A pair of U.S. Amateur results occurred on this date. In 1969, Steve Melnyk shot 286 to win by five over Marvin (Vinny) Giles at Oakmont; in 1987, Billy Mayfair defeated Eric Rebmann, 4 and 3, at Jupiter Hills Club (Hills Course), in Florida. Also, one of golf’s most colorful figures, the quick tempered Tommy (Thunder) Bolt, died at age 92 on this date in 2008 after a Hall of Fame career that included victory in the 1958 U.S. Open. On this date in 2011, Arnold Palmer teamed with partner Peter Jacobsen to finish 6th in the Umpqua Bank Challenge (aka Fred Meyer Challenge) in Portland, Oregon, which was his final paycheck at a pro-only event, worth $40,000.
On this date in 1908, Scotsman Fred McLeod won an 18-hole playoff with Willie Smith, 77-83, to capture the 14th U.S. Open Championship at the Myopia Hunt Club in Hamilton, Massachusetts. The two had tied at the end of regulation with 72-hole scores of 322. Also, on this date in 1949, Arnold Palmer won a U.S. Amateur match for the first time, held at Oak Hill’s East Course in Rochester, New York. In Round 1, Palmer defeated Frederick W. Mayer, of Westchester, N.Y., 3 & 2. Arnie also won Round 2 but lost 4 and 3 in Round 3 to Crawford Rainwater, of Pensacola, Fla.
A pair of U.S. Amateur championships ended on this date. In 1988, Eric Meeks defeated Danny Yates, 7 and 6, on the Cascades Course at the Virginia Hot Springs G. & T.C., Hot Springs, Va. And in 1994, Tiger Woods won by knocking off Trip Kuehne, 2 up, at TPC at Sawgrass (Stadium Course), Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. Also, Lee Janzen, one of the most surprising of multiple major winners in golf history, was born on this date in 1964 in Austin, Minnesota. He won the 1993 and 1998 U.S. Open.
On this date in 1966, Arnold Palmer shot a third-round 65 at the Philadelphia Golf Cl. Flash forward nearly 50 years on this day in 2015 and Palmer met with the U.S. Walker Cup team, led by Captain John (Spider) Miller, prior to its trip to England. On this date in 1995, Tiger Woods won his second of three straight U.S. Amateurs by defeating George (Buddy) Marucci Jr., 2 up, at Newport (R.I.) C.C. And two-time Masters champion and World Golf Hall of Fame member Bernhard Langer was born on this date in 1957 in Anhausen, Germany.
On this date in 1953, Arnold Palmer finished as the fourth low amateur in the Ohio Open. Also, in 2012, New Zealander Lydia Ko, at age 15, became the youngest winner of an LPGA Tour event when she won the Canadian Women’s Open at Vancouver Golf Club, winning by three over Inbee Park. She was the first amateur to win on tour since 1969. And British golfer Edward (Ted) Ray, who was a notch below the Great Triumvirate of Vardon, Taylor, and Braid, died on this date at age 66 in 1943. He won two majors, the 1912 Open and 1920 U.S. Open.
On this date in 1946, Ben Hogan won the PGA Championship at Portland (Ore.) Golf Club with a 6 and 4 victory over Ed (Porky) Oliver. It was his first of nine majors; he would win a second PGA in 1948. On this date in 1969, Arnold Palmer shot a 71 in an exhibition at Dub’s Dread Golf Course. Jack Nicklaus had 69, Harold (Jug) McSpaden 71, and Byron Nelson 72; Palmer-Nicklaus won, 2 up, in a best-ball match.
Jack Nicklaus was the first winner of the Tournament Players Championship in 1974, but on this date in 1975, Al Geiberger came out on top at Colonial C.C. in Memphis. Geiberger led from start to finish to win the second playing by three strokes ahead of runner-up Dave Stockton. Twice on this date, Arnold Palmer scored low rounds with partners at the Shootout at the Jeremy Ranch. In 1984 he had a second-round 12-under 60 with Raymond Floyd (they eventually finished T-7); in 1985, he shot a third-round 65 with partner Gary Player at Jeremy Ranch and they eventually placed T-13.
On this date in 1959, Arnold Palmer tied for 4th at the Rubber City Open after shooting four rounds in the 60s. And in 1964, Palmer shot a final-round 69 at the American Golf Classic for third. In 1994, Arnie and Peter Jacobsen shot a second-day 62 in the 9th Fred Meyer Challenge to finish third. On this date in 2009, the United States won a third straight Solheim Cup, at Rich Harvest Farms, taking the match with a final score of 16-12. The U.S. won 8 of 12 singles matches on the final day. One of the “most underrated great players” was born on this date in 1929. Peter Thomson, a five-time Open champion, was born in Brunswick, Victoria, Australia. Born just a few weeks before Arnold Palmer, Thomson, a cerebral, tactical player, never got his full acclaim because he did not play in America very much and did not build up a great U.S. regular tour record.
On this date in 2010, Fred Funk won The Tradition on the Champions Tour, taking the title by one shot over Michael Allen and Lu Chien-soon of Taiwan. Also, one of the major champions of yesteryear, James Foulis, was born on this date in 1871 in St. Andrews, Scotland. He won the 1896 U.S. Open. And on this date in 1946, 16-year-old Arnold Palmer was the runner-up at the Hearst National Junior, held at Oakland Hills, to Mac Hunter. And in 1967, Palmer finished second at the 51st Pennsylvania Open held at Laurel Valley; Arnie donated the $500 he won to the Pa. Golf Association.
