The 1962 PGA Championship was the 44th PGA Championship, played July 19–22 at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, a suburb west of Philadelphia. Gary Player won the first of his two PGA Championships, one stroke ahead of runner-up Bob Goalby, for the third of his nine major titles and the third leg of his career grand slam.
The Open Championship was played the previous week at Royal Troon Golf Club, Scotland, the first of five times in the 1960s that these two majors were played in consecutive weeks in July. The PGA Championship moved permanently to August in 1969 (except 1971, when it was played in late February), then went to mid-May in 2019.
Player missed the 36-hole cut at Troon, the British Open was won by Arnold Palmer for the second straight year. Palmer had also won the Masters in April. Both the U.S. Open and PGA Championship were played in his home state of Pennsylvania in 1962, just five weeks apart. Palmer lost to 22-year-old Jack Nicklaus in an 18-hole playoff at the U.S. Open at Oakmont near Pittsburgh, then finished ten strokes back in a tie for 17th at Aronimink.
In his first PGA Championship, Nicklaus shot a final round 67 to finish three strokes back, tied for third with George Bayer.
This championship was originally scheduled for Brentwood Country Club in Los Angeles, the first in California since 1929. In November 1960, the PGA of America had voted to retain its "caucasian only" clause, and had gained the ire of California's attorney general Stanley Mosk, who threatened to shut down the PGA in the state until the clause was removed. In response, the championship for 1962 was moved from Los Angeles to Philadelphia. The PGA of America dropped the clause in November 1961 by amending its constitution. The championship returned to California in 1977 at Pebble Beach, but was not played in southern California until 1983 at Riviera Country Club.
Course layout
Hole123456789Out101112131415161718InTotal Yards4323834424571623963702336103,4854494114593842114695412134233,5607,045 Par444434435354444345343570 Source:
Round summaries First round Thursday, July 19, 1962
Fifty-year-old John Barnum opened with a course record 66; Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus were five strokes back at 71 and Gary Player shot 72.
PlacePlayerScoreTo par1 John Barnum 66 −42 Chick Harbert 68 −2T3 George Bayer 69 −1 Doug Ford Bob Goalby Frank Stranahan T7 Leo Biagetti 70 E Joe Campbell Paul Harney Dick Hart Don January Source:
Second round Friday, July 20, 1962 PlacePlayerScoreTo par1 Doug Ford 69-69=138 −2T2 George Bayer 69-70=139 −1 Cary Middlecoff 73-66=139 Gary Player 72-67=139 T5 John Barnum 66-74=140 E Bob McCallister 74-66=1407 Bob Goalby 69-72=141 +1T8 Julius Boros 73-69=142 +2 Jack Burke Jr. 73-69=142 Marty Furgol 71-71=142 Bobby Nichols 72-70=142 Frank Stranahan 69-73=142 Source:
Third round Saturday, July 21, 1962 PlacePlayerScoreTo par1 Gary Player 72-67-69=208 −2 T2 George Bayer 69-70-71=210 E Bob McCallister 74-66-70=2104 Doug Ford 69-69-73=211 +1 5 Bob Goalby 69-72-71=212 +2T6 Jack Burke Jr. 73-69-71=213 +3 Dow Finsterwald 73-70-70=213 Jack Fleck 74-69-70=213 Chick Harbert 68-76-69=213 Cary Middlecoff 73-66-74=213 Bobby Nichols 72-70-71=213 Source:
Final leaderboard Sunday, July 22, 1962 PlacePlayerScoreTo parMoney ($)1 Gary Player 72-67-69-70=278 −2 13,0002 Bob Goalby 69-72-71-67=279 −1 6,700T3 George Bayer 69-70-71-71=281 +1 3,450 Jack Nicklaus 71-74-69-67=2815 Doug Ford 69-69-73-71=282 +2 2,9006 Bobby Nichols 72-70-71-70=283 +3 2,500T7 Jack Fleck 74-69-70-71=284 +4 2,067 Paul Harney 70-73-72-69=284 Dave Ragan 72-74-70-68=28410 Jay Hebert 73-72-70-70=285 +5 1,750 Source:
References
External links PGA Media Guide 2012 PGA.com – 1962 PGA Championship