Now residing in Ascot, the Englishman was born in Kenya. Chapman won the English Amateur in 1979 and represented GB&I in the 1981 Walker Cup, beating Hal Sutton twice in one day. He would turn professional the following year and spent 20 years on the European Tour. After six runner-up finishes, Chapman won his first title on his 472nd Tour start, the 2000 Brazil Rio de Janeiro 500 Years Open.

As a Senior, Chapman made history in 2012, becoming the first European to win both the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship and U.S. Senior Open in the same season, becoming a two-time Senior Major Champion.