He turned professional in 1977 and graduated in 1978. He played on the
PGA Tour from
1979, and won seven PGA Tour events between 1980 and 1998. The highlight of Simpson's career was the
U.S. Open in
1987 at the
Olympic Club in
San Francisco, his only
major title. He birdied the 14th, 15th, and 16th holes of the final round to overtake
Tom Watson by one stroke and finished with a three under par total of 277. Simpson became eligible to play senior golf in 2005 and won his first and only
Champions Tour title in
2006. In team competition, Simpson played for the United States in the
Walker Cup in
1977 and the
Ryder Cup in
1987. He lists bible study among his interests and attributes his success to it. He and his wife Cheryl have two children: Brea Yoshiko and Sean. Simpson was previously a Democrat (during
Bill Clinton's presidency he was the only PGA Tour player vocally to support him), but became a Republican later on and supported
George W. Bush. ==Amateur wins==