Former PGA Tour player at golf clinic
Courtesy/Cabinet View CC Lon Hinkle swings during a junior golf clinic at Cabinet View Country Club.
Former PGA Tour player Lon Hinkle participated in a junior golf clinic last week at Cabinet View Country Club in Libby.
Hinkle, who also played on the Champions Tour, hails from Bigfork and worked with a group of young golfers on aspects such as their golf swing, rules and etiquette.
The late 1970s were good to Hinkle on the PGA Tour. He had three career wins on the tour – First NBC New Orleans Open in 1978 and the Bing Crosby National Pro-Am and World Series of Golf in 1979. He finished third on the PGA money list in ’79 with $247,693 in earnings.
Hinkle’s top finish in a major was a tie for third place at both the U.S. Open and the PGA Championship in 1980. Over his career, he earned more than 60 top-10 finishes.
Hinkle may best be remembered for the “Hinkle Tree” incident during the 1979 U.S. Open. On the first day, he cut a dogleg on the par-5 eighth hole by hitting onto the 17th fairway. Overnight, U.S. Golf Association officials planted a tree to block the shortcut.
In 1999, Hinkle joined the Champions Tour. His top finish was a tie for 12th in the 2000 Audi Senior Classic.