1962 PGA Championship

1962 PGA Championship
Tournament information
DatesJuly 19–22, 1962
LocationNewtown Square, Pennsylvania
Course(s)Aronimink Golf Club
Organized byPGA of America
Tour(s)PGA Tour
Statistics
Par70
Length7,045 yards (6,442 m)[1]
Field170 players,
91 after 1st cut
60 after 2nd cut
Cut151 (+11) (1st cut)
222 (+12) (2nd cut)
Prize fund$69,400[2]
Winner's share$13,000
Champion
Gary Player
278 (−2)
Aronomink 
Golf Club
Location in the United States
Aronomink GC 
Location in Pennsylvania

The 1962 PGA Championship was the 44th PGA Championship, played July 19–22 at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, a suburb west of Philadelphia. Gary Player won the first of his two PGA Championships, one stroke ahead of runner-up Bob Goalby,[1][3] for the third of his nine major titles and the third leg of his career grand slam.

The Open Championship was played the previous week in Troon, Scotland, the first of five times in the 1960s that these two majors were played in consecutive weeks in July. The PGA Championship moved permanently to August in 1969 (except 1971, when it was played in late February).

Player missed the 36-hole cut at Troon, the British Open was won by Arnold Palmer for the second straight year. Palmer had also won the Masters in April. Both the U.S. Open and PGA Championship were played in his home state of Pennsylvania in 1962, just five weeks apart. Palmer lost to 22-year-old Jack Nicklaus in an 18-hole playoff at the U.S. Open at Oakmont near Pittsburgh, then finished ten strokes back in a tie for 17th at Aronimink.[4]

Jack Nicklaus, age 22, shot a final round 67 to finish in a tie for third in his first PGA Championship.[5]

This championship was originally scheduled for Brentwood Country Club in Los Angeles,[6][7] the first in California since 1929. In November 1960, the PGA of America had voted to retain its "caucasian only" clause, and had gained the ire of California's attorney general Stanley Mosk, who threatened to shut down the PGA in the state until the clause was removed. In response, the championship for 1962 was moved from Los Angeles to Philadelphia. The PGA of America dropped the clause in November 1961 by amending its constitution.[6][7] The championship returned to California in 1977 at Pebble Beach, but was not played in southern California until 1983 at Riviera.

Round summaries

First round

Thursday, July 19, 1962

Place Player Score To par
1 John Barnum 66 −4
2 Chick Harbert 68 −2
T3 George Bayer 69 −1
Doug Ford
Bob Goalby
Frank Stranahan
T7 Leo Biagetti 70 E
Joe Campbell
Paul Harney
Dick Hart
Don January

Source:[8]

Second round

Friday, July 20, 1962

Place Player Score To par
1 Doug Ford 69-69=138 −2
T2 George Bayer 69-70=139 −1
Cary Middlecoff 73-66=139
Gary Player 72-67=139
T5 John Barnum 66-74=140 E
Bob McCallister 74-66=140
7 Bob Goalby 69-72=141 +1
T8 Julius Boros 73-69=142 +2
Jack Burke Jr. 73-69=142
Marty Furgol 71-71=142
Bobby Nichols 72-70=142
Frank Stranahan 69-73=142

Source:[9]

Third round

Saturday, July 21, 1962

Place Player Score To par
1 Gary Player 72-67-69=208 −2
T2 George Bayer 69-70-71=210 E
Bob McCallister 74-66-70=210
4 Doug Ford 69-69-73=211 +1
5 Bob Goalby 69-72-71=212 +2
T6 Jack Burke Jr. 73-69-71=213 +3
Dow Finsterwald 73-70-70=213
Jack Fleck 74-69-70=213
Chick Harbert 68-76-69=213
Cary Middlecoff 73-66-74=213
Bobby Nichols 72-70-71=213

Source:[10]

Final leaderboard

Sunday, July 22, 1962

Place Player Score To par Money ($)
1 Gary Player 72-67-69-70=278 −2 13,000
2 Bob Goalby 69-72-71-67=279 −1 6,700
T3 George Bayer 69-70-71-71=281 +1 3,450
Jack Nicklaus 71-74-69-67=281
5 Doug Ford 69-69-73-71=282 +2 2,900
6 Bobby Nichols 72-70-71-70=283 +3 2,500
T7 Jack Fleck 74-69-70-71=284 +4 2,067
Paul Harney 70-73-72-69=284
Dave Ragan 72-74-70-68=284
10 Jay Hebert 73-72-70-70=285 +5 1,750

References

  1. ^ a b "Player strokes way to win". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. July 23, 1962. p. 8.
  2. ^ "Tournament Info for: 1962 PGA Championship". PGA.com. Archived from the original on December 1, 2012. Retrieved December 31, 2012.
  3. ^ Gundelfinger, Phil (July 23, 1962). "Gary Player Wins PGA; Goalby 2nd". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 1.
  4. ^ Wright, Alfred (July 30, 1962). "The trouble with leading an army". Sports Illustrated. p. 16.
  5. ^ "Player, PGA champ, gives credit to Palmer". Reading Eagle. Pennsylvania. Associated Press. July 23, 1962. p. 14.
  6. ^ a b "PGA opens its doors to Negroes, world golfers". Florence Times. Alabama. Associated Press. November 10, 1961. p. 4, section 2.
  7. ^ a b "PGA group abolishes 'Caucasian'". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Florida. Associated Press. November 10, 1961. p. 22.
  8. ^ "Barnum's 66 leads PGA". Wilmington Morning Star. North Carolina. UPI. July 20, 1962. p. 12.
  9. ^ "Ford tops PGA tourney field". Wilmington Morning Star. North Carolina. UPI. July 21, 1962. p. 6.
  10. ^ Bartlett, Charles (July 22, 1962). "Player's 208 leads P.G.A. by 2 strokes". Chicago Sunday Tribune. p. 1, part 2.

40°00′40″N 75°24′32″W / 40.011°N 75.409°W / 40.011; -75.409