On this date in 1952, Patty Berg shot a 10-birdie 30-34—64 in the first round of the Richmond Women’s Open at 6,330-yard Richmond Golf Club in California. The eight-under score was the lowest ever shot by a woman golfer to that point by two shots. It gave her a seven-shot lead and she would go on to win by four over Betty Jameson. On this date in 1968, Arnold Palmer shot a second-round 68 at the Byron Nelson Classic and would go on to a T-6 finish.
Jerry Barber, the 1961 PGA champion, was born on this date in 1916 in Woodson, Illinois, west of the state capitol, Springfield. Barber was just 5-foot-5, but what he lacked in power he made up with accuracy and he also putted very well. Fred McLeod, a Scottish golfer whose record has been obscured in these modern times, was born on this date in 1882 in North Berwick. He notably won the 1908 U.S. Open, but golf fans might recognize the name because it comes up every so often for his role as one of the first Honorary Starters in Masters Tournament history, along with his cohort Jock Hutchison.
On this date in 1981, Arnold Palmer and Dow Finsterwald shot a second-round 63 in the Legends of Golf and eventually tied for third. On this date in 1960, Louise Suggs outdueled her great rival Mickey Wright to win the Dallas Civitan Open at Glen Lakes Country Club at four under par, winning $1,662. Wright finished in second at one over par. And today is the birthdate of a pair of accomplished golfers who both are trying to achieve their own measure of success but at greatly different ages. Lydia Ko, who set records at a young age, was born in 1997 in Seoul, South Korea, but grew up in New Zealand. One of her major wins was the ANA Inspiration in 2016. Englishman Lee Westwood was born in 1973. He has not won a major but won on five continents and was a big European presence in the Ryder Cup. He presently plays the LIV Golf tour.
Happy 81st birthday to a PGA Tour record maker. Marty Fleckman was born on this date in 1944 in Port Arthur, Texas. On December 3, 1967, at age 24, Fleckman made a 30-foot birdie putt to beat Jack Montgomery on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff to win the Cajun Classic. He became the first player in tour history to win a tournament in his first official start. The playoff birdie was Fleckman’s third straight bird. He had made two to finish regulation play, a 23-footer on 18 tied Montgomery for the lead. Three others have since also won their first tour start. On this date in 1989, the Chrysler Cup, a Ryder Cup-style event for senior tour players on United States and International teams, concluded at the TPC at Prestancia course in Sarasota, Florida. Arnold Palmer was the U.S. captain for the five years it was played, 1986-1990, and had a 4-1 record. This year the U.S. won 71-29 and on the final day, Captain Palmer defeated Bruce Devlin, 70-74.
On this date in 1973, Arnold Palmer shot a 75 in the final round of the Tournament of Champions on the PGA Tour. He had gained entry into the elite field by winning the Bob Hope tournament in February, which was his last regular tour victory. In Palmer’s final T of C, he tied for 19th. And born on this date in 1938 in Washington, D.C., was World Golf Hall of Fame member Deane Beman, who was a lauded amateur before becoming modestly successful as a tour pro. His main claim to fame was as the PGA Tour Commissioner from 1974 to 1994.
On this date in 1991, Jack Nicklaus had one of his most dominating victories when he won the 52nd Senior PGA Championship by six shots over Bruce Crampton at PGA National Golf Club in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. It was the fifth time Nicklaus had won a major tournament at the expense of Crampton finishing runner-up. On this date in 1948, Arnold Palmer won two matches in the North & South Amateur, over Doug Ford and Frank Souchak.
It was one of the most unlikely results to see Jack Nicklaus finish second by 12 shots but that he and Dale Douglass did when Hale Irwin won the 1997 58th PGA Seniors’ Championship at PGA National Golf Club’s Champion Course, which Nicklaus had redesigned. Irwin shot 274 to win the middle of three straight titles.
On this date in 1975, Arnold Palmer won the Spanish Open, to complete scores of 72-69-69-73—283, and receive top prize of $9,000. Also, one of the mythical amateurs in American golf was born on this date in 1922. Billy Joe Patton was born in Morganton, North Carolina. Among his achievements wasn’t a victory but a legendary third-place finish in the 1954 Masters. He finished one shot out of a playoff with Ben Hogan and Sam Snead, which Snead won, 70-71.
On this date in 1993, one of the unheralded success stories on the senior tour, Tom Wargo, won the 54th Senior PGA Championship at PGA National. The more established Bruce Crampton charged home in Round 4 with a 66 to tie Wargo at 13 under par, but Wargo won a two-hole playoff. Wargo was from a small club in Centralia, Illinois, and didn’t have notable pro success until turning 50. In 1994 he would win the Senior Open for two major titles.
On this date in 1994, Lee Trevino took advantage of Ray Floyd’s stumble and won the 55th Senior PGA Championship at PGA National on the Champion Course. Trevino shot a 70 and beat Jim Colbert by one and Floyd and Dave Stockton by two. Floyd shot a 75 in the fourth round after three straight 69s.
