This is the time of year for U.S. Open anniversaries, both men’s and women’s. With this month’s U.S. Open at Oakmont starting on the 12th, on this date in 1936, Tony Manero won the U.S. Open at Baltusrol in New Jersey. He was the surprise winner, by two shots over Harry Cooper. The name Tony Manero is known in Connecticut for the excellent restaurant he owned in Greenwich. Manero died at age 84 in 1989. Maja Stark won the women’s open on June 1 at Erin Hills. On this date in 1999, the U.S. Women’s Open ended at Old Waverly Golf Club with Juli Inkster setting a scoring record in winning by five shots.

The Curtis Cup, a match between American and Great Britain & Ireland women amateurs, ended on this date in the past. In 1952, at Muirfield in Scotland, GB&I came out on top, 5-4. In 1980, at St. Pierre Golf & C.C. in Wales, it was the Americans emerging on top, 13-5. In that playing, the U.S. featured stars Patty Sheehan and Carol Semple. Also, on this date in 1900, the Open Championship ended at St. Andrews with J.H. Taylor of England winning for the third time, with Harry Vardon, for once, being totally dominated by finishing eight strokes back in second.

The 1902 and 1931 Open Championships ended on this date with Scot Sandy Herd beating James Braid and Harry Vardon by one shot at Royal Liverpool for the former year, and The Silver Scot, Tommy Armour, winning by one shot in 1931 at Carnoustie. Also on this date, Bobby Jones lost the 1925 U.S. Open in a playoff by one shot to Willie Macfarlane at Worcester, Massachusetts, in a championship in which Jones’ sportsmanship was the legacy story. In Round 1, Jones called a penalty on himself that ended up by the final round being the difference from an outright victory and he and Macfarlane tying after regulation. They played a playoff that went 36 holes, with Macfarlane winning by one shot, on the final hole when Jones bogeyed. Because of the format the two played six rounds in three days.

The inaugural Ryder Cup ended on this date in 1927 with the United States team defeating Great Britain, 9½-2½, at Worcester Country Club in Massachusetts. Walter Hagen was American captain and Ted Ray led GB. The U.S. won the singles session 6.5 to 1.5 for the final tally. Players who went 2-0 for the Americans were Hagen, Johnny Golden, Johnny Farrell, and Al Watrous. Also, in 1949, Arnold Palmer lost a two-player team match; his opponents were Babe Zaharias and his father, Deacon, at Latrobe C.C. And in 1973, in Ashland C.C., Ohio, exhibition, Palmer tied the course record of 66. And with U.S.Open Sectional qualifying completed on Monday for this month’s U.S. Open at Oakmont, in 1979, Palmer shot 72-69—141 to advance through sectional qualifying in Charlotte to play at Inverness.

The U.S. Women’s Open was played over the weekend at Erin Hills. On this date in 2001, defending champion Karrie Webb won the Women’s Open again, at Pine Needles Lodge, by eight shots. Also on this date, Walter Travis, born in Australia but a United States citizen, became the first foreigner to win the Amateur Championship in 1904. Already a winner of three of the previous four U.S. Amateurs, Travis, a World Golf Hall of Fame member, won at Royal St. George’s over Edward Blackwell in the final, 4 & 3.

He is the Walrus: Craig Stadler was born on this date in 1953, making him 72. Stadler won the 1982 Masters in a playoff with Dan Pohl. From San Diego, Stadler won the 1973 U.S. Amateur and turned pro three years later. And World Golf Hall of Fame member Charlie Sifford, chronicled as the first African-American to be on the PGA Tour, was born on this date in 1922 in Charlotte, North Carolina.

The LPGA is playing a major this week at the U.S. Women’s Open at Erin Hills, but on this date in 1975, a major ended when Kathy Whitworth won the LPGA Ch. at Pine Ridge Golf Club in Baltimore by one shot over Sandra Haynie. It was Whitworth’s third LPGA. Also, on this date in 1953, Arnold Palmer was a U.S. Open Sectional qualifying medalist in order to play at Oakmont. And in 2010 Palmer was on the cover of the June issue of Colorado AvidGolfer, “re-creating” his visor flip with an Imperial Headwear replica of the reddish-orange visor from the 1960 U.S. Open.

