1966 PGA Championship
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Dates | July 21–24, 1966 |
| Location | Akron, Ohio |
| Course(s) | Firestone Country Club South Course |
| Organized by | PGA of America |
| Tour(s) | PGA Tour |
| Statistics | |
| Par | 70 |
| Length | 7,180 yards (6,565 m) |
| Field | 162 players, 77 after cut |
| Cut | 151 (+11) |
| Prize fund | $149,360[1] |
| Winner's share | $25,000 |
| Champion | |
 Al Geiberger | |
| 280 (Even) | |
The 1966 PGA Championship was the 48th PGA Championship, played July 21–24 at the South Course of Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio. Al Geiberger won his only major championship, four strokes ahead of runner-up Dudley Wysong.[2][3]
Sam Snead, age 54, was co-leader and leader after the first two days, but shot 75 in the third round on Saturday. Geiberger carded a two-under 68 to lead by four strokes over Wysong, who shot a 66.[4] Both shot two-over 72 on Sunday as both bogeyed the first two holes. The lead shrunk to two as Wysong birdied the third while Geiberger bogeyed the fourth, but then birdied the fifth and ninth holes to regain the four-stroke advantage.[5]
The 1966 championship was originally scheduled to be held at Columbine Country Club in Columbine Valley, Colorado, a suburb south of Denver. A flash flood of the adjacent South Platte River in June 1965 caused significant damage to the course and forced a postponement. Firestone was scheduled to host in 1967, so the venues swapped years.[6]
This was the second of three PGA Championships at the South Course, which previously hosted in 1960 and later in 1975. It is the current venue for the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, which began in 1976 as the "World Series of Golf" on the PGA Tour, preceded by the American Golf Classic, which debuted in 1961.
Course layout
| Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Out | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | In | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yards | 400 | 500 | 450 | 465 | 230 | 465 | 225 | 450 | 465 | 3,650 | 405 | 365 | 180 | 460 | 410 | 230 | 625 | 390 | 465 | 3,530 | 7,180 |
| Par | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 35 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 35 | 70 |
Round summaries
First round
Thursday, July 21, 1966
| Place | Player | Score | To par |
|---|---|---|---|
| T1 | Al Geiberger |
68 | −2 |
| Sam Snead
| |||
| T3 | Julius Boros |
69 | −1 |
| Don January
| |||
| Doug Sanders
| |||
| 6 | Jacky Cupit |
70 | E |
| T7 | Tommy Aaron |
71 | +1 |
| Larry Beck
| |||
 Jim Ferrier United States
| |||
| Jack Fleck
| |||
| Walker Inman
|
Source:[7]
Second round
Friday, July 22, 1966
| Place | Player | Score | To par |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sam Snead |
68-71=139 | −1 |
| T2 | Al Geiberger |
68-72=140 | E |
| Don January |
69-71=140 | ||
| 4 | Julius Boros |
69-72=141 | +1 |
| T5 | Tommy Aaron |
71-72=143 | +3 |
| Jacky Cupit |
70-73=143 | ||
| Billy Farrell |
73-70=143 | ||
 Gary Player |
73-70=143 | ||
| Doug Sanders |
69-74=143 | ||
| 10 | Dow Finsterwald |
74-70=144 | +4 |
Source:[8]
Third round
Saturday, July 23, 1966
| Place | Player | Score | To par |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Al Geiberger |
68-72-68=208 | −2 |
| 2 | Dudley Wysong |
74-72-66=212 | +2 |
| T3 | Don January |
69-71-73=213 | +3 |
| Gary Player |
73-70-70=213 | ||
| T5 | Frank Beard |
73-72-69=214 | +4 |
| Billy Farrell |
73-70-71=214 | ||
| Sam Snead |
68-71-75=214 | ||
| T8 | Julius Boros |
69-72-75=216 | +6 |
| Billy Casper |
73-73-70=216 | ||
| Jacky Cupit |
70-73-73=216 |
Source:[9]
Final round
Sunday, July 24, 1966
| Place | Player | Score | To par | Money ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Al Geiberger |
68-72-68-72=280 | E | 25,000 |
| 2 | Dudley Wysong |
74-72-66-72=284 | +4 | 15,000 |
| T3 | Billy Casper |
73-73-70-70=286 | +6 | 8,334 |
| Gene Littler |
75-71-71-69=286 | |||
| Gary Player |
73-70-70-73=286 | |||
| T6 | Julius Boros |
69-72-75-71=287 | +7 | 5,000 |
| Jacky Cupit |
70-73-73-71=287 | |||
| Arnold Palmer |
75-73-71-68=287 | |||
| Doug Sanders |
69-74-73-71=287 | |||
| Sam Snead |
68-71-75-73=287 |
Source:[3]
Lema and wife killed
Hours after the championship's conclusion on Sunday, Tony Lema and his wife Betty were among four fatalities in a chartered private plane crash near the Indiana-Illinois border. Lema, age 32, had finished tied for 34th and was heading west to a Monday tournament in the Chicago area. Both pilots of the twin-engine Beechcraft Bonanza were also killed as they attempted an emergency landing on a golf course in Lansing, Illinois, near the destination airport.[10][11][12][13]
References
- ^ "Tournament Info for: 1966 PGA Championship". PGA.com. Archived from the original on October 23, 2006. Retrieved December 31, 2012.
- ^ Jenkins, Dan (August 1, 1966). "A happy stroll for golf's smiling Gei". Sports Illustrated. p. 16.
- ^ a b Mooshil, Joe (July 25, 1966). "Geiberger's par-matching 280 captures PGA title at Akron Firestone". Youngstown Vindicator. Ohio. Associated Press. p. 20.
- ^ "Geiberger grabs lead from Sam". Eugene Register-Guard. Oregon. Associated Press. July 24, 1966. p. 1B.
- ^ "Lema's death shocks golf world, we were like brothers, says Ken". Eugene Register-Guard. Oregon. wire services. July 25, 1966. p. 2B.
- ^ Wright, Alfred (July 31, 1967). "Two Dons in quest of a title". Sports Illustrated. p. 18.
- ^ "Snead, Geiberger lead PGA with 68s". Milwaukee Sentinel. Associated Press. July 22, 1966. p. 2, part 2.
- ^ "Swinging, not slamming Sammy holds PGA lead". Eugene Register-Guard. Oregon. Associated Press. July 23, 1966. p. 1B.
- ^ "Geiberger grabs lead from Sam". Eugene Register-Guard. Oregon. Associated Press. July 24, 1966. p. 1B.
- ^ "Lema plane crash probed". Milwaukee Sentinel. UPI. July 26, 1966. p. 2, part 2.
- ^ "Lema crash probed by aviation group". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. July 26, 1966. p. 19.
- ^ Fimrite, Ron (July 31, 1995). "The Toast Of Golf". Sports Illustrated: G14.
- ^ "Muncie, Ind., crash probed". Eugene Register-Guard. wire reports. July 26, 1966. p. 3B.
External links
- PGA Media Guide 2012
- GolfCompendium.com: – 1966 PGA Championship
- PGA.com – 1966 PGA Championship