San Marcos High School Alumni
Santa Barbara, California (CA)
Steve Pate
Professional golfer
What is Steve Pate known for?
Stephen Robert Pate, nicknamed 'Volcano', is an American professional golfer born on May 26, 1961, in Ventura, California. He attended San Marcos High School before enrolling at UCLA, where his golfing talents began to shine, leading his team to the 1983 Pac-10 Championship and earning All-American honors.
Pate turned professional in 1983 and has since shown an impressive career, playing in the PGA Tour, Nationwide Tour (Now known as the Korn Ferry Tour), and the Champions Tour. He has won six PGA Tour events, with his first victory at the 1987 Southwest Golf Classic and his most recent win at the 1998 CVS Charity Classic. His career has been marked by more than 70 top-10 finishes in PGA Tour events and he has featured in the top-50 of the Official World Golf Ranking.
Alongside his wins, Pate has had significant performances in major championships. His best finish in a major is a T-3 at both the 1988 U.S. Open and the 1991 Masters. Despite challenges from injuries, including a nearly fatal car accident in 1996, Steve Pate made an astonishing comeback, finishing T-4 in the Masters in 1999 and setting a record of seven consecutive birdies in his third round, earning him the title of PGA Tour's Comeback Player of the Year.
In addition to his individual achievements, Pate contributed to team successes, being a member of two winning Ryder Cup teams in 1991 and 1999. As he entered his 40s, he began to split his playing time between the PGA Tour and the Nationwide Tour. He has one victory on the Nationwide Tour, the 2010 Pacific Rubiales Bogotá Open, which he won at age 48, his first professional win since 1998. Pate made his Champions Tour debut on May 26, 2011, his 50th birthday, in the Senior PGA Championship.
Outside of competing, Pate has also delved into golf course design. In 2006, he partnered with Damian Pascuzzo to complete various golf course design projects, including a recent remodel of La Costa. Today, Pate resides in Westlake Village, California.