On this date in 1930, Bobby Jones won the Open Amateur (British) to take the first step in winning his fabled Grand Slam. He won at St. Andrews in a 7 & 6 victory against England’s Roger Wethered. Also, It was an Army-Navy battle on this day in 1942 at the PGA Championship played at Seaview C.C. in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Sam Snead, who was going to report to the Navy, defeated Jim Turnesa, an Army corporal, 2 and 1, in the final. It was the first of three PGA titles for Snead, who had lost two of the previous four final matches.

The 1937 PGA Championship ended on this date at the Pittsburgh Field Club. The defending champion Denny Shute won over Harold (Jug) McSpaden in 37 holes. Counting Walter Hagen’s four in a row and Jim Barnes winning two in a row with two off years in the middle, winning the PGA consecutively has happened nine times. That includes Brooks Koepka. On today’s date in 1937, Shute won his second in a row after he had won the previous year at Pinehurst, 3 and 2, over Jimmy Thomson.

On this date in 2011, Tom Watson won the Senior PGA Championship, at Valhalla Golf Club, for the second time. It was his sixth and final senior major victory. Also, the riches tour pros reap can somewhat be traced to today’s event. On this date 70 years ago, Arnold Palmer earned his first official money on the PGA tour. Prior to the Fort Wayne Invitational, Palmer had played 10 tour-run events in 1955, having turned pro at the end of 1954. He finished "out of the money" in five, missed the cut in one and had to pass on $1,144.86 he would have gone home with in the other four. The PGA forced new members to go through a six-month apprenticeship before they could accept money. Seems very backward today. (He was allowed to take home the $695.83 he earned for a T-10 finish at the Masters in April 1955 because it was not run by the tour.) Three months later in August, Palmer won the Canadian Open for his first tour title and a top prize of $2,400. The $145 Palmer won for tying for 25th at Fort Wayne on May 29, 1955, was the start of Palmer's launch into making golf in general -- and the tour specifically -- financially lucrative. His star power helped the tour grow in popularity, which in turn increased prize money substantially. The huge tour purses he helped grow came much after Palmer was capable of winning on tour, but the money he was able to keep at the Fort Wayne Invitational 64 years ago must have felt like a fortune at the time, which is what he turned it into.

Julius Boros, the man whose record as the oldest winner of a major was broken by Phil Mickelson, died on this date in 1994 of a heart attack at age 74. Boros had won three majors, the 1952 and 1963 U.S. Open and the 1968 PGA when he was age 48-plus. Also, one of the LPGA Tour’s pioneers, Marlene Bauer Hagge, won the pleasant sounding Land of Sky Open on this date in 1958 in a playoff with JoAnn Prentice on the first hole of sudden death after the two had tied at three-under-par 213. On May 28, 1961, Arnold Palmer shot a final-round 66 at the 500 Festival Open but lost a playoff to Doug Ford. And on this date in 1982, Palmer shot a second-straight 72 at The Memorial Tournament to finish T-58. Jack Nicklaus’ tournament is being played this week on Muirfield. Village at Dublin, Ohio.

Sam Snead was born on this date in 1912. The co-leading player in PGA Tour victories in a career, Snead was often described as possessing an ageless swing, and that resulted in some longevity records that he established in both major and regular tournaments alike. Snead was one of the leading “characters” in golf history with a personality that ranged from coy and mischievous to affable and instructive. Winner of seven majors, Snead was born in Ashwood, Virginia. He died in 2002, just six days shy of 90 years old. On this date in 1979, Arnold Palmer shot his best round, 73, at the Memorial in the final round, finishing T-42.

