On this date in 1946, Ben Hogan, at age 34, won his first major championship, winning the PGA at Portland Golf Club in a 6-and-4 decision over Ed Oliver.
On this date in 1975, Al Geiberger won the second Tournament Players Championship, finishing three shots ahead of Dave Stockton at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas.
On this date in 2009, the Solheim Cup wrapped up at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, Illinois. The U.S. won a third straight match, 16-12, and won eight of the 12 singles matches held on the final day.
On this date in 2010, The Senior Tradition, held at the Crosswater Club, was won by Fred Funk by one shot over Michael Allen and Taiwan's Lu Chien-soon.
On this date in 1914, two of the prominent golfers of the time battled in Round 4 at the Midlothian Country Club in Illinois in the 20th U.S. Open. Walter Hagen, the third-round leader by two shots, shot 73 but held on when those closest to him fell back. Amateur star Chick Evans, who trailed by four, shot 70 to finish a shot back. Hagen shot two-over 290, Evans 291 and third place was back to 297.
On this date in 1944, Bob Hamilton pulled off one of golf’s greatest upsets at Manito Golf Club in Spokane, Washington, when he defeated all-time great Byron Nelson, 1 up, in the PGA Championship 36-hole final.
On this date in 1984, Lee Trevino won his second PGA Championship and sixth and final major, at Shoal Creek, winning by four shots over Gary Player and Lanny Wadkins at 15 under par.
On this date in 2002, one of the biggest upsets in major championship history took place at Hazeltine National when Rich Beem nipped Tiger Woods by one shot in the PGA Championship. Also on this date, in 1946, the Golf Writers Association of America was begun.
Of the PGA Championships that ended on this date, two stand out. In 1969 at NCR Country Club, Raymond Floyd won his first major, one ahead of South Africa’s Gary Player, who was targeted by apartheid protesters. And in 1997, Davis Love III won his only major, at Winged Foot, by five strokes over Justin Leonard. The son of the late Davis Love Jr., a PGA club pro and teaching legend, Love III won as a rainbow emerged from the sky.
Today’s date is a popular one in PGA Championship history. On this date, six were won by: 1970, Dave Stockton at Southern Hills; 1976, Stockton at Congressional; 1992, Nick Price at Bellerive; 1998, Vijay Singh at Sahalee; 2009, Y.E. Yang at Hazeltine, and 2015, Jason Day at Whistling Straits.
Of the several PGA Championships that ended on this date, the one in 1965 was supposed to have been Arnold Palmer’s crowning moment. Held at Laurel Valley Golf Club in Ligonier, Pennsylvania, in Arnie’s Latrobe backyard, the winner instead was the very worthy Dave Marr, who won by two shots over Billy Casper and Jack Nicklaus. Marr went on to be arguably the best TV golf analyst, mainly working for ABC. Palmer, who exerted a lot of energy serving as a championship host, only finished tied for 33rd, 14 shots behind.
On this date in 2016, 112 years after the last time golf was competed in the Olympics, Justin Rose of Great Britain shot a score of 16 under par to win the gold medal at the Rio de Janeiro Summer Olympics, two ahead of Henrik Stenson. Getting the bronze medal was American Matt Kuchar.
On this date in 1989, Payne Stewart outlasted Mike Reid at Kemper Lakes to win his first major championship in the PGA. Stewart finished one ahead of Reid, Andy Bean and Curtis Strange. The championship started with Arnold Palmer, nearly 60 years old, shooting 68 and Tom Watson 67; both needed a PGA to complete a career Grand Slam, but neither could keep close to the lead by the end.
On this date in 1973, Jack Nicklaus won the PGA Championship at Canterbury Golf Club, a favorite course of Arnold Palmer’s while stationed at the Coast Guard in Cleveland. It was Jack’s third of five PGA victories, and he won by four shots over Bruce Crampton of Australia. In counting his two U.S. Amateur wins, the victory put Nicklaus one ahead of Bobby Jones for most major championship victories with 14.
The PGA Championship had several memorable winners on this date. John Daly burst onto the scene in 1991 and Bob Tway holed out from a bunker on the final hole in 1986 to beat Greg Norman at Inverness. But Lee Trevino also had a pair of results, one good and one bad. In 1985 at Cherry Hills Country Club, Hubert Green beat Trevino by two shots, but in 1974 at Tanglewood Park in North Carolina, Trevino won by one stroke over Jack Nicklaus.
In a date coincidence, the final two PGA Championships Jack Nicklaus won were on this date, August 10. In 1975, he won his fourth PGA overall on the South Course of Firestone Country Club by two shots from Bruce Crampton. And in 1980 on the East Course at Oak Hill Country Club Nicklaus won his fifth and final PGA by seven shots over Andy Bean.
Larry Nelson has an easy time remembering what August 9 means to him in the world of golf. On this date he won both of his PGA victories. In 1981 he won by four strokes over Fuzzy Zoeller at the Atlanta Athletic Club. He won his second major at the 1983 U.S. Open, then in 1987 on this date won the PGA Championship at PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, beating Lanny Wadkins in a sudden-death playoff. Playing the par-4 10th hole first, both players missed the green. Nelson chipped to six feet, Wadkins four. After Nelson made his putt for par, Wadkins failed on his to extend the match and Nelson had won.
On this date in 1982, Raymond Floyd won the 64th PGA Championship at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma, by three shots over Lanny Wadkins. It was Floyd’s second PGA victory.
On this date in 1983, Jack Nicklaus had one of his record 19 second-place finishes in a major at the PGA Championship at Riviera Country Club. Hal Sutton shot a par final round to hold off Nicklaus who was six behind with a round to go and shot 66 to fall one shot short.
Tom Watson had his closest chance of winning the PGA Championship on this date in 1978 at historic Oakmont Country Club in Pennsylvania. He led by five shots with one round to go, but a double-bogey 6 on the 10th hole, the result of his drive going in a divot hole, began the erosion of his lead and he would go on to shoot 73 and lose a sudden-death playoff on the second hole to John Mahaffey. Jerry Pate was also in the playoff.