With the Phoenix tour stop over this past Sunday, and Pebble Beach this weekend, on this date in 1962, Arnold Palmer won the Phoenix Open after some of the best scoring of his career. He had rounds of 64-68-71-66 for 269, winning by 12 shots at Phoenix Country Club. Also, one of the more obscure pioneering women golfers was born on this date in 1911. Helen Hicks, who won the 1937 Western and 1940 Titleholders, was born in Cedarhurst, New York.
On this date in 1951, Al Bosch is credited with shooting the first round of 60 on the PGA Tour in the Texas Open during the third round. Also on today's date, it's World Golf Hall of Fame member Greg Norman's 71st birthday. The two-time major winner was born in Queensland, Australia. And another marquee player was born in a different era 40 years later. Lexi Thompson, the 2014 ANA Inspiration winner, was born in Coral Springs, Florida. At age 15, she turned professional in June 2010.
On this date in 1958, World Golf Hall of Fame member Sandy Lyle, winner of the 1985 Open Championship and 1988 Masters, was born in Shrewsbury, England. Also, this is the traditional date in golf history, in 1834, that the St. Andrews Club was christened the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews, with King William IV as its patron.
On this date in 1962, Arnold Palmer shot a first-round 64 in the Phoenix Open, one of his lowest rounds ever on the PGA Tour, to be the leader. Also, Australian star Jan Stephenson won 16 times on the LPGA Tour, the first coming on this date in 1976. She finished at two-over-par 218 in the Sarah Coventry Naples Classic on Lely Country Club to edge both Judy Meister and Sandra Haynie by one shot.
As Golf Year 1960 began, Arnold Palmer had 13 tour wins, including one major, the Masters of 1958. He was not yet viewed as the icon he would become. By the end of the year, though, he would well be on his way to immortality. On this date in 1960, he won the Palm Springs Desert Classic, his fifth event of 1960, with a final-round 65; by 1965 the event was renamed the Bob Hope Desert Classic. The 1960 Classic was the tournament debut, which Arnie would win five times, the final time in 1973. Also, this date is not one of glee but today’s date is a celebration of two hall of fame players. Betty Jameson, an LPGA founding member, died on this date in 2009 at age 89. In 2015, Billy Casper passed away from a heart attack at age 83. Casper won the 1959 and 1966 U.S. Open and the 1970 Masters.
Today’s “out of this world” moment was when golf went universal by way of the “moon shot.” Astronaut Alan Shepard hit a couple golf balls while on the moon on this date in 1971, using a makeshift 6-iron he had quietly brought on board the Apollo 14 flight. Because of his cumbersome spacesuit, he had to swing with his right arm only. Back on earth, Shepard said he “shanked the first one; it rolled into a crater about 40 yards away. The second one, I kept my head down. I hit it flush and it went at least 200 yards.” Today was also known for the incredible moon-shot artist, Babe Ruth, who was born on this date in 1895. The former longtime holder of the home-run record with 714 had 11 seasons of hitting 40 or more homers in his career, and in keeping with a golf theme, he was an avid golfer.
Playoffs are a common event on the PGA Tour. On this date in 1966, Arnold Palmer shot his best score of the Bob Hope Desert Classic that year, a 67, in the fourth round, then lost a playoff the next day when he and Doug Sanders tied at 349. Sanders won on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff. Also, World Golf Hall of Famer José María Olazábal, who won the 1994 and 1999 Masters, was born on this date in 1966 in Hondarribia, Spain.
Today has a pair of Arnold Palmer moments to observe, both involving the Palm Springs area. In 1962, he won the Palm Springs Golf Classic, shooting 69-67-66-71-69—342 to take top prize of $5,300. And in 1968, he won the Bob Hope Desert Classic after a two-hole, sudden-death playoff with Deane Beman. Arnold had scores of 72-70-67-71-68—348, taking home $20,000. Also, the great Byron Nelson was born on this date in 1912, the same year Ben Hogan and Sam Snead were born. Nelson died on September 26, 2006. To read more about the man they called Lord Byron for his outstanding demeanor and character, go to worldgolfhalloffame.org/byron-nelson/.
Two-time U.S. Open winner Retief Goosen, inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2019, was born on this date in 1969 in Pietersburg, Limpopo Province, South Africa. Also born on this date was the World Golf Hall of Famer Carol Mann, born in Buffalo in 1941 and who passed away in 2018.With the Waste Management tour event this week, we note that in 1955 on this date Arnold Palmer shot a first-round 69 at the Phoenix Open. In 1974, Arnie had a final-round 72 at the Hawaiian Open, finishing T-71, the final time he “finished out of the money.”
One of the more horrific days in golf history took place on this date in 1949 when Ben Hogan was nearly killed in a car-bus crash on a highway near Van Horn in west Texas, in morning fog. Hogan and wife Valerie's car was struck by an oncoming bus that was trying to pass another vehicle. Hogan's heroic move to throw himself in front of his wife saved his life as the impact forced the car's steering column to run through the driver's seat. Incredibly, a year later, Hogan returned to golf and nearly won the Los Angeles Open in his first tournament. On this date in 1990, Arnold Palmer shot a first-round 66 at the Royal Caribbean Classic, and in 1996, in his final AT&T Pebble Beach Nat’l Pro-am, Palmer shot a second-round 72 but the event was canceled by rain.
