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1978 PGA Championship

January 01, 1970

The 1978 PGA Championship was the 60th PGA Championship, played August 3–6 at Oakmont Country Club in Oakmont, Pennsylvania, a suburb northeast of Pittsburgh. John Mahaffey won his only major championship in a sudden-death playoff over Jerry Pate and Tom Watson.[3][4]

1978 PGA Championship
Tournament information
DatesAugust 3–6, 1978
LocationOakmont, Pennsylvania
40°31′34″N 79°49′37″W / 40.526°N 79.827°W / 40.526; -79.827
Course(s)Oakmont Country Club
Organized byPGA of America
Tour(s)PGA Tour
Statistics
Par71
Length6,989 yards (6,391 m)[1][2]
Field149 players, 70 after cut[2]
Cut148 (+6)
Prize fund$300,240
Winner's share$50,000
Champion
John Mahaffey
276 (−8), playoff
Location map
Oakmont
Location in the United States
Oakmont
Location in Pennsylvania
← 1977
1979 →

Watson led the tournament each day and held a five-shot lead after 54 holes, but he faltered on Sunday with a 73 (+2) in his best opportunity for a PGA Championship, the only major he has never won. Pate had a four-foot (1.3 m) putt for a par and the victory on the 72nd hole, but it lipped out. After opening with a four-over 75 on Thursday, Mahaffey rebounded to go 12-under for the next three rounds, including a five-under 66 in the final round to gain the seven strokes on Watson. He had a history of hard luck in majors: at the U.S. Open, he lost the 18-hole playoff in 1975 and was the 54-hole leader in 1976, won by tour rookie Pate. Mahaffey broke that streak when he birdied the second extra hole to win the playoff at Oakmont.[5] It was the second of three consecutive playoffs at the PGA Championship.

Like Arnold Palmer, Watson won numerous majors but never the PGA Championship, the only leg missing for a career grand slam. At this time he had won three of his eight majors; his next best finish at the PGA Championship came fifteen years later in 1993, placing fifth at Inverness. Pate finished in the top five for the third straight year (and would again the next year) but never won another major.

Jack Nicklaus, age 38, shot a 79 in the first round[6][7] and missed the cut by five strokes in one of his worst performances in a major. It was his only missed cut in a major the entire 1970s decade. Four-time champion Nicklaus was a pre-tournament favorite: in his previous majors at Oakmont (two U.S. Opens), he won in 1962, his first major and first win as a professional, and tied for fourth in the 1973. At the previous year's PGA Championship at Pebble Beach, he finished third, one stroke out of the playoff.

This was the eighth major held at Oakmont and its third PGA Championship; the previous two in 1922 and 1951 were match play events.

Course layout edit

Main article: Oakmont Country Club
Hole 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Out 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 In Total
Yards 469 343 425 561 379 201 434 255 480 3,547 462 371 603 185 360 453 230 322 456 3,442 6,989
Par 4 4 4 5 4 3 4 3 5 36 4 4 5 3 4 4 3 4 4 35 71

Lengths of the course for previous major championships:

Before 1962, the 1st hole was played as a par 5.

Round summaries edit

First round edit

Thursday, August 3, 1978

Second round edit

Friday, August 4, 1978

Place Player Score To par
1   Tom Watson 67-69=136 −6
T2   Tom Weiskopf 73-67=140 −2
  Joe Inman 72-68=140
  Ben Crenshaw 69-71=140
5   Johnny Miller 69-72=141 −1
T6   John Mahaffey 75-67=142 E
  Bobby Nichols 75-67=142
  Bob Zender 73-69=142
  Jerry Pate 72-70=142
  Tom Purtzer 72-70=142
  Hubert Green 71-71=142
  Lee Trevino 69-73=142

Source:[1]

Third round edit

Saturday, August 5, 1978

Place Player Score To par
1   Tom Watson 67-69-67=203 −10
2   Jerry Pate 72-70-66=208 −5
T3   Joe Inman 72-68-69=209 −4
  Tom Weiskopf 73-67-69=209
5   John Mahaffey 75-67-68=210 −3
6   Craig Stadler 70-74-67=211 −2
7   Lee Trevino 69-73-70=212 −1
T8   Gil Morgan 76-71-66=213 E
  Kermit Zarley 75-71-67=213
  Phil Hancock 70-73-70=213
  Johnny Miller 69-72-72=213

Source:[8]

Final round edit

Sunday, August 6, 1978

Place Player Score To par Money ($)
T1   John Mahaffey 75-67-68-66=276 −8 Playoff
  Jerry Pate 72-70-66-68=276
  Tom Watson 67-69-67-73=276
T4   Gil Morgan 76-71-66-67=280 −4 14,500
  Tom Weiskopf 73-67-69-71=280
6   Craig Stadler 70-74-67-71=282 -2 10,000
T7   Andy Bean 72-72-70-70=284 E 8,000
  Graham Marsh 72-74-68-70=284
  Lee Trevino 69-73-70-72=284
10   Fuzzy Zoeller 75-69-73-68=285 +1 6,500

