At the University of Texas, Crenshaw won the NCAA golf championship in 1971 and 1973 and tied with his teammate, Tom Kite, in 1972. After graduating, he won the qualifying competition for the PGA tour by 12 strokes, shooting a 30 on the last 9 holes.

He won the Texas Open, his first tournament as a professional. He went on to win 19 PGA Tour events, including the Master Tournament twice, in 1984 and 1995.

Crenshaw is widely regarded as one of the best putters in golf history.