Category: PGA Championship
The last of each summer's four majors, the PGA Championship is also generally considered the lesser of the four. Originally, a match play event, it switched to stroke play in 1958.
The Origin of the Modern Majors
When Bobby Jones had his unparalleled year in 1930, he won the four biggest tournaments of his day: The US Amateur, the US Open, the British Amateur and the British Open Championship. It was a shocking achievement that made Jones a sports hero on a par with Babe Ruth—greater even, for the Babe never got a ticker tape parade in New York.
People struggled for words to describe the event. Atlanta Journal sports writer O.B. Keeler, Jones’ unofficial biographer and publicist, dubbed it the “Grand Slam,” borrowing not from baseball, but from a bridge term.
It must be remembered that, at that time, tournament golf was as much an amateur’s game as a pro’s. Walter Hagen may have been the only man at the time making a full time living playing tournament golf (as opposed to working as a club pro) .
So in 1960, after having won the Masters and US Open, Arnold Palmer was asked about Jones’ achievement by Pittsburgh sports writer Bob Drum on the plane flight to England where Palmer was to play in the Open Championship. Drum apparently lamented the fact that Palmer could not match Jones’ achievement because golf now was a pro’s game and not an amateur’s. No one would ever win the Amateur and Open national championships again.
Palmer then speculated that in the age of the professional, a more realistic Grand Slam would be the Masters, the US Open, the Open Championship (British Open) and the PGA Championship.
Palmer lost on the Old Course by a single stroke to Australia’s Kel Nagle.
But the dream had been indelibly etched into the mind of the golfing public.
Tiger Wins. Ho Hum.
Els and Austin teased us for a while, but the end result was exactly as expected. Tiger won the PGA and the TV commentators had a Woodsgasm.
I hate to be petty, but I’m getting tired of Tiger Woods.
No Need To Watch The PGA On Sunday
There’s no need to watch the PGA Championship on Sunday. Tiger has won.
Go outside and enjoy the day.
Sergio Disqualified
The trials continue for the young Spainiard. He has been disqualified from the PGA for signing an incorrect scorecard.
Not his year.
PGA Produces Most One-Hit Wonders
USA Today has an interesting snapshot today:
Among golf’s major, the PGA Championship has produced the most one-hit wonders—champions who have won only one major in their career.
PGA Championship - 31
US Open - 23
British Open - 21
The Masters - 14
We can speculate that the Masters has the fewest because it’s the youngest. But by that logic, the British Open should have the most. It also could have something to to do with the fact that, from its inception in 1916 through 1957, the PGA Championship was a match play event. A single bad day eliminates you from match play, while in medal play, you still have a chance to recover.