More than two years after what would be his final PGA Tour victory, Arnold Palmer’s final victories on the “regular” tours were on foreign soil. On this date in 1975, he won the British PGA. It came about a month after he’d won the Spanish Open. Arnold’s final victory against the young guys would come in the 1980 Canadian PGA, the same year the Senior PGA Tour began, opening a new competitive arena for him. On this date in 2013, Koki Idoki won the Senior PGA Championship at Bellerive Country Club near St. Louis by two strokes over Jay Haas and Kenny Perry.

On this date in 1948, Ben Hogan, who was then supplementing his income with a club pro job in Hershey, Pennsylvania, won the 30th PGA Championship in a 7-and-6 defeat of Mike Turnesa at the Norwood Hills C.C. in St. Louis.

On this day in 1910, Jimmy Demaret was born in Houston. Often described as colorful and Jaunty Jimmy, Demaret had an outgoing personality and elegant wardrobe that was admired by fans and peers. He won the Masters three times and later in life ran Champions Golf Club with Jack Burke, Jr., in Houston. Demaret notably appeared in an “I Love Lucy” episode in the 1950s, and did a great deal of commentary on TV golf, especially the Shell’s Wonderful World of Golf series. Two UK stars of yesteryear died on this date, May 24. Old Tom Morris, four-time Open champion and iconic St. Andrews figure, died in 1908 at age 86. And Englishman Jim Barnes died in 1966 at 80. He won four majors, including the first PGA in 1916, and like Morris is a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame.

On this date in 1963, Jack Nicklaus, in his second PGA Tour season, made his first hole-in-one of his pro career, which helped him get into a seven-way tie for the first-round lead with a 67 at the Memphis Open. Already a two-time major champion, Nicklaus aced the 185-yard but had to settle for a tie with seven others at 3-under-par 67s including hometown favorite Cary Middlecoff for the first-round lead in the Memphis Golf tourney. Nicklaus aced the 185-yard third hole with a 6-iron, the ball landing right of the hole but kicking left. Tony Lema, one of those tied for the lead, ended up the tournament winner. And the greatest “old” player, Sam Snead, died on this date in 2002, four days short of his 90th birthday. Some of his age records include oldest player to be credited with winning a PGA Tour event at age 52 years, 10 months, 8 days at the 1965 Greater Greensboro Open and oldest player to make the cut at a major at age 67 years, 2 months, 7 days at the 1979 PGA Championship.

The largely unheralded Horton Smith was born on this date in 1908 in Springfield, Missouri. Despite winning two Masters titles, the first Masters in 1934 and the third in 1936, and authoring a well received putting instructional book, “The Secret of Holing Putts!,” he had a career in relative obscurity. He was closely aligned with the PGA of America and did much to promote the game. He received his just reward, however, by being elevated into the World Golf Hall of Fame. Smith also served as PGA of America president, 1952-1954, and developed a reputation as a great instructor, contributing articles to Golf Digest.

The first Curtis Cup Match between women amateur teams from the U.S. and Great Britain was held on this date in 1932 at Wentworth Golf Club’s East Course, in Surrey, England. Just a one-day event, the highlight was seeing each side’s star go against the other: Glenna Collett Vare for the U.S. and Joyce Wethered for G.B. The Americans won overall, 5.5 to 3.5, but in the marquee matches, Wethered beat Vare, 6 and 4, in singles, but Vare and partner Opal Hill beat Wethered and Wanda Morgan, 1 up, in Foursomes.

On this date in 1948, Ben Hogan, who was then supplementing his income with a club pro job in Hershey, Pennsylvania, won the 30th PGA Championship in a 7-and-6 defeat of Mike Turnesa at the Norwood Hills C.C. in St. Louis.

The 37th Open Championship ended on this date in 1897 with English amateur Harold Hilton winning for the second time, by one shot over Scotland’s James Braid, at Royal Liverpool Golf Club. On this date in 1962, the great Patty Berg won the Muskogee Civitan Open on the Muskogee C.C. in Oklahoma. She shot four under par for the tournament to win by two shots over Shirley Englehorn and Ruth Jessen. It was the 57th and final tour victory in Berg’s marvelous career.