Source:[9][3]

Playoff edit

The sudden death playoff began on the front nine at hole #1, a par-4 which all three parred.
After Watson and Pate could not birdie hole #2, Mahaffey sunk a 12-foot (3.7 m) birdie putt to win the title.[4]

Place Player Score To par Money ($)
1   John Mahaffey 4-3 −1 50,000
T2   Jerry Pate 4-x E 25,000
  Tom Watson 4-x

References edit

  1. ^ a b "Watson leads a PGA without Jack by four". Eugene Register-Guard. Oregon. wire services. August 5, 1978. p. 1B.
  2. ^ a b . PGA.com. Archived from the original on November 30, 2012. Retrieved May 31, 2013.
  3. ^ a b "Mahaffey healthy, wealthy and alive again". Eugene Register-Guard. Oregon. wire services. August 7, 1978. p. B1.
  4. ^ a b Parascenzo, Marino (August 7, 1978). "Mahaffey wins PGA in 3-way playoff". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 11.
  5. ^ Jenkins, Dan (August 14, 1978). "Jumping for joy". Sports Illustrated. p. 16.
  6. ^ "Nicklaus scuffles around in 79 in the PGA". Eugene Register-Guard. Oregon. Associated Press. August 4, 1978. p. 1D.
  7. ^ Axelrod, Phil (August 4, 1978). "Dame Oakmont plays Jack". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 11.
  8. ^ "Watson has all but wrapped up the PGA". Eugene Register-Guard. Oregon. UPI. August 6, 1978. p. B1.
  9. ^ "1978 PGA Championship". databasegolf.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.

