[3] After high school, he attended Wake Forest University on an Arnold Palmer golf scholarship.

Amateur by one stroke ahead of Tom Kite, during the period when the title was played under a strokeplay format.

[6] His first win on the PGA Tour came at the Sahara Invitational in Las Vegas in October 1972 where he finished one stroke ahead of runner-up Palmer, his scholarship benefactor.

Over his career, he picked up a win more seasons than not until 1992 when he achieved his twenty-first and final PGA Tour victory at the Canon Greater Hartford Open.

Wadkins collected 21⁠1/2⁠ points during his Ryder Cup career, one of the very best records on either side in the history of the competition.

Wadkins began play on the Champions Tour in 2000, and picked up a win in his first event at the ACE Group Classic in a four-way playoff.

Following the retirement of Ken Venturi in June 2002, Wadkins was the lead golf analyst for CBS Sports for over four years, until he was replaced by Nick Faldo after the 2006 season.

The lead analyst for the Champions Tour on Golf Channel for 13 years,[9] he will retire in January 2025,[10] and be succeeded by Paul Azinger.