Capsule look of majors played at Southern Hills
By DOUG FERGUSON AP Golf Writer
A capsule look at significant tournaments held at Southern Hills, site of the PGA Championship to be played Aug. 9-12 in Tulsa, Okla.:
1958 U.S. OPEN
Winner: Tommy Bolt
Score: 283
Runner-up: Gary Player
Margin of victory: Four shots
Summary: Bolt won his only major by handling the stifling temperatures and a young South African who was on the verge of greatness. Bolt, an Oklahoma native, had only one score under par, a 69 in the third round, and he closed with a 72 for a wire-to-wire victory. Some of the bigger stars struggled. Sam Snead missed the cut for the first time in a U.S. Open, while Ben Hogan injured his left wrist during practice and tied for 10th.
1970 PGA CHAMPIONSHIP
Winner: Dave Stockton
Score: 279
Runners-up: Arnold Palmer, Bob Murphy
Margin of victory: Two shots
Summary: Stockton pulled away with a 4-under 66 in the third round to build a three-shot lead over Raymond Floyd, the defending champion. But he had to hold off crowd favorite Palmer and Murphy. Stockton was two shots ahead when he hit his approach into a pond at No. 13, but he hit wedge to tap-in range to escape with bogey and hold his lead. He closed with a 73. Palmer shot 70 and was a runner-up for the third time. It turned out to be his last top-10 in the PGA Championship, the only major he never won.
1977 U.S. OPEN
Winner: Hubert Green
Score: 278
Runner-up: Lou Graham
Margin of victory: One shot
Summary: This might have been the most courageous final round by a major champion. Green, who went wire-to-wire for his first major, received a death threat in the final round. Notified of the threat and given various options, he decided to finish the round. He hit wedge to 2 feet for birdie on the 16th to build a two-shot lead. Green went from the rough to the bunker on the 18th hole, then had to hole a 3-foot bogey putt for the victory. He closed with an even-par 70.
1982 PGA CHAMPIONSHIP
Winner: Raymond Floyd
Score: 272
Runner-up: Lanny Wadkins
Margin of victory: Four shots
Summary: Southern Hills yielded yet another wire-to-wire, and Floyd turned this one into a snoozer. He opened with a 63 to tie the major championship record for lowest score, then set records at the time for lowest 36-hole score (132) and 54-hole score (200). Floyd had a five-shot lead going into the final round over Jay Haas and a young Australian making his PGA debut - Greg Norman. Floyd closed with his only round over par (72) for a three-shot victory over Wadkins.
1994 PGA CHAMPIONSHIP
Winner: Nick Price
Score: 269
Runner-up: Corey Pavin
Margin of victory: Six shots
Summary: Price was the dominant player in golf and looked the part, opening with a 67 to tie Colin Montgomerie and pulling away with a 65 in the second round. He was challenged briefly in the final round by an All-Star cast of challengers that included Greg Norman, Nick Faldo, Phil Mickelson and Pavin. Price closed with a 67 to win by six. Arnold Palmer missed the cut with rounds of 79-74, his final appearance in the PGA Championship after a record 37 consecutive starts.
1995 TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP
Winner: Billy Mayfair
Score: 280
Runners-up: Steve Elkington, Corey Pavin
Margin of victory: Three shots
Summary: In dry and blustery conditions, Mayfair seized control with a 69 in the third round to build a three-shot lead, then closed with a 3-over 73 to maintain his margin. There were only 14 rounds under par the entire week, and Mayfair had two of them over the first three rounds. He finished at even-par 280, the first time in 14 years that no one broke par in a regular PGA Tour event over 72 holes. Nick Price, who had won the PGA Championship the previous year at Southern Hills, was 30 shots worse and finished last at 19-over 299.
1996 TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP
Winner: Tom Lehman
Score: 268
Runner-up: Brad Faxon
Margin of victory: Six shots
Summary: In gusts up to 30 mph, Lehman seized control with a 67 in the second round to build a four-shot lead, then increased the margin to nine shots with a 64 in the third round. Storms pushed the final round to Monday, and Lehman closed with a 71 to win by six. The victory gave him the PGA Tour money list, the Vardon Trophy and he was voted PGA Tour player of the year. Tiger Woods, who turned pro only two months earlier at age 20, qualified by winning twice in seven starts.
2001 U.S. OPEN
Winner: Retief Goosen
Score: 276
Runner-up: Mark Brooks
Margin of victory: Playoff (70-72)
Summary: Goosen introduced his unflappable personality to the golf world - first after blowing the U.S. Open with a three-putt, then winning the 18-hole playoff the next day. Goosen hit 6-iron to 12 feet on the final hole. He ran his first putt 2 feet by the hole, then missed badly to the right. He had to make a 3-footer for a 71 to get into the playoff with Brooks. Stewart Cink was tied for the lead playing the final hole until missing the green long, chipping to 15 feet and missing his par putt. Trying to get out of Goosen's way, Cink missed the 18-inch bogey putt, and wound up one shot out of the playoff. Goosen easily won the 18-hole playoff behind a four-shot swing in two holes, making birdies on the ninth and 10th while Brooks took bogeys.
