On this date in 1972, Jack Nicklaus won the Walt Disney World Open at Lake Buena Vista, Florida, the final tour event of the season. The $30,000 first-place money made him the first PGA Tour player to earn $300,000 for a season. Nicklaus, 32, was in his 11th year. He shot 68-68-67-6—267 and finished the year with $320,542.26.
A member of one of pro golf’s notable families was born on this date in 1953 when Jay Haas was born in St. Louis. The winner of two senior tour majors, Haas is the nephew to 1968 Masters winner Bob Goalby, brother to Wake Forest coach and former tour player Jerry Haas, and father to tour player Bill Haas.
One of the most talented shotmakers in golf history, Lee Trevino, was born on this date in 1939 in Dallas, Texas. Trevino won a pair of three majors each: U.S. Open, Open Championship and PGA and won 29 PGA Tour events in all.
On this date in 1969, Arnold Palmer won the first Heritage Golf Classic, with four rounds of 68-71-70-74—283, and a first-place prize of $20,000. He won by three shots. The Heritage has long since been played in the spring, but it first was held in the fall.
On this day in 1971, the first pro golf event at Walt Disney World resort in Florida began. It was Monday of the first tournament week. The Orlando Sentinel ran a story with the headline “Snead In Disney Field; Qualifying Today;” the story read: Slamming Sammy Snead today joined the field of golfing greats scheduled to participate in the Walt Disney World Open Thursday through Sunday. Snead joins a 150-player field which includes Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino, Jack Nicklaus and Charles Coody. Snead's career spans 30 years and 131 victories, 84 of which are PGA events. Tournament preliminaries begin today with qualifying rounds for non-exempt players and practice for the exempt. About 25 spots will be available in the qualifier. The schedule calls for a pro-am Wednesday.
One of the gentlemen golfers of yesteryear, Henry Picard, was born on this date in 1906 in Plymouth, Massachusetts. Picard, who was not as accomplished as the most distinguished of players, “Lord” Byron Nelson, was good enough to be elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame and won two majors, the 1938 Masters and 1939 PGA.
Five-time Open Championship winner James Braid, part of the Great Triumvirate with Harry Vardon and J.H. Taylor, died on this date in 1950 at age 80 in London. The Scot won the Open in 1901, 1905-06, 1908 and 1910.
One of the grand Scottish golfers of days gone by was born on this date in 1873. And Fred Herd was born in the most special place of all for a golfer, St. Andrews. His claim to fame was winning the U.S. Open in 1898.
One of the game’s most unassuming major champions was born on this date in 1923. Art Wall Jr. was born in Honesdale, Pennsylvania. Six years older than Arnold Palmer, Wall battled his fellow Pennsylvanian in amateur and college golf and carried on their tussles on the pro tour. It was Wall who took advantage of Palmer’s final-round blowup in the 1959 Masters with a 74 by shooting 66 and winning by a shot over Cary Middlecoff and two over Palmer. But Palmer would get his revenge the following year by winning at Augusta and having Wall put the green jacket on him. Wall was also notable for having said he’d had 40 holes-in-one in his career.
An American golfer who was on the cusp of doing marvelous things in golf was born on this date in 1955. Scott Hoch turns 65 today, born in Raleigh, North Carolina. He has 11 PGA Tour victories but was about to win the 1989 Masters and really raise his level but he missed a short but tough putt on the 10th hole in a playoff with Nick Faldo. The Englishman then made birdie on the next hole to win and Hoch never had as good a chance as he did that year to win a major. He did play on the 1997 and 2002 Ryder Cup teams for the U.S.
On this date in 2003, the Presidents Cup finished in a 17-17 tie at the Links at Fancourt Hotel and Country Club. The match stayed a tie and was deemed concluded after Ernie Els and Tiger Woods played three holes of a playoff and remained deadlocked as darkness encroached.
On this date in 1936, the PGA Championship ended at Pinehurst Country Club, No. 2 Course. Denny Shute defeated Jimmy Thomson, 3 and 2, to win his first of two straight PGAs.
On this date in 2004, the UBS Warburg Cup ended, with the U.S. defeating the Rest of the World, 14-10. U.S. captain Arnold Palmer lost his match to Gary Player, ROW captain, 6 and 5.
This date was a sad family event for the Arnold Palmer family in 1999. His wife, Winnie, died from a malignant tumor in the abdomen lining. Just over a week after winning the U.S. Amateur in 1954, Palmer had a chance encounter with Winifred (Winnie) Walzer on Monday, September 6, at the Shawnee Inn at the 9th Annual Bill Waite Memorial Tournament organized by bandleader Fred Waring in the Pocono Mountains. Arnold asked her to marry him at dinner on Friday, which would have been his 25th birthday. They were married on Monday, Dec. 20, 1954, in Virginia. She died in Latrobe, age 65, and a private memorial service was held two days later at Unity Chapel near Latrobe. She and Arnold had two daughters: Margaret (Peggy), born February 26, 1956, and Amy, born August 4, 1958. For their parents, their marriages produced four granddaughters, two grandsons, nine great grandchildren.
It is usually credited that on this date in 1936, the USGA made its decision to limit the amount of clubs that can be carried to 14.
On this date in 1990, the first Solheim Cup ended at Lake Nona Golf & Country Club in Orlando, Florida. The United States beat Europe, 11½-4½, led by golf great Kathy Whitworth as captain. The European captain was Mickey Walker.
On this date in 1883, Bob Ferguson and Willie Fernie played a 36-hole playoff at Musselburgh Links and Fernie beat the defending champion by one stroke, 158-159, to win the 24th Open Championship.
Taking a pause one more time on November 16 to highlight special dates in Masters history, with a focus on four-time winner Arnold Palmer: At the 68th Masters, on April 8-11, 2004, Arnie played his final Masters tournament. It would make another good Palmer book to do his career in the Masters only. The final playing chapter would be this tournament, his 50th straight and final time as a competitor. It seemed much earlier that he had been talking about calling it quits at Augusta, but he may have had 50 in mind all along, a number he reached at age 74. Arnold was regularly scoring in the 80s by now; 83-83 in 2003, 84-84 in 2004. It wasn’t known at the time, but this was his final event on the regular PGA Tour schedule too. He left with a pair of rounds in the 80s: 84-84—168, missing the 36-hole cut by 20 strokes.
Taking a pause this week to highlight special dates in Masters history, with a focus on four-time winner Arnold Palmer: Arnie won his fourth Masters in 1964. Played April 9-12, the 28th Masters worked out the way Palmer wanted to win a major: with a stress-free finish. At age 34, Arnold won by six shots over Dave Marr and Jack Nicklaus and was able to walk up the 18th hole and receive a winner’s reception.
Pausing this week to highlight special dates in Masters history with a focus on four-time winner Arnold Palmer: Arnie won his third green jacket in 1962. Played on April 5-9 , the 26th Masters had the tournament’s usual excitement, this time in a three-way playoff among Palmer, Gary Player and Dow Finsterwald. Arnold shot 31 on the second nine to win the playoff with 68 to Player’s 71 and Finsty’s 77.