PGA CHAMPIONSHIP ’22: Capsule look at Southern Hills majors

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This article was published 16/05/2022 (1596 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

TULSA, Okla. (AP) — A capsule look at major championships held at Southern Hills, site of the PGA Championship being played Thursday-Sunday:

1958 U.S. OPEN

Winner: Tommy Bolt

Score: 283

Runner-up: Gary Player

Margin of victory: Four shots

Summary: Tommy Bolt won his only major by handling the stifling temperatures and a young South African who was on the verge of greatness. Bolt, an Oklahoma native, had only one score under par, a 69 in the third round, and he closed with a 72 for a wire-to-wire victory. Gary Player would win the first of his nine majors the following year. Some of the bigger stars struggled. Sam Snead missed the cut for the first time in a U.S. Open, while Ben Hogan injured his left wrist during practice and tied for 10th.

1970 PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

Winner: Dave Stockton

Score: 279

Runners-up: Arnold Palmer, Bob Murphy

Margin of victory: Two shots

Summary: Dave Stockton pulled away with a 4-under 66 in the third round to build a three-shot lead over Raymond Floyd, the defending champion. But he had to hold off crowd favorite Arnold Palmer and Bob Murphy. Stockton was two shots ahead when he hit his approach into a pond at No. 13, but he hit wedge to tap-in range to escape with bogey and hold his lead. He closed with a 73. Palmer shot 70 and was a runner-up for the third time. It turned out to be his last top-10 finish in the PGA Championship, the only major he never won.

1977 U.S. OPEN

Winner: Hubert Green

Score: 278

Runner-up: Lou Graham

Margin of victory: One shot

Summary: This might have been the most courageous final round by a major champion. Hubert Green, who went wire-to-wire for his first major, received a death threat in the final round. Notified of the threat and given various options, he decided to finish the round. He hit wedge to 2 feet for birdie on the 16th to build a two-shot lead. Green went from the rough to the bunker on the 18th hole, then had to hole a 3-foot bogey putt for the victory. He closed with an even-par 70.

1982 PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

Winner: Raymond Floyd

Score: 272

Runner-up: Lanny Wadkins

Margin of victory: Four shots

Summary: Southern Hills yielded yet another wire-to-wire, and Raymond Floyd turned this one into a snoozer. He opened with a 63 to tie the major championship record for lowest score, then set records at the time for lowest 36-hole score (132) and 54-hole score (200). Floyd had a five-shot lead going into the final round over Jay Haas and a young Australian making his PGA debut, Greg Norman. Floyd closed with his only round over par (72) for a three-shot victory over Lanny Wadkins.

1994 PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

Winner: Nick Price

Score: 269

Runner-up: Corey Pavin

Margin of victory: Six shots

Summary: Nick Price was the dominant player in golf and looked the part, opening with a 67 to tie Colin Montgomerie and pulling away with a 65 in the second round. He was challenged briefly in the final round by an All-Star cast of challengers that included Greg Norman, Nick Faldo, Phil Mickelson and Corey Pavin. Price closed with a 67 to win by six. Arnold Palmer missed the cut with rounds of 79-74, his final appearance in the PGA Championship after a record 37 consecutive starts.

2001 U.S. OPEN

Winner: Retief Goosen

Score: 276

Runner-up: Mark Brooks

Margin of victory: Playoff (70-72)

Summary: Retief Goosen introduced his unflappable personality to the golf world — first after blowing the U.S. Open with a three-putt, then winning the 18-hole playoff the next day. Goosen hit 6-iron to 12 feet on the final hole. He ran his first putt 2 feet by the hole, then missed badly to the right. He had to make a 3-footer for a 71 to get into the playoff with Mark Brooks. Stewart Cink was tied for the lead playing the final hole until missing the green long, chipping to 15 feet and missing his par putt. Trying to get out of Goosen’s way, Cink missed the 18-inch bogey putt and wound up one shot out of the playoff. Goosen easily won the 18-hole playoff behind a four-shot swing in two holes, making birdies on the ninth and 10th while Brooks took bogeys. Tiger Woods tied for 12th, ending his run of winning four straight majors.

2007 PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

Winner: Tiger Woods

Score: 272

Runner-up: Woody Austin

Margin of victory: Two shots.

Summary: Tiger Woods had a 15-foot birdie putt for a record 62 in the second round, only for the ball to spin around the cup and leave him his best score in a major. He also had a two-shot lead and was on his way to another back-to-back title in the PGA Championship. He led by three going into the final round and staved off a late charge by Woody Austin with a 10-foot birdie putt on the 15th hole. Woods captured his 13th major at age 31; Jack Nicklaus was 35 when he won his 13th major. At the time, Woods had more majors than the rest of the top 10 in the world combined.

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