1966 PGA Championship

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]

1966 PGA Championship
Tournament information
DatesJuly 21–24, 1966
LocationAkron, Ohio
Course(s)Firestone Country Club
South Course
Organized byPGA of America
Tour(s)PGA Tour
Statistics
Par70
Length7,180 yards (6,565 m)
Field162 players, 77 after cut
Cut151 (+11)
Prize fund$149,360[1]
Winner's share$25,000
Champion
Al Geiberger
280 (Even)
Firestone CC
Location in the United States
Firestone CC
Location in Ohio

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
Hole123456789Out101112131415161718InTotal
Yards4005004504652304652254504653,6504053651804604102306253904653,5307,180
Par454434344354434435443570

Round summaries

First round

Thursday, July 21, 1966

PlacePlayerScoreTo par
T1 Al Geiberger68−2
Sam Snead
T3 Julius Boros69−1
Don January
Doug Sanders
6 Jacky Cupit70E
T7 Tommy Aaron71+1
Larry Beck
Jim Ferrier
 United States
Jack Fleck
Walker Inman

Source:[7]

Second round

Friday, July 22, 1966

PlacePlayerScoreTo par
1 Sam Snead68-71=139−1
T2 Al Geiberger68-72=140E
Don January69-71=140
4 Julius Boros69-72=141+1
T5 Tommy Aaron71-72=143+3
Jacky Cupit70-73=143
Billy Farrell73-70=143
Gary Player73-70=143
Doug Sanders69-74=143
10 Dow Finsterwald74-70=144+4

Source:[8]

Third round

Saturday, July 23, 1966

PlacePlayerScoreTo par
1 Al Geiberger68-72-68=208−2
2 Dudley Wysong74-72-66=212+2
T3 Don January69-71-73=213+3
Gary Player73-70-70=213
T5 Frank Beard73-72-69=214+4
Billy Farrell73-70-71=214
Sam Snead68-71-75=214
T8 Julius Boros69-72-75=216+6
Billy Casper73-73-70=216
Jacky Cupit70-73-73=216

Source:[9]

Final round

Sunday, July 24, 1966

PlacePlayerScoreTo parMoney ($)
1 Al Geiberger68-72-68-72=280E25,000
2 Dudley Wysong74-72-66-72=284+415,000
T3 Billy Casper73-73-70-70=286+68,334
Gene Littler75-71-71-69=286
Gary Player73-70-70-73=286
T6 Julius Boros69-72-75-71=287+75,000
Jacky Cupit70-73-73-71=287
Arnold Palmer75-73-71-68=287
Doug Sanders69-74-73-71=287
Sam Snead68-71-75-73=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
  1. "Tournament Info for: 1966 PGA Championship". PGA.com. Archived from the original on October 23, 2006. Retrieved December 31, 2012.
  2. Jenkins, Dan (August 1, 1966). "A happy stroll for golf's smiling Gei". Sports Illustrated. p. 16.
  3. Mooshil, Joe (July 25, 1966). "Geiberger's par-matching 280 captures PGA title at Akron Firestone". Youngstown Vindicator. Ohio. Associated Press. p. 20.
  4. "Geiberger grabs lead from Sam". Eugene Register-Guard. Oregon. Associated Press. July 24, 1966. p. 1B.
  5. "Lema's death shocks golf world, we were like brothers, says Ken". Eugene Register-Guard. Oregon. wire services. July 25, 1966. p. 2B.
  6. Wright, Alfred (July 31, 1967). "Two Dons in quest of a title". Sports Illustrated. p. 18.
  7. "Snead, Geiberger lead PGA with 68s". Milwaukee Sentinel. Associated Press. July 22, 1966. p. 2, part 2.
  8. "Swinging, not slamming Sammy holds PGA lead". Eugene Register-Guard. Oregon. Associated Press. July 23, 1966. p. 1B.
  9. "Geiberger grabs lead from Sam". Eugene Register-Guard. Oregon. Associated Press. July 24, 1966. p. 1B.
  10. "Lema plane crash probed". Milwaukee Sentinel. UPI. July 26, 1966. p. 2, part 2.
  11. "Lema crash probed by aviation group". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. July 26, 1966. p. 19.
  12. Fimrite, Ron (July 31, 1995). "The Toast Of Golf". Sports Illustrated: G14.
  13. "Muncie, Ind., crash probed". Eugene Register-Guard. wire reports. July 26, 1966. p. 3B.

41.008°N 81.508°W / 41.008; -81.508

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