South African Gary Player was born on this date in 1935, six years after Arnold Palmer but four ahead of Jack Nicklaus; the three would become the Big Three in global golf. Player won nine majors.
1959 Masters Champion Art Wall Jr. died on this date in 2001 of respiratory failure. He was known for a prolific feat of making 44 holes-in-one.
On this date in 1988, Beth Daniel won the Nichirei Ladies Cup U.S.-Japan Team Golf Championship by two shots over Rosie Jones.
Big-hitting Jimmy Thomson, who finished runner-up in the 1935 U.S. Open and 1936 Masters was born on this date in 1908 in North Berwick, Scotland.
Standout player, teacher, and golf ambassador Peggy Kirk Bell was born on this date 100 years ago in Findlay, Ohio.
Tiger Woods won the debut of the ZoZo Championship on this date in 2019 by three strokes over Hideki Matsuyama at the Accordia Golf & Country Club. In so doing he tied Sam Snead's record of 82 PGA victories
On this date in 1975, Mary Bea Porter completed a wire-to-wire victory with a final-round, three-over-par 76 and a 72-hole total of 287 in the Golf Inns of America tournament at the Whispering Palms course. She finished five under par for four rounds and three strokes ahead of runnerup Donna Young. Porter's first-place money of $5,700 more than doubled the $4,935 she had won In 22 events in 1975 to that point.
One of golf’s saddest days in history was on this date in 1999 when three-time major champion Payne Stewart was among the victims of a jet plane crash in Mina, South Dakota, at age 42.
Ian Baker-Finch, one of the tallest major champions ever at 6-4, was born on this date in 1960 in Nambour, Queensland, Australia. IBF, who does analyst work for CBS, won the 1991 Open Championship. The tallest major winner was George Archer, nearly 6-6, who won the 1969 Masters.
The 1994 Solheim Cup ended on this date at The Greenbrier with the United States taking down Europe, 13-7, led by Brandie Burton and Dottie Mochrie (Pepper) each winning three times.
One of the biggest beatdowns in Ryder Cup history finished on this date in 1967 at Champions Golf Club in Houston when the U.S. defeated Great Britain 23½-8½. Texas legend Ben Hogan captained the Americans.
Willie Anderson, the first four-time winner of the U.S. Open, was born on this date in North Berwick, Scotland in 1879. He won the championship in 1901, 1903-1905.
American golf star Danielle Kang was born on this date in 1992 in San Francisco. She attended Pepperdine, won the 2010 and 2011 U.S. Amateur and as a pro won the Women’s PGA in 2017.
Lew Worsham, the winning benefactor of the 1947 U.S. Open when Sam Snead missed a short putt on the final hole in a disputed “out of turn” moment, died on this date in 1990 at age 73.
The “other Watson” outside major champions Tom and Bubba is Denis, who was born on this date in 1955 in Harare, Zimbabwe. He was the notable 1985 U.S. Open runner-up.
The inaugural Open Championship was played on this date in 1860 at Prestwick Golf Club with Willie Park Sr. winning by two shots over Old Tom Morris.
In 1983, the European team was on the cusp of starting to assert itself in the Ryder Cup, but on this date that year, the U.S. squeaked out a 14½-13½ victory at PGA National. When Bernard Gallacher fell to Tom Watson, 2 and 1, it clinched the American victory.
Horton Smith, the winner of the first and third Masters Tournament in 1934 and 1936, died on this date in 1963 at age 55 from Hodgkin’s disease.
The inaugural PGA Championship ended on this date in 1916 at Siwanoy Country Club in Bronxville, New York, with England’s Jim Barnes winning an epic 1-up victory in 36 holes over Jock Hutchison; Barnes made a four-foot putt on the final hole to clinch the title.
The 1963 LPGA Championship ended on this date at Stardust Country Club with Mickey Wright winning for the fourth time, this time by two strokes over three players, including main rival Louise Suggs.