On this date in 1933, Gene Sarazen put down claims his game was slipping by winning the PGA Championship at age 32 at Blue Mound Country Club in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. He beat Willie Goggin, 5 and 4, in the final, culminating a week where his closest of five matches was a 4-and-3 victory over Harry Cooper in the second round.
On this date in 1973, Jack Nicklaus won the PGA Championship at Canterbury GC near Cleveland and passed Bobby Jones with 14 majors to take the all-time lead. Nicklaus won his third of five PGAs by four strokes over Bruce Crampton of Australia.
In 1974 on this date, Lee Trevino won the PGA Championship at Tanglewood Park in North Carolina. Trevino won the first of two PGAs, winning a battle with defending champion Jack Nicklaus. Trevino won by a shot with a four-under-par total of 276.
On this date in 1975, Jack Nicklaus won a fourth PGA Championship, this time at Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio. Nicklaus had a four-under-par total of 276 and won by two shots over Bruce Crampton. Nicklaus led by four with a round to go and held on with a 71 to Crampton’s 69.
On this date in 1981, Larry Nelson won the PGA Championship at Atlanta Athletic Club. Nelson won by four strokes over Fuzzy Zoeller with a seven-under 273 total. It was his first of three major victories.
On this date in 1982, Raymond Floyd won his second PGA Championship, surviving at sultry Southern Hills in Tulsa, Oklahoma, with a 272 total to beat Lanny Wadkins by three. Floyd was 39 and took charge with a seven-under 63 in Round 1.
Arnold Palmer won his 20th PGA Tour title on this date in 1960, his watershed year when he emerged as the main superstar in golf. At the Insurance City Open, he finished four rounds of 70-68-66-66—270 to tie for first with Bill Collins and Jack Fleck and then win in a three-hole, sudden-death playoff. First place was worth $3,500.
The 1972 PGA Championship concluded on this date with Gary Player winning at Oakland Hills near Detroit by two shots over Jim Jamieson and Tommy Aaron. The miracle clincher took place on the 16th hole in the final round when Player drove into the right rough behind a large weeping willow. But the South African lofted a 9-iron over the tree and made a four-foot birdie putt to maintain a cushion.
Hinako Shibuno won the Women’s British Open Ch. over the weekend, but on this date in 2007, Lorena Ochoa won the event at the Old Course at St. Andrews, leading start to finish and finishing four strokes ahead of Maria Hjorth and Jee Young Lee with a 72-hole five-under score of 287.
On this day in 1945, the great gentleman champion golfer Byron Nelson won the Canadian Open at Thornhill Golf Club. It was his 11th of a record 18 straight victories that year on the PGA circuit.
On this day in 1979 at Oakland Hills in Birmingham, Michigan, Sam Snead made the cut at the PGA Championship. He had rounds of 73-71 to make the cut by two strokes, and become the oldest player to make the cut at a major at age 67 years 2 months 7 days. He shot 71-73 on the weekend to tie for 42nd.
On this date in 1912, the year the Titanic sank and one year before Francis Ouimet shocked the world with his U.S. Open victory, John McDermott won the U.S. Open for the second straight year. He won by two shots over Tom McNamara at the Country Club of Buffalo. McDermott shot two under par for 72 holes.
Lloyd Mangrum, the Hall of Fame golfer with the look of an old-style riverboat gambler, was born on this date in 1914 in Trenton, Texas. The World War II veteran had one major victory at the 1946 U.S. Open and also played in four Ryder Cups and won the Vardon Trophy twice.
On this day in 1983, the U.S. Women’s Open concluded at Cedar Ridge C.C. in Tulsa, Oklahoma, with Australian Jan Stephenson winning her third major title, winning by one shot over fan favorite JoAnne Carner and Patty Sheehan. The winning score was six over par.
On this date in 2006, the Senior Open Championship was won by American Loren Roberts in a playoff at Turnberry over Eduardo Romero of Argentina. Roberts’ nickname is The Boss of the Moss for his putting expertise.
On this day in 1934, Little Poison, aka Paul Runyan, defeated Craig Wood, 1 up, in the final of the PGA Championship at the Park Club of Buffalo, New York. Runyan was diminutive in size but made up for a lack of length with a dynamite short game and pinpoint fairway woods. He would take down Sam Snead four years later.
On this date in 1987, England’s Laura Davies broke the hearts of JoAnne Carner fans when she won an 18-hole playoff for the U.S. Women’s Open that included Ayako Okamoto at Plainfield CC. Davies shot 71, Okamoto 73 and Carner 74.
On this weekend at Lytham & St. Annes, three-time winner Tom Watson will be playing his 18th Senior Open Championship. On this date in 2003 at Turnberry, Scotland, Watson parred the second playoff hole to defeat English journeyman Carl Mason for his 10th career major victory. Watson shot a six-under-par 64 but bogeyed the last hole of regulation.
On this date in 1981, Pat Bradley won the U.S. Women’s Open at LaGrange Country Club in Illinois, winning by one over Beth Daniel. Bradley scored nine under par for 72 holes.
On this date in 1982, Janet Anderson won the U.S. Women's Open with a six-shot margin over four players: Beth Daniel, Donna White, JoAnne Carner and Sandra Haynie. Anderson was five under par for four rounds at Del Paso Country Club in Sacramento, California.