|
1981 Tournament Players Championship
The 1981 Tournament Players Championship was a golf tournament in Florida on the PGA Tour, held March 19–23 at Sawgrass Country Club in Ponte Vedra Beach, southeast of Jacksonville. The eighth Tournament Players Championship, it was the fifth consecutive at Sawgrass and the champion was Raymond Floyd. The final round on Sunday was washed-out by thunderstorms and played on Monday. After 72 holes, three players were tied at 285 (−3): Floyd, Barry Jaeckel, and Curtis Strange. The playoff began at the par-3 15th hole, where Floyd made par and the other two had bogeys. In addition to the winner's share of $72,000, Floyd won a $250,000 bonus for consecutive victories during the tour's Florida swing; he won at Doral near Miami the previous week. Defending champion Lee Trevino finished four strokes back, in a tie for twelfth place. Venue This was the fifth and last Tournament Players Championship held at Sawgrass Country Club; it moved to the nearby TPC at Sawgrass Stadium Cours ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida
Ponte Vedra Beach is a wealthy unincorporated seaside community and suburb of Jacksonville, Florida in St. Johns County, Florida, United States. Located southeast of downtown Jacksonville and north of St. Augustine, it is part of the Jacksonville Beaches area, and on the island nicknamed San Pablo Island. The area is known for its resorts, including the Ponte Vedra Inn and Club, the Lodge and Club, and the Marriott at Sawgrass. It lies within St. Johns County, which is the wealthiest county in Florida. Ponte Vedra Beach is an upper-income tourist resort area best known for its association with golf and is home to the PGA Tour and the Players Championship. History What is now north Florida was visited several times by European explorers in the 16th century, but there is little evidence for them specifically coming to Ponte Vedra Beach. It may have been sighted by Juan Ponce de León during his voyage to Florida in 1513, but as his precise landfall is unknown, this claim ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
TPC At Sawgrass
The Tournament Players Club at Sawgrass (TPC at Sawgrass) is a golf course in the southeastern United States, located in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, southeast of Jacksonville. Opened in the autumn of 1980, it was the first of several Tournament Players Clubs to be built. It is home to the PGA Tour headquarters and hosts The Players Championship, one of the PGA Tour's signature events, now held in March. Paul and Jerome Fletcher negotiated a deal with the PGA Tour, which included the donation of for one dollar (the original check is prominently displayed in the clubhouse). The TPC at Sawgrass is situated in Ponte Vedra Beach's Sawgrass development. It has two individual courses, the Stadium Course and the Valley Course. The Stadium Course was designed by noted golf course architects Pete and Alice Dye, and is known as one of the most difficult golf courses in the world. Constructed specifically to host The Players Championship, it employs a distinctive "stadium" concept: like i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Scott Simpson (golfer)
Scott William Simpson (born September 17, 1955) is an American professional golfer. Amateur career Simpson was born in San Diego, California, and played college golf at the University of Southern California, where he was two-time medalist at the NCAA Championship in 1976 and 1977. At the end of 1976 ''Golf Digest'' ranked Simpson the #1 amateur in the country. Professional career He turned professional in 1977 and graduated in 1978. He played on the PGA Tour from 1979, and won seven PGA Tour events between 1980 and 1998. The highlight of Simpson's career was the U.S. Open in 1987 at the Olympic Club in San Francisco, his only major title. He birdied the 14th, 15th, and 16th holes of the final round to overtake Tom Watson by one stroke and finished with a three under par total of 277. Simpson became eligible to play senior golf in 2005 and won his first and only Champions Tour title in 2006. In team competition, Simpson played for the United States in the Walker Cup in 197 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bob Gilder