On this date in 1959, Arnold Palmer shot a first-round 66 at the Houston Classic and would finish T-3. In 1967, he shot a final-round 64 at the Tournament of Champions for 2nd. On this day in 1989, Don Bies shot a bogey-free, six-under-par 66 to beat Gary Player by one shot and win The Tradition in its first year as a Senior PGA Tour event, in Scottsdale, Ariz. Bies, who started the final round in a three-way tie for second place with Gene Littler and Bob Erickson, dropped an 8-footer for a critical birdie on the par-5 15th and later finished with a 13-under 275 total to win $90,000.
The 1979 Masters, the 43rd playing, ended on this date with Fuzzy Zoeller beating all kinds of odds to win in a playoff in his first appearance at Augusta National. There shouldn’t have been a playoff. Ed Sneed was three ahead with three to go but bogeyed all three holes. Jack Nicklaus missed the playoff by one. Sneed, Zoeller and Tom Watson went into the first sudden-death playoff in Masters history, with Zoeller winning on the second playoff hole, No. 11, with a birdie.
This was not a pleasant day in Masters history. On this date in 1968, Bob Goalby was declared the winner of the Masters when it was revealed Roberto De Vicenzo signed an incorrect scorecard and had to accept a 4 instead of a 3 on the 17th hole in the final round. Tommy Aaron had written down the wrong score and Roberto didn’t notice it and had to take the higher number according to the Rules of Golf. Also, the 1974 Masters, the 38th playing, ended on this date with Gary Player winning his second of three green jackets. Tom Weiskopf and Dave Stockton finished two shots behind.
Of the Masters results on this date, a few are among the most memorable golf events in history. In 1975, Jack Nicklaus won what many consider in the top five best Masters ever, a one-shot victory over Johnny Miller and Tom Weiskopf, highlighted by a 40-foot birdie putt on 16. That Masters was the year Lee Elder broke the color barrier at Augusta as he became the first African-American to play in it. That was Jack’s fifth Masters, and he won his sixth in 1986 in the 50th playing for his record 18 majors. At age 46 it was his final major and his final-round score was a 65, beating Greg Norman and Tom Kite by one. And lastly, Tiger Woods won in 1997 for his first major with a record 18-under score that won by 12, also with Kite second. On this date in 1969, George Archer, the Gilroy Cowboy from California, all 6-foot-5 of him, shot an even-par 72 for a seven-under 281 total to win by just one shot over Gay Brewer, Tom Weiskopf and George Knudson.
Of the many Masters that were completed on this date, two stand out. In 1953, Ben Hogan won the 17th playing with a record score of 274. And in 1964, Arnold Palmer won his final major championship in a rout, winning by six over Dave Marr and Jack Nicklaus. On this date in 1981, Tom Watson shot a one-under-par 71 to win the Masters by two shots over Johnny Miller and Jack Nicklaus. It was the second Masters victory for Watson. The year was the first for the tournament to be played on bentgrass greens.
One of the legendary Masters finishes took place on this date in 1965 at the 28th playing. Jack Nicklaus won his second green coat, shooting a tournament record of 271, 17 under par. He was nine strokes ahead of Arnold Palmer and Gary Player, one of the few times The Big Three finished 1-2-3. Also on this date in 1978, Arnold Palmer played an exhibition, “Alabama’s Tribute to Jerry Ford,” at Pine Tree, Birmingham, Ala., to benefit American Cancer Society and March of Dimes.
Of the many Masters that concluded on this date, the most memorable was in Arnold Palmer’s sensational 1960 season when he won the 24th Masters at Augusta National Golf Club. He birdied the final two holes to win by one shot over Ken Venturi. On this date in 1949, Sam Snead shot a second-straight 67 to win the Masters by three shots over Johnny Bulla and Lloyd Mangrum. This was also the day the green jacket was awarded for the first time in Masters history.
Of the many Masters to finish on this date, a few standouts are Arnold Palmer’s playoff victory in 1962 at the 26th Masters when he won his third of four and Jack Nicklaus’ fourth of six victories in 1972. Jack finished three shots in front of Tom Weiskopf, Bruce Crampton, and Bobby Mitchell. On this date in 1950, Jimmy Demaret shot a 69 while Jim Ferrier fell back with 75 and Demaret became the first three-time Masters winner with a score of 283. Demaret was six under par on the par-5 13th for the week but was one over par for the rest of the course. Of special note, Spanish legend Seve Ballesteros was born on this date in 1957 and would win two Masters, in 1980 and 1983. He died on May 7, 2011.
On this date in 1935, Gene Sarazen, who had made his famous double eagle on 15 the day before, won a 36-hole playoff with Craig Wood to be crowned the 2nd Masters winner. Sarazen shot even-par 144 to Wood’s 149. On this date in 2010, Jack Nicklaus joined Arnold Palmer for the first time on No. 1 tee at 7:41 a.m. as Masters Honorary Starters. And in 2014 on this date, Arnie was with the Big Three group to tee off for the penultimate time as an Honorary Starter with Jack and Gary.
On this date in 1940, Jimmy Demaret shot a 71 to comfortably win the Masters by four shots over Lloyd Mangrum. It was Demaret’s second Masters played and his first of three victories. Also, in one of the biggest shockers in Masters history, the 10th playing was won on this date in 1946 by Herman Keiser by one shot over legendary Ben Hogan. On this date in 1960, in what would be a magical Masters for him, Arnold Palmer shot a first-round 67. And in 1983, Arnie roused his fans with first-round 68 at the 47th Masters but finished 74-76-78 for T-36.