It was five years ago already on this date that Dustin Johnson won the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club by three shots over Justin Thomas and Xander Schauffele for a FedEx Cup victory. And on this date in Palmer History, the Chrysler Cup ended in 1986 on the TPC at Avenel Course in Potomac, Maryland, with the Palmer-captained U.S. team beating the Internationals, 68.5 to 31.5. It was a Ryder-Cup style event involving senior tour players. It was during this inaugural event that Arnold aced the 187-yard No. 3 hole two days in a row using the same 5-iron in practice rounds.
In the same year that Francis Ouimet won his historic U.S. Open title, 1913, the 19th U.S. Amateur was won on this date by Jerry Travers, in a 5-and-4 victory over John G. Anderson at the outstanding Garden City Golf Club on Long Island, New York. And this wasn’t on-course history, but on this date in 1954, Arnold Palmer met future wife Winifred Walzer at Shawnee Inn/Poconos while playing a two-man team tournament. Also, in 1964, Palmer shot a 71 in an exhibition at Cedar Wood; other scores were J.Nicklaus 72, B.Charles and G.Player 69, Dick Tiddy 67.
On this date in 1925, the 29th U.S. Amateur Championship was won by Bobby Jones in a battle with fellow Atlantan Watts Gunn. Jones won, 8 and 7, at venerable Oakmont Country Club to win for the second straight time. This is the time of year when the U.S. Amateur is played and another past playing ended on this date in 1982 when Jay Sigel won the 82nd, that one held at The Country Club near Boston, site of Francis Ouimet’s pivotal 1913 U.S.. Open victory.
A pair of hall-of-fame golfers were born on this date. Tom Watson was born in Kansas City in 1949; Raymond Floyd was birthed in Fort Bragg, North Carolina in 1942. On this date in 1932, the PGA Championship was won by Olin Dutra at Keller Golf Club in St. Paul, Minnesota, when he defeated Frank Walsh in the 36-hole final, 4 and 3. Dutra was 19 under par over 196 holes covering five matches.
On this date in 1973, the underappreciated Billy Casper finished at 20-under-par 264 to win the Sammy Davis Jr. Greater Hartford Open by one shot over Australian Bruce Devlin. It was a milestone 50th PGA Tour victory for Casper. Also on this date, in 1936, the U.S. blanked Great Britain, 9-0, in the Walker Cup held at lauded Pine Valley Golf Club in Clementon, New Jersey. And on this date in 1968, the Rev. Billy Graham was in the Pittsburgh area for a 10-day crusade and had traveled to Laurel Valley to play golf with Arnold Palmer.
On this date in 1953, Arnold Palmer finished as the Cleveland News/Club Division champion. And in 1964, Arnie and Tony Lema won an exhibition team match at Mount Pleasant in Baltimore. Also on this date in 1940, the PGA Championship at Hershey Country Club had an epic battle between two golf legends when Byron Nelson won his first PGA by defeating Sam Snead, 1 up, in the 36-hole final.
On this date in 1893, the Open Championship concluded at Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland with native Willie Auchterlonie winning by two shots over amateur Johnny Laidlay. Another anecdote on this day, in 1960, Arnold Palmer tied the course record of 65 in an Elyria, Ohio, exhibition. And in 1969, Palmer was on the Sports Illustrated cover for this week, titled, “Farewell to an Era—Arnold Palmer Turns 40.”
A pair of U.S. Amateur championships concluded on this date. In 1968, Bruce Fleisher had a score of 284 to edge Marvin (Vinny) Giles III by one shot at Scioto C.C., Columbus, Ohio, and in 1980, Hal Sutton defeated Bob Lewis, 9 and 8, at the Country Club of North Carolina, in Pinehurst. Fred Couples had been the match-play qualifying medalist with a score of 139. Prior to Hideki Matsuyama winning this year’s Masters, Isao Aoki was the most lauded Japanese player in history, finishing second in the 1980 U.S. Open and winning the 1978 World Match Play Championship. He won once on the PGA Tour but 51 times on the Japanese tour, and was elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame. Aoki was born on this date in 1942 in Abiko, Chiba. And on this date in 1965, Arnold Palmer shot a 68 and teenager Tom Watson 74 in an exhibition at Brookridge G.&C.C.
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.