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Hamilton grew up in the small northern Illinois town of Galesburg where he played golf regularly on a 9 hole golf course. He went to The University of Oklahoma for college where he continued to play. He lives in Mckinney, Texas.
He turned professional in 1987 but was unable to gain entrance to the PGA TOUR. Instead he played internationally for many years, primarily in Japan.
After eight tries, at the age of thirty eight, Hamilton went back to Qualifying School in 2003 where he finally earned his first PGA Card.
Hamilton won his first PGA event when he won the 2004 Honda Classic on March 14, 2004. He birdied the final two holes to beat Davis Love III by one stroke at 12 under par. The tournament was held at The Country Club at Mirasol in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.
His prize for winning the tournament was $900,000.
Hamilton defeated Ernie Els in a four-hole playoff on July 18, 2004 to win the 133rd Open ChampionshipThe Open Championship typically referred to in North America as the British Open is the annual men's championship golf tournament first played on 17 October 1860 at Royal Prestwick. Each year the event is hosted by one of several prestigious golf clubs in at the Royal Troon Golf ClubRoyal Troon Golf Club is a golf course located in Ayrshire, Scotland. The club was founded in 1878, and its Old Course is now one of the host courses for The Open Championship, one of the major championships on the PGA TOUR and PGA European Tour. The 2004.
His prize for winning the tournament was $1,348,272.