1969 PGA Tour
The 1969 PGA Tour was the 54th season of the PGA Tour, the main professional golf tour in the United States. It was also the first season since separating from the PGA of America.
| Duration | January 9, 1969 – December 7, 1969 |
|---|---|
| Number of official events | 49 |
| Most wins | Billy Casper (3) Raymond Floyd (3) Dave Hill (3) Jack Nicklaus (3) |
| Money list | Frank Beard |
| PGA Player of the Year | Orville Moody |
← 1968 1970 → | |
PGA of America separation
The 1969 season is generally regarded as the first season of an independent PGA Tour.[1] The tour began to break off from the PGA of America in August 1968. The players formed a Tournament Players Division within the PGA of America, "a freestanding corporation run by a 10-member tournament policy board of four players, three PGA executives and three consulting businessmen."[2]
Schedule
The following table lists official events during the 1969 season.[3]
Unofficial events
The following events were sanctioned by the PGA Tour, but did not carry official money, nor were wins official.
| Date | Tournament | Location | Purse ($) |
Winner(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 20 | Ryder Cup | England | n/a | Tie ( Team USA retain) | Team event |
| Oct 5 | World Cup | Singapore | 6,300 | Orville Moody and Lee Trevino |
Team event |
| World Cup Individual Trophy | Lee Trevino |
Money list
The money list was based on prize money won during the season, calculated in U.S. dollars.[4]
| Position | Player | Prize money ($) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Frank Beard | 175,223 |
| 2 | Dave Hill | 156,432 |
| 3 | Jack Nicklaus | 140,167 |
| 4 | Gary Player | 123,897 |
| 5 | Bruce Crampton | 118,955 |
| 6 | Gene Littler | 112,737 |
| 7 | Lee Trevino | 112,417 |
| 8 | Raymond Floyd | 109,956 |
| 9 | Arnold Palmer | 105,128 |
| 10 | Billy Casper | 104,689 |
Awards
| Award | Winner | Ref. |
|---|---|---|
| PGA Player of the Year | Orville Moody | [5] |
| Scoring leader (Vardon Trophy) | Dave Hill | [6] |
Notes
- The number in parentheses after each winner's name is the number of PGA Tour events they had won up to and including that tournament. This information is only shown for PGA Tour members.
- Official money; unofficial win.
- Unofficial money event at the time, but retrospectively counted as an official win.
References
- "Pro golf struggle is settled; PGA forms tourney group". Milwaukee Journal. December 14, 1968. p. 18. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
- Gorant, Jim (August 8, 2018). "War for the Tour: The day the PGA Championship nearly died". Golf Magazine. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
- "1969 winners sorted by age". PGA Tour. July 9, 2008. Archived from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
- "Beard top PGA money man". The Honolulu Advertiser. Honolulu, Hawaii. December 10, 1969. p. 32 (C-4 in paper). Retrieved November 9, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Golfer of the year". The Southeast Missourian. Cape Girardeau, Missouri. Associated Press. November 19, 1969. p. 13. Retrieved March 20, 2013 – via Google News Archive.
- "DePaula Indicted In Ring Probe | Other Sports". The Miami Herald. Miami, Florida. December 17, 1969. p. 72 (4-D in paper). Retrieved November 9, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.