On this date in 1959, the 20th Senior PGA Championship finished at PGA National Golf Club in Dunedin, Florida, with winner Willie Goggin using a borrowed set of woods to win by one shot over Denny Shute, Leland Gibson and Paul Runyan. Also, this is the date that's noted in 1922 that the USGA established the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship. The first event was held in July 1922 at Ottawa Park Golf Course in Toledo, Ohio, won by Edmund R. Held. The event was discontinued after the 2014 playing.
The Waste Management Phoenix Open is on the PGA Tour schedule net week, February 5-8. On this date in 1957, the first round of the Phoenix Open at Arizona Country Club was held, with Arnold Palmer shooting a four-under-par 66 to share the lead with Billy Maxwell. The tournament was eventually won by Billy Casper at 271; Arnie tied for fifth with scores of 66-70-70-71—277 and earned $787.50.
Today marks what would have been Payne Stewart's 67th birthday. The three-time major champion, whose life was cut short when his private jet malfunctioned in flight and crashed on Oct. 25, 1999, is a member of the World Golf, Missouri Sports, and PGA of America halls of fame. Another World Golf Hall of Fame member was born on this date. In 1955 Curtis Strange was born in Norfolk, Virginia, and would win back-to-back U.S. Open titles in 1988 and 1989. He also won the 1974 NCAA individual title.
The PGA Tour begins play today in San Diego, but on this date in 1967, Arnold Palmer won the Los Angeles Open. Also, today would have been the 103rd birthday of two-time major champion and World Golf Hall of Fame member Jack Burke Jr. , who won the Masters and the PGA. Burke wasn’t far from making it to 103. He died on January 19, 2024, 10 days shy of 101. At his death, he was the oldest living past major champion winner. The current holder of that title is Gary Player, age 90, which he turned on November 1.
With San Diego the site for this week’s PGA Tour stop, on this date in 2007, Tiger Woods was in dominate form by winning the Farmers Insurance Open for his seventh consecutive PGA Tour victory, which is second for longest tour winning streak behind Byron Nelson’s 11 in 1945. On this date in 1990, Arnold Palmer won his 3rd Sr. Skins Game with $240,000, and in 1996 and 2001 he finished third both years in the Senior Skins. Also, Henry Cotton, a three-time winner of the Open Championship who had a variety of interests and was a regular author, was born on this date in 1907 at Holmes Chapel, Cheshire, England in 1907.
On this date in 1967, Arnold Palmer shot a 64 at Rancho Municipal, one of his best scores ever, in the second round of the Los Angles Open. He shot 67 and 68 the next two rounds to win and collect the $20,000 first-place prize money. Also, two of the PGA Tour’s journeymen-type pros were born on this date. In 1939 Mike Hill, winner of three titles on the regular tour and 18 on the senior tour, was born in Jackson, Michigan. Hill died on August 4 last year. He was the younger brother of more accomplished Dave Hill. Also, in 1964, Woody Austin, four-time tour winner and runner-up at the 2007 PGA, was born in Tampa, Florida.
On this date in 2005, Arnold Palmer married, at age 75, his longtime girlfriend Kathleen (Kit) Gawthrop in a private ceremony in Hawaii on the beach at Turtle Bay Resort. Also, three-time Open Championship winner Sir Henry Cotton was born on this date in 1907. The English great was a jack of all trades; he was an author, commentator, course designer and teacher.
With the PGA Tour on the West Coast, it’s appropriate to observe that on this day in 1959, Arnold Palmer won the Thunderbird Invitational after rounds of 67-70-67-62—266 at Thunderbird Country Club (71, 6,680) in Palm Springs, California. The Thunderbird was a predecessor to The American Express event being completed this day. In 1959, first place was worth just $1,500. It was Arnold’s 11th PGA Tour victory. Also, on this date in 1997, we hearken back to Tiger Woods’ youthful burst into stardom when he made a hole-in-one in grand style in front of the boisterous 16th-hole crowd in Round 3 of the Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale.
On this date in 1989, Canadian great George Knudson died of lung cancer at age 51. Knudson won eight times on the PGA Tour and was highly regarded for his swing technique with a compact swing over an active lower body. The closest he came to a major victory was as runner-up in the 1969 Masters to George Archer. Also, on this date in 1999, David Duval joined Al Geiberger and Chip Beck, at the time, as the only shooters of a 59 in PGA Tour history. He did it on PGA West’s Palmer Private Course in the final round on his way to winning the Bob Hope tournament.
LPGA golfer Yani Tseng was born on this date in 1989 in Taiwan. She won five majors in 2008 to 2011, and 27 tour titles by March 2012, but she hasn’t won since and continues to search for the magic that made her World No. 1 for more than 100 weeks. On this date in 2011, the first player from Venezuela, Jhonattan Vegas, to win on the PGA Tour won the Bob Hope Classic. On this date in 1961, Arnold Palmer received the Hickok Belt in Rochester, N.Y., for being named the Pro Athlete of the Year.