Justin Leonard attended attended the University of Texas at Austin and was the individual NCAA champion in 1994. He won the 1992 U.S. Amateur and was a two-time All-American in 1993 and 1994. He won the Haskins Award in 1994 as the most outstanding collegiate golfer. That same year Leonard became only the fourth golfer to go directly from college to the PGA Tour without going through Q School.

Leonard's first twelve wins on the PGA Tour included one of golf's four majors – the 1997 Open Championship; and the 1998 Players Championship. He ranked in the top-10 of the Official World Golf Rankings for twenty four weeks in 1998 and 1999. 

Leonard qualified for the United States Ryder Cup team in 1997, 1999, and 2008. In the 1999 event, Leonard made a 45-foot putt for birdie on the 17th hole to complete a remarkable comeback by the U.S. team on the final day.