On this date in 1989, Mike Hill and Patti Rizzo shot 25 under par and won the Mazda Champions event at the Hyatt Dorado Beach in Puerto Rico. Also on this date in 2014, former PGA club pro Gus Andreone, at age 103, had a hole-in-one on the 113-yard 14th hole at Palm Aire’s Lakes Course in Sarasota, Florida, becoming the oldest golfer to make an ace.
On this date in 1960, Arnold Palmer was honored by the Ligonier Valley Chamber of Commerce at Ligonier Valley Junior High School. And in 2012, Palmer played the Father-Son Challenge with grandson Will Wears; they shot 80-76 for 18th. On this date in 1979, 2008 Masters winner Trevor Immelman was born in Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa. Immelman now does commentary for CBS’ golf coverage.
On this date in 1996, the Diner’s Club Matches concluded, with Dottie Pepper & Juli Inkster winning the LPGA portion, Jim Colbert & Bob Murphy winning the Champions Tour, and Tom Lehman & Duffy Waldoff the regular PGA Tour portion. Also, on this date in 2019, the American team won six of the 12 Singles matches at Royal Melbourne to win the Presidents Cup, 16-14, for an eighth straight victory in the series.
On this date in 1980, Nancy Lopez and Curtis Strange won the JCPenney Golf Classic by two shots at Bardmoor Country Club in Largo, Florida. They split a $72,000 first prize. And the 1931 U.S. Open champion, Billy Burke, was born on this date in 1902 in Naugatuck, Connecticut.
Happy 36th: On this date in 1988, Rickie Fowler was born in Murrieta, California. The six-time PGA Tour winner has been on the brink of major stardom but hasn’t broken through yet; he has finished second four times in major championships. He will play with partner Lexi Thompson this weekend in the Grant Thornton Invitational. And the International and American teams split the final-day Singles session, 6-6, on this date in 1998 but that didn’t stop the Internationals from winning the Presidents Cup, 20½–11½, at Royal Melbourne GC, which is the International team’s only victory in 13 playings.
The first golf “tees” were no tees at all. Players would take a small amount of sand and build a little tower or pyramid to elevate the ball. But on this date in 1899, George F. Bryant of Boston is credited with getting a patent for a wooden golf tee. Also, the great Charles Boswell, a 13-time winner of the U.S. Blind Golfers’ Association, was born on this date in 1916. Boswell won numerous awards, but Pat Browne later passed his USBGA total.
The first PGA National Four-Ball Championship ended on this date at PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, with Gay Brewer and Butch Baird winning by three with a 259 total. Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus, who would come to dominate this event, tied for seventh, seven strokes back. And on this date in 2009, Tiger Woods announced that the extramarital affairs he’d had that had caused a Thanksgiving-time fallout with his wife Elin was forcing him to take an indefinite leave from professional golf to focus on his marriage. Woods said, "I need to focus my attention on being a better husband, father and person." Woods and his wife had been married five years and at the time had a 2-year-old daughter and a 10-month-old son.
On this date in 1954, Arnold Palmer’s debut on the PGA Tour ended with a missed cut. Palmer had turned pro in November 1954, and the Miami Open in Miami Springs was his tour debut, but he missed the cut with rounds of 78-74—152, played on December 9 and 10. And one of the obscure runners-up to Jack Nicklaus in a major was born on this date in 1950. A couple of the memorable images from Nicklaus’ 1978 Open Championship victory was the site, St. Andrews; Nicklaus’ argyle sweaters, and New Zealander Simon Owen, who turns 74 years old today. His second place at the Old Course in 1978 was his best finish in a major.
On this date in 1984, Australian great Peter Thomson won the PGA Seniors' Championship at PGA National Golf Club’s Champion Course in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. He won by three strokes over Don January. The defending champion Arnold Palmer tied for 11th. And on this date in 1926, it is usually recognized as the date the U.S. Golf Association legalized the use of steel in golf club shafts. Hickory was the primary shaft material for many years leading up to the use of steel. Once steel became the common shaft, aluminum, graphite and other hi-tech materials expanded the shaft market.
On this date in 1985, siblings Laurie Rinker and Larry Rinker won the JCPenney Golf Classic at Bardmoor Country Club in Largo, Florida, at 21 under par. And on this date in 1976, Arnold Palmer was the guest speaker at the 24th World Cup in California, getting a standing ovation as he walked to the podium.
Luke Donald and Billy Horschel share a birthday on this date. Donald was born in 1977 in England; he attended Northwestern in Illinois. He was No. 1 in the World at one point but lately made his mark as the European Ryder Cup team leader. Horschel was born in 1986 and has eight PGA Tour wins, the latest the 2024 Corales Puntacana Ch. Also, the 12th PGA Championship ended on this date at Hillcrest Country Club in 1929 with defending champion Leo Diegel defeating Johnny Farrell, 6 & 4, in the final.
