Sonny Skinner

Sonny Skinner is an American professional golfer who plays on the Champions Tour.

Early life

Skinner was born in Portsmouth, Virginia.

Professional career

In 1982, Skinner turned professional. In 1990, Skinner joined the PGA Tour after going through qualifying school. He played on the Ben Hogan Tour in 1991 after a poor performance in his rookie year on the PGA Tour. He went through qualifying school again in 1991 and returned to the PGA Tour in 1992. He returned to the Nationwide Tour in 1993 where he won the first event he entered, the NIKE Shreveport Open. He picked up his second win on Tour in 1994 at the NIKE Dominion Open. He played on the Nationwide Tour until earning his PGA Tour card through qualifying school for the third time in 1996. In the 1997 Buick Open, he tied the course record at the Warwick Hills Golf Course with a 62 but Billy Mayfair shot a 61 in 2001 to break the record. He failed to retain his card in 1997 but went through qualifying school for a fourth time to earn his card for 1998. He returned to the Nationwide Tour in 1999 where he would play full-time until 2004. He played on the Nationwide Tour part-time until 2010.
Skinner joined the Champions Tour in 2010 once he turned 50.
Skinner was named the PGA Professional of the Year in 2008 and the Senior PGA Professional of the Year in 2010, becoming the first person to win both awards. He is a PGA teaching professional at the River Pointe Golf Club in Albany, Georgia.

Awards and honors

Skinner has been inducted into the Abraham Baldwin Agrircultural College Athletic Hall of Fame
He has been inducted into the Shorter College Athletic Hall of Fame
Skinner has been inducted into the Georgia Golf Hall of Fame
In 2008, he was named the PGA Professional of the Year
In 2010, Skinner was named the Senior PGA Professional of the Year