Ben Crane

Began playing golf at age 5 with his grandfather as his first teacher. Won the 1998 Pacific Coast Amateur. Was a three-time All-Pac-10 selection. Originally attended Baylor University, but did not play golf. Was the medalist at the 1995 U.S. Amateur. After turning pro, he started Monday qualifying on the Web.com Tour and it paid off in 2000 when he won the tour's Wichita Open, becoming the 12th Monday qualifier to win a tournament. His 25-under par total was the second-lowest score in Web.Com Tour history at the time.
2000 Web.Com Tour Summary: Tournaments entered - 18; in money - 11; top-10 finishes - 1; scoring average - 71.57 (ranked 72nd); money - $103,651 (ranked 48th); winner - Buy.Com Wichita Open
2001 Web.Com Tour Summary: Tournaments entered - 26; in money - 14; top-10 finishes - 4; scoring average - 70.83 (ranked 46th); money - $147,474 (ranked 23rd); winner - Buy.Com Gila River Classic.
Earned his PGA Tour card by tying for 5th at the 2001 PGA Tour Qualifying School. Coming into 2002, he had never played in a PGA Tour event. Missed February and March in 2005 due to lingering back problems. Was limited to nine events in 2007 due to lower-back problems that have plagued him during his career. Was granted a Major Medical Extension and competed in 18 events in 2008 to earn $506,928 (he would go on to earn $1,488,505 that year). Is becoming best known for his unique videos on YouTube and his connection to the "Golf Boys," a group of players who recorded a song for charity. In 2011, a day before his wife, Heather, was scheduled to deliver their third child, entered the final round of the McGladrey Classic five shots behind Michael Thompson before rallying with eight birdies in his final 11 holes for a 7-under 63, placing him in a playoff with Webb Simpson. He parred the first two playoff holes and earned his fourth PGA Tour win when Simpson missed a four-foot par putt on the second extra hole. Closing 63 was the lowest finish by a winner in 2011.
2012 Notes: Opened his season with a T-9th at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions, then T-8th at the Humana Challenge. Two weeks later, at the Waste Management Phoenix Open, claimed his third top-10 of the season in just his fourth start. Final-round, 5-under 66 earned him solo 2nd-place finish. Closed with matching 2-under 68s to record his fourth top-10 finish in 14 starts at the Crowne Plaza Invitational (T-10th). Feeling he wouldn't make the field off of the alternate list, chose not to fly to The Open Championship. Turned out that he would have joined the field on opening day when Russ Cochran withdrew. Withdrew during the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational with a back injury, which would later cause him to withdraw prior to the start of the PGA Championship. Missed the cut in the first two Playoffs events, followed by a T-41st at the BMW Championship, to finish the season 66th in the FedExCup standings.
2013 Notes: Made 11 of 21 cuts, finishing 125th in the FedExCup standings. Entered the FedExCup Playoffs No. 125 in the standings but was forced to withdraw from The Barclays (back) after an opening-round 67. Had two top-10s, T-4th at the Shell Houston Open and T-8th at the Players Championship.
2014 Notes: Had his first top-10 at the Humana Challenge, finishing T-9th. Struggled the next four months, including a stretch in which he missed four consecutive cuts. Broke out of his slump at the FedEx St. Jude Classic when he opened up with 63-65, then cruised over the weekend to win by a shot over Troy Merritt. It was his fifth PGA Tour title and came in his 300th career start. Despite the win the week before the U.S. Open, did not earn a berth into the field at Pinehurst, as he needed to have moved to 60th or better in the Official World Golf Ranking, which he did not do. In a small act of cruelty, after the John Deere Classic, he flew to Portland, Ore., and learned he became first alternate in the Open Championship. Remembering that he declined to fly to the Open in 2012 and lost out when a spot opened, he decided to spend $20,000 to fly from Portland to England for a possible spot. He arrived at Hoylake in the wee-hours of Thursday morning. He hung out all day for a possible withdrawal and that never came, so the trip this time didn't pan out. Played in the first three FedExCup Playoffs, finished the year 60th on that list and 67th on the money list.