Robert Bryan Gilder (born December 31, 1950) is an American professional golfer. He won six tournaments on the PGA Tour and currently plays on the Champions Tour, where he has ten wins since joining in 2001. Early years Born in Corvallis, Oregon, Gilder graduated from Corvallis High School and attended Arizona State University in Tempe. He walked on to the Sun Devils' golf team, and was the 1973 Western Athletic Conference individual golf champion. PGA Tour Gilder turned pro later that year and found success soon thereafter. He won a tournament on the Australian Tour, New Zealand Open, a year after turning professional. He shot 283 (−5) and defeated Australia's Jack Newton and New Zealand legend Bob Charles in a playoff. He won his first PGA Tour tournament a year and a half later at the 1976 Phoenix Open. He won six times during his career, including three in 1982. Gilder was a tour mainstay for many years, and played on the Ryder Cup team in 1983. Gilder may be b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jack Nicklaus
Jack William Nicklaus (born January 21, 1940), nicknamed The Golden Bear, is a retired American professional golfer and List of golf courses designed by Jack Nicklaus, golf course designer. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest golfers of all time. He won 117 professional tournaments in his career. Over a quarter-century, he won a record 18 Men's major golf championships, major championships, three more than second-placed Tiger Woods. Nicklaus focused on the major championships—the Masters Tournament, U.S. Open (golf), U.S. Open, The Open Championship, Open Championship and PGA Championship—and played a selective schedule of regular PGA Tour events. He competed in 164 major tournaments, more than any other player, and finished with 73 PGA Tour victories, third behind Sam Snead (82) and Woods (82). Nicklaus won the U.S. Amateur in 1959 and 1961 and finished second in the 1960 U.S. Open (golf), 1960 U.S. Open, two shots behind Arnold Palmer. Nicklaus turned profe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Larry Nelson
Larry Gene Nelson (born September 10, 1947) is an American professional golfer who has won numerous tournaments at both the PGA Tour and Champions Tour level. Nelson was born in Fort Payne, Alabama and grew up in Acworth, Georgia, northwest of Atlanta. He did not play the game as a child – atypical for a successful professional golfer – in high school he focused on basketball and baseball. Nelson took up golf at the age of 21, after he returned from serving in the infantry in Vietnam (Nelson was a 20-year-old newlywed when he was drafted into the U.S. Army). Nelson was first introduced to golf by Ken Hummel, a soldier and friend in his infantry unit, and Nelson carefully studied Ben Hogan's book ''The Five Fundamentals of Golf'' while learning how to play the game. He soon discovered that he had a talent for the game, breaking 100 the first time he played and 70 within nine months. Nelson went on to graduate from Kennesaw Junior College in 1970 and turned professional the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Mahaffey
John Drayton Mahaffey Jr. (born May 9, 1948) is an American professional golfer who has won numerous tournaments including 10 PGA Tour events. Mahaffey was born in Kerrville, Texas. He attended the University of Houston in Houston, Texas. He turned pro in 1971 after graduating in 1970 with a degree in psychology. Mahaffey came close to winning back to back U.S. Opens. In 1975 he lost in a playoff to Lou Graham at the Medinah Country Club in Medinah, Illinois. The following year Mahaffey had a two-shot lead after 54 holes at the Atlanta Athletic Club in Johns Creek, Georgia before shooting a final round 73 and finishing T4th. In 1978 he won twice on the tour including one major, the PGA Championship. He also won the World Cup individual and team event where he was paired with Andy North in 1978. The 1978 PGA championship was held at Oakmont Country Club in Oakmont, Pennsylvania. Mahaffey became the best comeback winner in PGA history after trailing Tom Watson by seven strokes w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
David Graham (golfer)
Anthony David Graham, AM (born 23 May 1946) is a former professional golfer from Australia. He won eight times on the PGA Tour, including two major championships. Early life Graham is from Tasmania, Australia. He is a natural left-hander but "converted" into a right-hander. Professional career At the age of 14, Graham began his first job as an assistant professional at Riversdale Golf Club in Melbourne, Australia. In 1967, he started working at a sporting goods store in Sydney, New South Wales. During this time he honed his golf skills at Royal Sydney Golf Club under the tutelage of Alec Mercer, the club professional. He stated later, "Alec taught me all I know. When I arrived in Sydney two years ago I could hardly play and he taught me everything. I've been lucky, I've had financial sponsorships and lots of advice, but Alec stuck with me through thick and thin and I owe all my success and good fortune to him." In early 1968, Graham started working full-time as a touring prof ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bruce Lietzke
