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.
Happy 79th 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 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.
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 day in 1997, Hale Irwin finished off a 72-hole tournament of shooting 274, 14 under par, and winning the 58th Senior PGA Championship for two in a row in the tournament. He won by 12 shots over Dale Douglass and Jack Nicklaus.
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.
Unheralded Tom Wargo of Centralia, Illinois, won the 54th Senior PGA Championship on this date in 1993. Bruce Crampton charged home in Round 4 with a 66 to tie Wargo at 13 under par, but Wargo won in sudden death on the second playoff hole at PGA National/Champion Course.
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 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 and win $90,000.
In the concluding date to Masters history for this time frame, on this date in 1979, Fuzzy Zoeller won the first sudden-death playoff in Masters history, over Ed Sneed and Tom Watson. Jack Nicklaus missed out by one shot from making it a four-way playoff. Zoeller won on No. 11, the second playoff hole, winning the tournament in his first try.
This was a memorable but 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.
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.
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.
On this date in 1965, Jack Nicklaus shot a 69 to top off a record-breaking performance when he won the Masters with a four-round total of 271, 17 under par. He won his second Masters, nine shots ahead of Arnold Palmer and Gary Player.
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.
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.
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 and complete a career Grand Slam. Sarazen shot even-par 144 to Wood’s 149.
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.
On this date in 1978, John Schlee was a surprise first-round leader in the Masters with a 68, over a surprise second-place player Joe Inman, who had 69. But by the end, more familiar names Tom Watson, Hubert Green, Rod Funseth and the winner Gary Player were the top contenders. Player shot 64 to beat the other three by one shot.
On this date in 1956, amateur Ken Venturi shot a six-under-par 66 to take a one-shot lead over Cary Middlecoff in the Masters Tournament. A few days later he entered the final round in position to be the first amateur winner but skied to 80 and lost by one shot to Jack Burke Jr.