Two American golf stars, both in the World Golf Hall of Fame, were born on this date. In 1942, Raymond Floyd, a four-time major winner, was born in Fort Bragg, North Carolina. And in 1949, eight-time major champion Tom Watson was born in Kansas City, Missouri.
On this date in 1973, Billy Casper finished a 20-under-par 264 week to win the Sammy Davis Jr. Greater Hartford Open in Wethersfield, Connecticut, winning the tournament for the fourth time and winning his 50th PGA Tour event. Casper’s final round was a 64. He made a 15-foot birdie putt on No. 17 to pull ahead and hold off Bruce Devlin by one shot.
On this date in 1940, the PGA Championship finished at Hershey Country Club in Pennsylvania with Byron Nelson taking the Wanamaker Cup by edging Sam Snead, 1 up, in the 36-hole final.
The 33rd Open Championship ended on this date in 1893 with Willie Auchterlonie of Scotland beating amateur player Johnny Laidley at Prestwick Golf Club by two shots.
Three major championship winners share life events on this date. Pádraig Harrington was born in 1971 and the Irishman won the Open Ch. of 2007 and 2008 and the PGA Ch. of 2008. The 2011 Masters winner, Charl Schwartzel, was born in 1984 in South Africa. And the 1967 Masters champion, Gay Brewer, died on this date at age 75 in 2007.
Three U.S. Amateur champions were crowned on this date: in 1969 Steve Melnyk, 1987 Billy Mayfair, and 1992 Justin Leonard.
In 1908, the U.S. Open Championship ended on this day at the Myopia Hunt Golf club in South Hamilton, Massachusetts when Fred McLeod defeated fellow Scot Willie Smith by six strokes in an 18-hole playoff. It was McLeod’s only major victory. In his dotage, he became an honorary starter at the Masters with Jock Hutchison.
On this date in 1994, Tiger Woods won his first of three straight U.S. Amateur titles. He won the 94th playing by coming back against Trip Kuehne and winning 2 up at the TPC Stadium Course in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. In 1995 Woods defeated. George “Buddy” Marucci Jr., 2 up, at Newport (R.I.) Country Club, and in 1996 Woods defeated Steve Scott in 38 holes at Pumpkin Ridge G.C. (Witch Hollow Course), North Plains, Oregon. Woods was also the medalist that year.
Bernhard Langer, who won two Masters in his prime despite being plagued by the yips, was born on this date in 1957 in Anhausen, Germany. Langer had a second life with the long putter and has continued to win at age 63 on the senior tour.
On this date in 2012, when 15 year-old Lydia Ko of New Zealand won the Canadian Open by three shots, she became the youngest winner in LPGA Tour history and was the first amateur winner since JoAnne Carner won the 1969 Burdine’s Invitational. Ko was the fifth amateur winner in tour history. She broke the age record of 16 set by Lexi Thompson at the Navistar Classic in September 2011.
On this date in 1946, Ben Hogan, at age 34, won his first major championship, winning the PGA at Portland Golf Club in a 6-and-4 decision over Ed Oliver.
On this date in 1975, Al Geiberger won the second Tournament Players Championship, finishing three shots ahead of Dave Stockton at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas.
On this date in 2009, the Solheim Cup wrapped up at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, Illinois. The U.S. won a third straight match, 16-12, and won eight of the 12 singles matches held on the final day.
On this date in 2010, The Senior Tradition, held at the Crosswater Club, was won by Fred Funk by one shot over Michael Allen and Taiwan's Lu Chien-soon.
On this date in 1914, two of the prominent golfers of the time battled in Round 4 at the Midlothian Country Club in Illinois in the 20th U.S. Open. Walter Hagen, the third-round leader by two shots, shot 73 but held on when those closest to him fell back. Amateur star Chick Evans, who trailed by four, shot 70 to finish a shot back. Hagen shot two-over 290, Evans 291 and third place was back to 297.
On this date in 1944, Bob Hamilton pulled off one of golf’s greatest upsets at Manito Golf Club in Spokane, Washington, when he defeated all-time great Byron Nelson, 1 up, in the PGA Championship 36-hole final.
On this date in 1984, Lee Trevino won his second PGA Championship and sixth and final major, at Shoal Creek, winning by four shots over Gary Player and Lanny Wadkins at 15 under par.
On this date in 2002, one of the biggest upsets in major championship history took place at Hazeltine National when Rich Beem nipped Tiger Woods by one shot in the PGA Championship. Also on this date, in 1946, the Golf Writers Association of America was begun.
Of the PGA Championships that ended on this date, two stand out. In 1969 at NCR Country Club, Raymond Floyd won his first major, one ahead of South Africa’s Gary Player, who was targeted by apartheid protesters. And in 1997, Davis Love III won his only major, at Winged Foot, by five strokes over Justin Leonard. The son of the late Davis Love Jr., a PGA club pro and teaching legend, Love III won as a rainbow emerged from the sky.
Today’s date is a popular one in PGA Championship history. On this date, six were won by: 1970, Dave Stockton at Southern Hills; 1976, Stockton at Congressional; 1992, Nick Price at Bellerive; 1998, Vijay Singh at Sahalee; 2009, Y.E. Yang at Hazeltine, and 2015, Jason Day at Whistling Straits.