Bruce Alan Lietzke (July 18, 1951 – July 28, 2018) was an American professional golfer who won 13 tournaments on the PGA Tour between 1977 and 1994, including two victories in the Canadian Open. His best finish in a major championship was at the 1991 PGA Championship where he finished second, three strokes behind John Daly. He had seven victories on the Champions Tour, including one senior major title, the 2003 U.S. Senior Open. He played in the 1981 Ryder Cup. Early life Lietzke was born in Kansas City, Kansas. He moved to Beaumont, Texas with his parents in 1960 and lived there until 1977, graduating from Forest Park High School in 1969. Acknowledgments Lietzke credited his older brother, Duane, for introducing him to the game of golf at age five. He also credits Henry Homberg, a local Beaumont professional, along with Duane for having the greatest influences on his game when he first started playing. Lietzke attended the University of Houston in Houston, Texas. He ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mark Pfeil
Mark Pfeil (born July 18, 1951) is an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour and the Champions Tour. Pfeil was born in Chicago Heights, Illinois. He attended the University of Southern California, where he was a two-time All-American as a member of the golf team — third-team in 1973 and second-team in 1974. While playing for the Trojans, Pfeil and his teammates, including future Masters champion Craig Stadler, lead them to a seventh-place finish at the NCAA Championship in 1973, and a fourth-place finish a year later. Pfeil was a member of the 1973 Walker Cup team. He turned professional in 1974 and joined the PGA Tour in 1976. Pfeil had 12 top-10 finishes including a win at the 1980 Tallahassee Open during his PGA Tour career. His best finish in a major was T-22 at the 1982 PGA Championship. His best year was 1984, when he finished 69th on the money list with $101,878. In his forties, he accepted an assistant coaching position at USC and was involve ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tom Watson (golfer)
Thomas Sturges Watson (born September 4, 1949) is an American retired professional golfer on the PGA Tour Champions, formerly on the PGA Tour. In the 1970s and 1980s, Watson was one of the leading golf players in the world, winning eight major championships and heading the PGA Tour money list five times. He was the number one player in the world according to McCormack's World Golf Rankings from 1978 until 1982; in both 1983 and 1984, he was ranked second behind Seve Ballesteros. He also spent 32 weeks in the top 10 of the successor Sony Rankings in their debut in 1986. Watson is also notable for his longevity: at nearly sixty years of age, and 26 years after his last major championship victory, he led after the second and third rounds of The Open Championship in 2009, but lost in a four-hole playoff. With a chance to win the tournament with par on the 72nd hole, he missed an putt, then lost to Stewart Cink in the playoff. Several of Watson's major victories came at the expe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Roger Maltbie
Roger Lin Maltbie (born June 30, 1951) is an American professional golfer and on-course analyst for NBC Sports. Career Maltbie was born in Modesto, California and grew up in San Jose. He attended James Lick High School where he was a teammate of former PGA Tour player Forrest Fezler. Maltbie attended San Jose City College (1970–1971), and then went on to San Jose State University; he was a member of the golf team at both institutions. Maltbie turned professional in 1973, joined the PGA Tour in 1974, and played on the Tour full-time from 1975 to 1996. He won five official tour events between 1975 and 1985, including back-to-back wins in his first full year. After his win at the 1975 Pleasant Valley Classic, Maltbie left his $40,000 winner's check behind in a bar. In his second year on tour, Maltbie won the inaugural Memorial Tournament by defeating Hale Irwin on the fourth hole of a sudden death playoff. On the playoff's third hole, an errant shot by Maltbie seemed headed for ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