External links edit

  • PGA.com – 1978 PGA Championship

January 01, 1970
1978, championship, 60th, championship, played, august, oakmont, country, club, oakmont, pennsylvania, suburb, northeast, pittsburgh, john, mahaffey, only, major, championship, sudden, death, playoff, over, jerry, pate, watson, tournament, informationdatesaugu. The 1978 PGA Championship was the 60th PGA Championship played August 3 6 at Oakmont Country Club in Oakmont Pennsylvania a suburb northeast of Pittsburgh John Mahaffey won his only major championship in a sudden death playoff over Jerry Pate and Tom Watson 3 4 1978 PGA ChampionshipTournament informationDatesAugust 3 6 1978LocationOakmont Pennsylvania40 31 34 N 79 49 37 W 40 526 N 79 827 W 40 526 79 827Course s Oakmont Country ClubOrganized byPGA of AmericaTour s PGA TourStatisticsPar71Length6 989 yards 6 391 m 1 2 Field149 players 70 after cut 2 Cut148 6 Prize fund 300 240Winner s share 50 000ChampionJohn Mahaffey276 8 playoffLocation mapOakmontLocation in the United StatesShow map of the United StatesOakmontLocation in PennsylvaniaShow map of Pennsylvania 19771979 Watson led the tournament each day and held a five shot lead after 54 holes but he faltered on Sunday with a 73 2 in his best opportunity for a PGA Championship the only major he has never won Pate had a four foot 1 3 m putt for a par and the victory on the 72nd hole but it lipped out After opening with a four over 75 on Thursday Mahaffey rebounded to go 12 under for the next three rounds including a five under 66 in the final round to gain the seven strokes on Watson He had a history of hard luck in majors at the U S Open he lost the 18 hole playoff in 1975 and was the 54 hole leader in 1976 won by tour rookie Pate Mahaffey broke that streak when he birdied the second extra hole to win the playoff at Oakmont 5 It was the second of three consecutive playoffs at the PGA Championship Like Arnold Palmer Watson won numerous majors but never the PGA Championship the only leg missing for a career grand slam At this time he had won three of his eight majors his next best finish at the PGA Championship came fifteen years later in 1993 placing fifth at Inverness Pate finished in the top five for the third straight year and would again the next year but never won another major Jack Nicklaus age 38 shot a 79 in the first round 6 7 and missed the cut by five strokes in one of his worst performances in a major It was his only missed cut in a major the entire 1970s decade Four time champion Nicklaus was a pre tournament favorite in his previous majors at Oakmont two U S Opens he won in 1962 his first major and first win as a professional and tied for fourth in the 1973 At the previous year s PGA Championship at Pebble Beach he finished third one stroke out of the playoff This was the eighth major held at Oakmont and its third PGA Championship the previous two in 1922 and 1951 were match play events Contents 1 Course layout 2 Round summaries 2 1 First round 2 2 Second round 2 3 Third round 2 4 Final round 2 5 Playoff 3 References 4 External linksCourse layout editMain article Oakmont Country Club Hole 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Out 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 In Total Yards 469 343 425 561 379 201 434 255 480 3 547 462 371 603 185 360 453 230 322 456 3 442 6 989 Par 4 4 4 5 4 3 4 3 5 36 4 4 5 3 4 4 3 4 4 35 71 Lengths of the course for previous major championships 6 921 yards 6 329 m par 71 1973 U S Open 6 894 yards 6 304 m par 71 1962 U S Open 6 916 yards 6 324 m par 72 1953 U S Open 6 882 yards 6 293 m par 72 1951 PGA Championship 6 981 yards 6 383 m par 72 1935 U S Open 6 965 yards 6 369 m par 72 1927 U S Open 6 707 yards 6 133 m par 74 1922 PGA Championship Before 1962 the 1st hole was played as a par 5 Round summaries editFirst round edit Thursday August 3 1978 Place Player Score To par 1 nbsp Tom Watson 67 4 2 nbsp Dave Stockton 68 3 T3 nbsp Dave Hill 69 2 nbsp Ben Crenshaw nbsp Johnny Miller nbsp Lee Trevino T7 nbsp Grier Jones 70 1 nbsp Phil Hancock nbsp Lanny Wadkins nbsp Mike Sullivan nbsp Mike Morley nbsp Billy Kratzert nbsp Jerry McGee nbsp Rod Funseth nbsp Craig Stadler Second round edit Friday August 4 1978 Place Player Score To par 1 nbsp Tom Watson 67 69 136 6 T2 nbsp Tom Weiskopf 73 67 140 2 nbsp Joe Inman 72 68 140 nbsp Ben Crenshaw 69 71 140 5 nbsp Johnny Miller 69 72 141 1 T6 nbsp John Mahaffey 75 67 142 E nbsp Bobby Nichols 75 67 142 nbsp Bob Zender 73 69 142 nbsp Jerry Pate 72 70 142 nbsp Tom Purtzer 72 70 142 nbsp Hubert Green 71 71 142 nbsp Lee Trevino 69 73 142 Source 1 Third round edit Saturday August 5 1978 Place Player Score To par 1 nbsp Tom Watson 67 69 67 203 10 2 nbsp Jerry Pate 72 70 66 208 5 T3 nbsp Joe Inman 72 68 69 209 4 nbsp Tom Weiskopf 73 67 69 209 5 nbsp John Mahaffey 75 67 68 210 3 6 nbsp Craig Stadler 70 74 67 211 2 7 nbsp Lee Trevino 69 73 70 212 1 T8 nbsp Gil Morgan 76 71 66 213 E nbsp Kermit Zarley 75 71 67 213 nbsp Phil Hancock 70 73 70 213 nbsp Johnny Miller 69 72 72 213 Source 8 Final round edit Sunday August 6 1978 Place Player Score To par Money T1 nbsp John Mahaffey 75 67 68 66 276 8 Playoff nbsp Jerry Pate 72 70 66 68 276 nbsp Tom Watson 67 69 67 73 276 T4 nbsp Gil Morgan 76 71 66 67 280 4 14 500 nbsp Tom Weiskopf 73 67 69 71 280 6 nbsp Craig Stadler 70 74 67 71 282 2 10 000 T7 nbsp Andy Bean 72 72 70 70 284 E 8 000 nbsp Graham Marsh 72 74 68 70 284 nbsp Lee Trevino 69 73 70 72 284 10 nbsp Fuzzy Zoeller 75 69 73 68 285 1 6 500 Source 9 3 Playoff edit The sudden death playoff began on the front nine at hole 1 a par 4 which all three parred After Watson and Pate could not birdie hole 2 Mahaffey sunk a 12 foot 3 7 m birdie putt to win the title 4 Place Player Score To par Money 1 nbsp John Mahaffey 4 3 1 50 000 T2 nbsp Jerry Pate 4 x E 25 000 nbsp Tom Watson 4 xReferences edit a b Watson leads a PGA without Jack by four Eugene Register Guard Oregon wire services August 5 1978 p 1B a b Tournament Info for 1978 PGA Championship PGA com Archived from the original on November 30 2012 Retrieved May 31 2013 a b Mahaffey healthy wealthy and alive again Eugene Register Guard Oregon wire services August 7 1978 p B1 a b Parascenzo Marino August 7 1978 Mahaffey wins PGA in 3 way playoff Pittsburgh Post Gazette p 11 Jenkins Dan August 14 1978 Jumping for joy Sports Illustrated p 16 Nicklaus scuffles around in 79 in the PGA Eugene Register Guard Oregon Associated Press August 4 1978 p 1D Axelrod Phil August 4 1978 Dame Oakmont plays Jack Pittsburgh Post Gazette p 11 Watson has all but wrapped up the PGA Eugene Register Guard Oregon UPI August 6 1978 p B1 1978 PGA Championship databasegolf com Retrieved July 1 2012 External links editPGA com 1978 PGA Championship Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title 1978 PGA Championship amp oldid 1222833198, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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