The PGA Championship ended on this date in 1920 with Scotsman Jock Hutchison defeating Douglas Edgar, 1 up, in a 36-hole battle at Flossmoor Country Club in Chicago. On this date in 1914, Walter Hagen, just 21, won the U.S. Open at Midlothian Country Club near Chicago by just one stroke over amateur star Chick Evans. The victory was Hagen’s first major victory; he would win another U.S. Open in 1919.
On this date in 1962, after having lost a U.S. Open playoff to Jack Nicklaus in June of 1962, Arnold Palmer defeated Jack, 67-68, at a Norwood Hills C.C. exhibition. And on this date in 1944, the PGA Championship was won in an upset. Bob Hamilton won the 36-hole finale, 1 up, at Manito Golf & Country Club over the overwhelming favorite and 1940 winner Byron Nelson. The match was tied after the first 18. Nelson would win the following year.
On this date in 1984, Lee Trevino won his second PGA Championship after shooting four rounds in the 60s and winning in sensational fashion by four shots at Shoal Creek over Gary Player and Lanny Wadkins. The victory capped off Trevino’s major victories at six, two U.S. Opens, two Open Championships and two PGAs. His best Masters finish was a tie for 10th. Also, on this date in 1961, Arnold Palmer lost to Gary Player, 68-69, at an Emeis Park exhibition, but in 1962, Arnold beat Jack Nicklaus, 67-68, in a Norwood Hills C.C. exhibition and won a two-man team match.
Two times Tiger Woods finished second to a journeyman type player in the PGA Championship at Hazeltine Golf Club in Chaska, Minnesota, and the first time was on this date in 2002 by one shot to Rich Beem. The second occasion was in 2009 on August 16 to Y.E. Yang by three shots. Beem bucked the odds and won over Woods with a 10-under 278 total. In 1950 on this date, Arnold Palmer won the West Penn Amateur and in 1962, he shot a 68 in an Emeis Park exhibition, Davenport, Iowa.
A few PGA championships ended on this date, including in 1969 when Raymond Floyd won at NCR Country Club’s South Course in Dayton, Ohio. Floyd shot eight-under 276 to win by one shot over Gary Player of South Africa, who infamously had to deal with apartheid protestors. On this date in 1951, Arnold Palmer won the West Penn Amateur and in 1952 he won the Western Penn & Eastern Ohio Amateur.
On this date, Arnold Palmer had another frustrating close call in the PGA Championship. One of his runner-up finishes in the PGA was a tied in 1970 for second two strokes behind winner Dave Stockton at Southern Hills. Stockton won with 279, with Palmer and Bob Murphy two strokes back. It was the first of two Stockton PGA victories, the second coming in 1976. Speaking of Palmer, on this date in 1953 he won the Greensburg Country Club Invitational. And in 1966, he shot a 70 in an exhibition at Locust Hill C.C. to Jack Nicklaus’ 71, Bruce Devlin 72, Doug Sanders 75.
A PGA Championship that was believed tailor made for Arnold Palmer to win instead went to affable Dave Marr on this date in 1965. Held at a course Palmer played out of his home in nearby Latrobe, Pennsylvania, the PGA at Laurel Valley was supposed to ensure an Arnie victory. But he was a nonfactor, busy as unofficial host so much that he was 14 behind Marr and tied for 33rd.
Before the gold medal Olympic performances of Xander Schauffele (2020) and Scottie Scheffler (2024), it is noted that on this date in 2016 Justin Rose of Great Britain was the gold medal winner at 16 under par in the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, which marked the return of golf to the Olympics. And on this day in 1988, Jeff Sluman finished off a dream week at the PGA Championship at Oak Tree Golf Club in Oklahoma, shooting 12-under 272 to win by three over Paul Azinger.
Nine-time major champion and stoic icon Ben Hogan was born on this date in 1912 in Stephenville, Texas, destined to be a member of the second great trio of golfers in history with Sam Snead and Byron Nelson. The first was Harry Vardon, James Braid and J.H. Taylor; the modern-day three was Palmer, Nicklaus and Player. And on this date in 1933, Gene Sarazen put down claims his game was slipping by winning the PGA Championship at age 32 at Blue Mound Country Club in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. He beat Willie Goggin, 5 and 4, in the final, culminating a week where his closest of five matches was a 4-and-3 victory over Harry Cooper in the second round.
On this date in 1973, Jack Nicklaus won the PGA Championship at Canterbury GC near Cleveland and passed Bobby Jones with 14 majors to take the all-time lead. Nicklaus won his third of five PGAs by four strokes over Bruce Crampton of Australia. On this date in 1949, Arnold Palmer won the West Penn Amateur at Oakmont, and in 1962, he won the American Golf Classic. This was also the date, in 1994, that Palmer played his final PGA Championship after playing 37 straight. He missed the cut by eight.
On this date, the golf gods gave and they took away from Lee Trevino in the PGA Championship. In 1974, Trevino won the first of his two PGAs, at Tanglewood Park in North Carolina, winning a battle with defending champion Jack Nicklaus. Trevino won by a shot with a four-under-par total of 276. But in 1985 at Cherry Hills, Trevino finished two shots in back of Hubert Green.