In 1985, Elkington turned professional. He had ten victories on the PGA Tour, all in the 1990s, and won four events twice. Elkington had ten top-10 finishes in
major championships, with the best results at the
PGA Championship; he won in
1995 at
Riviera, which moved him back into the top 50 in the
Official World Golf Ranking. He is a two-time winner of
The Players Championship, the PGA Tour's marquee event, with victories in
1991 and
1997. Of the five to win twice at
TPC Sawgrass, his span of six years between wins is the shortest. In addition to his PGA Tour success, Elkington won the 1992
Australian Open and 1996
Honda Invitational on the
Asian Tour. Elkington was a participant in the first four editions of the
Presidents Cup, on the International Team in
1994,
1996,
1998, and
2000. In 1995, he was awarded the
Vardon Trophy; this award is given annually by the
PGA of America to the tour player with the lowest scoring average. In June 2006, playing in a sectional to qualify for the
U.S. Open, Elkington tried to wear
shoes with metal spikes. When his attempt was rebuffed, he left rather than change to soft-spiked shoes, and argued that since spiked shoes were allowed in the U.S. Open, the following week, that they should be allowed at sectional events. Elkington's career has been hampered by constant battles with
allergies, notably to grass, which caused several absences from tournament play. He has had sinus surgeries, constant infections, and bouts with
viral meningitis, as well as searing headaches. He turned fifty in late 2012 and made his debut on the
Champions Tour in June
2013. In 2014,
RFD-TV began airing
The Rural Golfer, starring Elkington. The production followed Elkington as he toured the United States, digging up golf stories. In 2015,
CBS Sports Network began airing the second season of the show, retitled
Secret Golf with Steve Elkington. ==Personal life==