Player Profile: Ryan Moore

On Sunday the American Ryan Moore clinched the Las Vegas Open to bring his number of wins on the PGA Tour to two. This week's player profile showcases the emerging talents of this young player as he carves himself a career in North American golf.

Moore was born in 1982, in Tacoma, Washington State. After taking to the game of golf at a young age, Moore enjoyed a successful amateur career which saw him finish as runner-up in the U.S. Junior Golf Championship. After finishing high school, the talented young player won a scholarship to study at the University of Nevada at Las Vegas (UNLV), where he completed his degree in Communications and PR.

During Moore's final year at college, which coincided with the 2004 season, the young golfer enjoyed an incredible string of victories on the amateur circuit which set the scene for his professional debut. Moore won the U.S. Amateur, Western Amateur, U.S. Amateur Public Links, and NCAA Individual Championship titles. The following year, having completed his college education, Moore made his professional debut on the US PGA Tour by special exemption in the middle of the 2005 season.

Having won the Haskins Award for the top American collegiate golfer, Moore entered the highly competitive environment of the PGA Tour straight out of college – a feat only accomplished by a handful of players including Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson. Despite his youth, Moore quickly showed that he could weather the competition, and the young golfer earned over $600 000 in 2005 off just 14 tournaments. In just over half a season Moore's world ranking shot from 718 to 142.

Since his debut, Moore has earned almost $14 million on the PGA Tour. The young American has won two championships – the 2009 Wyndham Championship and Sunday's Las Vegas Open, and is a regular competitor in major championships. Golf fans should watch this talented young player as his career continues to flourish.