One of the more obscure major championship winners, Bob Hamilton, won his major on this date in the 1944 PGA Championship at Manito Country Club in a 1-up decision over the overwhelming favorite Byron Nelson.
Lee Trevino capped off his major championship titles on this date in 1984 by winning the PGA Championship at Shoal Creek by four strokes over Gary Player and Lanny Wadkins.
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.
On this date in 1969, Raymond Floyd won the PGA Championship at NCR Country Club in Dayton, Ohio, edging Gary Player by one shot; the South African was plagued by apartheid protesters during the championship.
On this date in 1970, Arnold Palmer had another frustrating close call in the PGA Championship, tying for second two strokes behind winner Dave Stockton at Southern Hills Country Club.
Dave Marr won the 1965 PGA Championship on this date at Laurel Valley., two shots ahead of Jack Nicklaus and Billy Casper. This PGA was intended to give Arnold Palmer a good chance for victory in the elusive major since LV was in his backyard to his hometown Latrobe, Pennsylvania, but he was so busy as unofficial host that he was 14 behind Marr and tied for 33rd.
In the wake of Xander Schauffele’s Tokyo Olympics gold medal performance, we note 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.
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.
On this date in 1973, at Canterbury Golf Club outside Cleveland, Jack Nicklaus won his third of five PGA championships and in the process passed Bobby Jones for the most majors won.
On this date, the golf gods gave and took away from Lee Trevino in the PGA Championship. In 1974 he won by a shot over Jack Nicklaus at Tanglewood Park, but in 1985 at Cherry Hills, Trevino finished two shots in back of Hubert Green.
On this date in 1975, Jack Nicklaus won the PGA Championship for the fourth time, this time at Firestone Country Club by two strokes over Bruce Crampton, the solemn Australian who had a few runner-up finishes to Nicklaus in the majors.
Larry Nelson really loves August 9: In 1981 he won the PGA Championship at Atlanta Athletic Club by four strokes over Fuzzy Zoeller, and in 1987 won the PGA at PGA National in Palm Beach Florida in a playoff with Lanny Wadkins.
Steely-eyed Raymond Floyd won the 1982 PGA Championship on this date at Southern Hills Country Club by three shots over Lanny Wadkins. It was Floyd’s second PGA title.
On this date in 1960, emerging golf superstar Arnold Palmer won the Insurance City Open via a playoff with Bill Collins and Jack Fleck.
Like Arnold Palmer, Tom Watson didn’t win the PGA, which would have given them a career Grand Slam. On this date in 1978 at Oakmont Country Club, John Mahaffey rallied from seven shots back with 14 holes to play to tie Watson and Jerry Pate, and then he won on the second hole of a sudden-death playoff. Watson had been in control during regulation, but his perfect drive on 10 finished in a sand-filled divot hole and he ended up making double bogey, and he lost control of the outcome.
On this date in 1979, stoic Australian David Graham held off sentimental favorite Ben Crenshaw in a three-hole playoff at Oakland Hills Country Club to win the PGA Championship.
On this date in 1945, Lord Byron Nelson won the Canadian Open for his 11th straight victory on the PGA circuit. He won 18 for the entire season.
Sam Snead, the ageless one who played the greatest golf the latest in life, was 67 years, 2 months and 7 days when he set the record on this date in the 1979 PGA Championship at Oakland Hills Country Club to be the oldest player to make the cut in a major. Snead had won the PGA in 1942, 1949 and 1951.
On this date in 1959, the PGA Championship went to Bob Rosburg at Minneapolis Golf Club by just one shot over Doug Sanders and Jerry Barber.
On this date in 2004, Peter Jacobsen, who didn’t win one of the “regular” majors, won a big one at Bellerive Golf Club, the U.S. Senior Open, by one shot over Hale Irwin.