A 1958 graduate of
Denby High School, Soutar developed his bowling talent at many of Detroit's bowling alleys, leading to his pro career beginning with a bang in
1961. In just his fifth tournament as a pro, he won the 1961
PBA National Championship major at age 21. His only other PBA major title came in the 1973 ABC Masters (now
USBC Masters). He had a career best year in
1970, leading the Tour with five titles, finishing third in earnings, and claiming the PBA's Steve Nagy Sportsmanship Award. The season was highlighted by a furious finish, in which Soutar won three of the final six events. However, he was beaten out for 1970 PBA Player of the Year by
Nelson Burton Jr., who won four titles and led the Tour in average. Soutar would call the Player of the Year snub the biggest disappointment in his professional career. In 2011, Soutar set the all-time record for Senior PBA Tour appearances when he bowled in his 250th event in
Dayton, Ohio. In addition to winning the 1970 Steve Nagy Sportsmanship Award on the regular PBA Tour, Soutar won the
Dick Weber Sportsmanship Award on the Senior PBA Tour following the 2012 season (his 51st and final season as a pro), thus becoming the only player to win a sportsmanship award on both tours. Dave was ranked 20th on the PBA's 2008 list of "50 Greatest Players of the Last 50 Years", which celebrated the organization's 50th anniversary. His career earnings (with senior events included) are over US$1.2 million.
PBA Tour titles Major championships are in
bold text. •
1961 Second Annual PBA National Championship (
Cleveland, OH) • 1965 Pikes Peak Open (
Colorado Springs, CO) • 1967 Fort Worth Open (
Fort Worth, TX) • 1968 Denver Open (
Denver, CO) • 1969 American Airlines Open (
Detroit, MI) • 1970 Showboat Invitational (
Las Vegas, NV) • 1970 Waukegan Open (
Waukegan, IL) • 1970 Bellows-Valvair Open (
St. Louis, MO) • 1970 Lincoln Open (
Lincoln, NE) • 1970 American Airlines Open (Detroit, MI) • 1971 Greater Los Angeles Open (
Arcadia, CA) • 1971 Miller High Life Open (
Milwaukee, WI) •
1973 ABC Masters (
Syracuse, NY) • 1973 Home Box Office Open (
Portland, OR) • 1974 Home Box Office Open (
Buffalo, NY) • 1976 Miller High Life Open (
Milwaukee, WI) • 1981 Aqua Fest Mr. Gatti’s Open (
Austin, TX) • 1982 Syracuse Open (
Syracuse, NY) ==Personal==