One of the greatest and most confounding results in major championship history occurred on this date in 1938 when diminutive Paul Runyan defeated Sam Snead, 8 and 7, in the final of the PGA Championship at Shawnee Country Club. Runyan’s precise short game and fairway woods overcame Snead’s 30- to 40-yard driving advantage.
On this date in 1961, after nearly winning the Open Championship in his first try in 1960, Arnold Palmer won the first of two straight Opens, at Royal Birkdale, by one shot over Dai Rees.
On this date in 1973, Tom Weiskopf won his only major, winning The Open Championship at Royal Troon by three shots over Johnny Miller and Neil Coles with a 12-under-par 276 score. Weiskopf was the first player since 1934 to lead the championship from wire to wire.
Three Open championships ended on this date in the 1960s. In 1962, Arnold Palmer won his second consecutive title, at Royal Troon, beating Kel Nagle of Australia by six shots with a record score of 276. A year later, Bob Charles defeated Phil Rodgers in a playoff to win at Royal Lytham & St. Annes, winning the 36-hole battle by eight shots. And in 1968, at Carnoustie, South African Gary Player won his second of three championships, two shots ahead of Charles and Jack Nicklaus.
Of many historic events on today’s date…such as Mickey Wright winning her fourth U.S. Women’s Open in 1964…on this date in 1930, Bobby Jones won a record-tying fourth U.S. Open, at Interlachen, two strokes ahead of Macdonald Smith. This was part of Jones’ epic Grand Slam season. Also on this date Tony Jacklin won the 1969 Open and Jack Nicklaus the 1970 Open.
On this date in 1993, Jack Nicklaus two-putted from 35 feet on the final green to win the U.S. Senior Open by one shot over Tom Weiskopf at Cherry Hills Country Club. It was Jack’s second U.S. Senior Open. Weiskopf had no doubt Jack would get down in two. “Who can tell me when Jack Nicklaus has ever three-putted to lose a major championship or missed a putt under pressure?” Weiskopf said. “The guy is the greatest putter under pressure of all time, bar none.”
One of the Open Championships more memorable playings ended on this date in 1953 with Ben Hogan winning by four strokes over a quartet of players at Carnoustie. It culminated a year in which Hogan won the first three majors of the year but couldn’t play the PGA because it conflicted with The Open.
Of the many major championships that ended on this date, a few stand out. In 1904, Willie Anderson won his third of four U.S. Open championships, at Glen View Golf Club in Golf, Illinois. In 1960, Kel Nagle beat Arnold Palmer by one shot for the Open Championship at the Old Course in Scotland, as Palmer tried to win the centenary year tournament and take the first three majors of the year. In 1965, Peter Thomson won his fifth Open title, at Royal Birkdale. And in 1977, Tom Watson held off Jack Nicklaus to win the Open at Turnberry by one stroke in the famous “Duel in the Sun” when they separated themselves from the rest of the field.
It was a great day on this date in 1955 when the Open Championship concluded once again at the Old Course, St. Andrews. The Champion Golfer of the Year was Australia’s Peter Thomson, who won his second of three straight titles. He won five overall.
In one of the finals that helped convince the PGA of America that the organization should change from match play to stroke play, the 1953 PGA Championship ended on this date at Birmingham Country Club in Michigan with two nondescript players in the final. Local man Walter Burkemo defeated Felize Torza, 2 & 1, to win the major. Top players such as Sam Snead and Cary Middlecoff did not get to the quarterfinals, and Ben Hogan did not play at all because the Open Championship at Carnoustie, which he won, was scheduled too close to the PGA to allow him to get back and play.
On this date in 1956, Australia’s Peter Thomson won his third straight Open Championship, at Royal Liverpool, by three shots over Flory Van Donck of Belgium. Thomson would win two more Opens.
LIke his fellow American Ben Hogan born in 1912, Sam Snead won the Open Championship one time. Snead did it on this date in 1946 at St. Andrews, winning at two under par, four shots ahead of Bobby Locke and Johnny Bulla. Snead famously groused about how the trip over to Scotland was so expensive that he lost money on the trek even though he was awarded the winner’s share of $600.
It’s July, the traditional Open Championship month. On this date in 1947, Irishman Fred Daly won the Open at Royal Liverpool, one shot ahead of American amateur Frank Stranahan and England’s Reg Horne.
Two major events took place on this date in the 1950s. In 1954, Babe Didrikson Zaharias won the U.S. Women’s Open at Salem Country Club in Peabody, Massachusetts, by a record 12 shots, 18 months after having colon cancer surgery. And in 1959, Gary Player won his first major championship, at age 23, winning the Open Championship at Muirfield by two strokes over Fred Bullock and Flory Van Donck.
American legend Walter Hagen won the Western Open on this date in 1932 at Canterbury Golf Club near Cleveland. It was his fifth and final Western victory, coming 16 years after he won it the first time. He shot one-under-par 287 to win by one stroke over Olin Dutra.
On this date in 1920, George Duncan completed a comeback of trailing by 13 strokes after 36 holes to win the 55th Open Championship at Royal Cinque Ports Golf Club. He finished with 303, two shots ahead of fellow Scotsman Sandy Herd.
On this date in 1916, Charles (Chick) Evans won the U.S. Open at the Minikahda Golf Club, two shots ahead of Jock Hutchison. Evans also won the U.S. Amateur in 1916, making him the first amateur to win both titles in the same year.
On this date in 1957, Jackie Pung had shot six-over 298 to apparently win the U.S. Women’s Open at Winged Foot East but because she had signed an incorrect scorecard, she was disqualified and Betsy Rawls, at 299, was declared the winner by six shots over Patty Berg.
On this date in 1953, Betsy Rawls won the U.S. Women’s Open at the Country Club of Rochester, taking an 18-hole playoff by six shots over runner-up Jackie Pung, 71-77.
This date is loaded with Walter Hagen moments. In 1924, he won his second of four Open Championships, by one stroke over Ernest Whitcombe at Royal Liverpool. In 1931, Hagen captained the U.S. team to a 9-3 victory in the Ryder Cup at Scioto Country Club, for a second captain win. And in 1933 he was captain at Southport when the Americans lost by a 6.5 to 5.5 count.