On this date in 1981, the 43rd Senior PGA Ch. ended at Turnberry Isle’s South Course, with defending champion Arnold Palmer finishing second to Miller Barber by two strokes. Arnie was always in Barber’s rear-view mirror in this oldest of the senior majors. Palmer trailed by five with a round to go and got within two at the end when his 70 bettered Barber’s 73, but he still finished solo runner-up. Barber was using veteran caddie Angelo Argea for the week after he had split with Jack Nicklaus. On this date in 1987, Jane Crafter and Steve Jones won the JCPenney Golf Classic at Bardmoor Country Club in Largo, Florida, with a score of 20 under par, two ahead of Debbie Massey and Mark McCumber.
World Golf Hall of Famer Lanny Wadkins was born on this date in 1949 in Richmond, Virginia. Wadkins, who won the 1977 PGA, does TV commentary for Golf Channel. Wadkins wonthe PGA in the first sudden-death playoff in championship history, beating Gene Littler at Pebble Beach.
On this date in 1988, Amy Benz and John Huston won the JCPenney Golf Classic at Bardmoor Golf Club in Largo, Florida. They shot 21 under par to beat Martha Nause and Larry Mize by two shots. Also, one of those golfers who nearly did something memorable in a major was born on this date in 1956 in Bergamo, Italy. Costantino Rocca, who was the runner-up in the 1995 Open Championship, losing in a playoff to John Daly at St. Andrews, was born on this date.
On this date in 1972, Jack Nicklaus won the Walt Disney World Open at Lake Buena Vista, Florida, the final tour event of the season. The $30,000 first-place money made him the first PGA Tour player to earn $300,000 for a season. Nicklaus, 32, was in his 11th tour season. He shot 68-68-67-6—267 and finished the year with $320,542.26.
On this date in 1937, Jock Hutchison won the inaugural Senior PGA Championship held at the nearly new Augusta National Golf Club. Hutchison won by eight shots over George Gordon. Also, a member of one of pro golf’s notable families was born on this date in 1953 when Jay Haas was born in St. Louis. The winner of two senior tour majors, Haas is the nephew to 1968 Masters winner Bob Goalby, brother to Wake Forest coach and former tour player Jerry Haas, and father to tour player Bill Haas.
On this date in 1973, Jack Nicklaus finished at 13-under-par 275 to win by one stroke over Mason Rudolph at the Walt Disney World Open. The $30,000 first-place money made him the first tour player to earn more than $2 million in PGA Tour career earnings. Also, one of the most talented shotmakers in golf history, Lee Trevino, was born on this date in 1939 in Dallas, Texas. Trevino won a pair of three majors each: U.S. Open, Open Championship and PGA and won 29 PGA Tour events in all.
On this date in 1969, Arnold Palmer won the first Heritage Golf Classic, with four rounds of 68-71-70-74—283, and a first-place prize of $20,000. He won by three shots. The Heritage has long since been played in the spring, but it first was held in the fall.
On this day in 1971, the first pro golf event at Walt Disney World resort in Florida began. It was Monday of the first tournament week. The Orlando Sentinel ran a story with the headline “Snead In Disney Field; Qualifying Today;” the story read: Slamming Sammy Snead today joined the field of golfing greats scheduled to participate in the Walt Disney World Open Thursday through Sunday. Snead joins a 150-player field which includes Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino, Jack Nicklaus and Charles Coody….Tournament preliminaries begin today with qualifying rounds for non-exempt players and practice for the exempt….The schedule calls for a pro-am Wednesday. Also, Payne Stewart won the 1992 Skins Game on this date with $220,000. He beat Greg Norman, Fred Couples and Tom Kite at Bighorn Golf Club in Palm Desert, California.
One of the gentlemen golfers of yesteryear, Henry Picard, was born on this date in 1906 in Plymouth, Massachusetts. Picard, who was not as accomplished as the most distinguished of players, “Lord” Byron Nelson, was good enough to be elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame and won two majors, the 1938 Masters and 1939 PGA. And on this date in 1993, the Skins Game concluded at Bighorn Golf club in Palm Desert, California. The match had been billed as The King versus The Kids. Payne Stewart was a two-time defending champion trying for a three-peat when he squared off with Fred Couples, Paul Azinger and Arnold Palmer, who was making his first appearance since 1987 as a sub for John Daly, who had been suspended by the PGA Tour. At 64, it was asking a lot of Palmer to get his share of skins against a solid youthful trio, and unfortunately that’s how it played out. Stewart won the event when he made a birdie for three skins at the 16th that put him out of reach: Stewart 9 skins, $280,000; Couples 9 skins, $260,000; Azinger 0 skins, $0, Palmer, 0 skins, $0.