1972 PGA Championship
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Dates | August 3–6, 1972 |
| Location | Bloomfield Hills, Michigan |
| Course(s) |
Oakland Hills Country Club, South Course |
| Tour(s) | PGA Tour |
| Statistics | |
| Par | 70 |
| Length | 7,054 yards (6,450 m) |
| Field | 138 players, 73 after cut[1] |
| Cut | 150 (+10) |
| Prize fund | $224,087 |
| Winner's share | $45,000 |
| Champion | |
 Gary Player | |
| 281 (+1) | |
The 1972 PGA Championship was the 54th PGA Championship, played August 3–6 at Oakland Hills Country Club in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, a suburb northwest of Detroit. Gary Player won his second PGA Championship with a total of 281 (+1), two strokes ahead of runners-up Tommy Aaron and Jim Jamieson.[2] It was the sixth of Player's nine major titles, but his first in over four years.[3][4]
The PGA Championship returned to the month of August in 1972 after being played in late February in 1971 in Florida.
Defending champion Jack Nicklaus, winner of the year's Masters and U.S. Open and runner-up in the British Open, finished six strokes back in a tie for thirteenth place. He regained the title the following year.
It was the fifth major championship held on the South Course, which previously hosted the U.S. Open in 1924, 1937, 1951, and 1961. It later hosted the PGA Championship in 1979 and 2008, the U.S. Open in 1985 and 1996, and the Ryder Cup in 2004.
Past champions in the field
Made the cut
| Player | Country | Year(s) won | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | Total | To par | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gary Player | South Africa | 1962 | 71 | 71 | 67 | 72 | 281 | +1 | 1 |
| Sam Snead |  United States | 1942, 1949, 1951 | 70 | 74 | 71 | 69 | 284 | +4 | T4 |
| Raymond Floyd | United States | 1969 | 69 | 71 | 74 | 70 | 284 | +4 | T4 |
| Jack Nicklaus | United States | 1963, 1971 | 72 | 75 | 68 | 72 | 287 | +7 | T13 |
| Dave Stockton | United States | 1970 | 74 | 73 | 74 | 74 | 295 | +15 | T40 |
| Bob Rosburg | United States | 1959 | 71 | 79 | 72 | 76 | 296 | +16 | T53 |
| Dow Finsterwald | United States | 1958 | 75 | 75 | 72 | 77 | 299 | +19 | T58 |
| Bobby Nichols | United States | 1964 | 76 | 74 | 70 | 80 | 300 | +20 | T62 |
| Jack Burke, Jr. | United States | 1956 | 74 | 72 | 76 | 79 | 301 | +21 | 67 |
| Lionel Hebert | United States | 1957 | 72 | 76 | 80 | 79 | 307 | +27 | T74 |
| Julius Boros | United States | 1968 | 74 | 75 | 74 | WD | |||
Missed the cut
| Player | Country | Year(s) won | R1 | R2 | Total | To par |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jerry Barber | United States | 1961 | 75 | 76 | 151 | +11 |
| Al Geiberger | United States | 1966 | 77 | 74 | 151 | +11 |
| Don January | United States | 1967 | 75 | 77 | 152 | +12 |
| Doug Ford | United States | 1955 | 78 | 76 | 154 | +14 |
| Dave Marr | United States | 1965 | 74 | 85 | 159 | +19 |
| Jim Ferrier |  Australia | 1947 | 81 | 79 | 160 | +20 |
| Denny Shute | United States | 1936, 1937 | 91 | 85 | 176 | +36 |
| Gene Sarazen | United States | 1922, 1923, 1933 | 79 | WD | ||
Final leaderboard
Sunday, August 6, 1972
| Place | Player | Country | Score | To par | Money ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gary Player | South Africa | 71-71-67-72=281 | +1 | 45,000 |
| T2 | Tommy Aaron | United States | 71-71-70-71=283 | +3 | 20,850 |
| Jim Jamieson | United States | 69-72-72-70=283 | |||
| T4 | Billy Casper | United States | 73-70-67-74=284 | +4 | 9,275 |
| Raymond Floyd | United States | 69-71-74-70=284 | |||
| Sam Snead | United States | 70-74-71-69=284 | |||
| T7 | Gay Brewer | United States | 71-70-70-74=285 | +5 | 6,383 |
| Jerry Heard | United States | 69-70-72-74=285 | |||
| Phil Rodgers | United States | 71-72-68-74=285 | |||
| Doug Sanders | United States | 72-72-68-73=285 |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Tournament Info for: 1972 PGA Championship". PGA of America. Retrieved August 15, 2012.
- ↑ Jenkins, Dan (August 14, 1972). "No muzzle for the monster". Sports Illustrated: 58.
- ↑ "Player recoups faded prestige with win". Eugene Register-Guard. Associated Press. August 7, 1972. p. 5B.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Nervy Gary Player takes PGA Crown". Spokesman-Review. August 7, 1972. p. 10.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "1972 PGA Championship". databasegolf.com. Retrieved August 23, 2013.
External links
- PGA Media Guide 2012
- About.com: 1972 PGA Championship
- PGA.com – 1972 PGA Championship
| Preceded by 1972 Open Championship |
Major Championships | Succeeded by 1973 Masters |
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Coordinates: 42°32′38″N 83°16′37″W / 42.544°N 83.277°W