the 2021 Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai and 8th at the 2021 Chubb Classic. Ended the season with a 34th-place finish at the Charles Schwab Cup Championship.
2022 Notes: He played in 24 PGA Tour Champions events, with five top-ten finishes. He was 29th in the Schwab Rankings and 27th on the money list, earning $767,470. Shot a final-round 63 at the ClubCorp Classic which placed him tied with Scott Parel and Steven Alker. But made bogey on the first playoff hole to lose to Parel and finish T-2nd. The 2016 U.S. Senior Open champion finished T-4th after carding 72-67-68-74 seven shots back of winner Padraig Harrington. Carded 8-under 64 in the second round of the Boeing Classic to earn a spot in the final group on Sunday. But he shot 73 in that round and finished T-8th. Shotg 69-67-70 to finish T-6th at the DICK'S Sporting Goods Open. At the end of the season, the Charles Schwab Cup Championship was 33rd.
2023 Notes: He played in four events early in the year due to neck pain, which required surgery. His best finish was T-3rd, shooting a final round 64 to finish three shots back of winner David Toms.
2024 Notes: He returned from neck surgery and finished T-41st at the Chubb Classic. He was T-12th at the Invited Celebrity Classic.