Cabrera Finishes Birdie-Eagle to Force Playoff
Ángel Cabrera caps wild finish in the 2007 PGA Grand Slam of Golf
The Tour Backspin journey through the past visits 2007 and the PGA Grand Slam of Golf played at the Mid Ocean Club in Tucker’s Town, Bermuda. This four-man exhibition shares DNA with the Butterfield Bermuda Championship being played at the Port Royal Golf Course in Southampton, Bermuda this week on the PGA TOUR. The Port Royal Golf Course was designed by Robert Trent Jones, who also oversaw a redesign of the Mid Ocean Club. Scroll down to learn more about the wild finish in the 2007 PGA Grand Slam of Golf and why one of the players was able to hit a shot from a backyard adjoining the course.
We’ve written about the Port Royal Golf Club HERE. You can learn about Tony Lema playing Peter Alliss in Shell’s Wonderful World of Golf HERE.
The PGA TOUR returned from a week off at the World Wide Technology Championship at El Cardonal at Diamante in Los Cabos, Mexico. Congratulations to Austin Eckroat. Scroll down as I provide a few of my thoughts on the tournament as well as the Clips You Might Have Missed.
We’ve got a question for you to weigh in on with the Tour Backspin Poll. This week’s Music Clip has Rihanna doing “Shut Up and Drive” live in 2007. Tour Backspin Goes to The Movies, has the 2007 theatrical trailer for “No Country For Old Men.” Scroll down to listen and watch.
The Swing Like a Pro features Ángel Cabrera swing as he drives a par-4. The WHAT HOLE IS IT? Presented by Rota Golf this week has a hole you should be able to identify. Submit your answer and you may just win a golf swag prize pack which includes our new 19th Hole Hot Sauce (soon to be available online in the Tour Backspin Golf Shop). Rota Golf has a cool way to map out your bucket list journey of playing the top 100 courses in the U.S. that you should check out. Click on the Rota Ad to view more. We’ve got some links for you in the Check it Out section and an ad from 2007 that features the cool of Fred Couples in this week’s Vintage Ad. Scroll down to view.
The Tour Backspin Poll
In last week’s Tour Backspin Poll, we asked if you agreed with the plans to limit the size of the fields in PGA TOUR events starting in 2026 in an effort to complete rounds. There were 91% of respondents who didn’t like this approach and think that enforcing slow play rules could accomplish the same goal of finishing rounds on time without spill over to the next day. There were 9% of respondents who are in favor of new smaller field sizes.
This week’s PGA TOUR roundup details the lack of field strength at the World Wide Technology Championship. And yet, the winner, Austin Eckroat, earned a Masters invite for winning the event. Do you think that a Masters invite should be awarded to the winner of an event with such a thin field? Let us know in this week’s Tour Backspin Poll.
We’re playing PGA Grand Slam of Golf Trivia in this week’s Tour Backspin Quiz. Scroll down to play.
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Larry Baush
Cabrera’s Fantastic Finish Captures PGA Grand Slam of Golf
In 1979 the PGA of America created a tournament that would pit the winners of the four major championships together in a 36-hole stroke play exhibition known as the PGA Grand Slam of Golf.
The tournament format resembled the original World Series of Golf, an unofficial, 36-hole event held at Firestone Country Club in Akron, OH, that featured the winners of the four major championships. The World Series of Golf became an official event in 1976 when it expanded to a 72-hole event with a field of 20 players. The field was extended to over 40 players in 1983 and was last played in 1998.
The PGA Grand Slam of Golf was first played at Oak Hills Country Club in Rochester, NY and featured Gary Player, winner of the Masters, Andy North, winner of the U.S. Open, John Mahaffey, winner of the PGA Championship, and Jack Nicklaus, winner of the Open Championship.
The tournament was conducted as a one-day, 18-hole event and was played on a different course each year. It expanded to a two-day, 36-hole competition in 1991 and in 1994 the event settled down at the Poipu Bay Golf Course in Koloa, HI, as a home through 2006. The PGA of America chose Hawaii as a site so that the tournament could be telecast back to the mainland in prime time in late November after the conclusion of the PGA TOUR schedule.
In 2007, the event was moved to the Mid Ocean Club in Tucker’s Town, Bermuda. The course was originally designed by Charles Blair McDonald in 1921, and Robert Trent Jones redesigned the course in 1953. The Mid Ocean Course, a 6,666-yard, par 70 course, would play host to the tournament for two years before moving to the Port Royal Golf Course in Southampton, Bermuda. Port Royal was also a Robert Trent Jones designed course that opened in 1970 and would be home to the tournament until it was discontinued in 2016.
“I haven’t spent as much time at home as I would have liked.”
The winners of the four major championships in 2007 were Zach Johnson at the Masters, Tiger Woods at the PGA Championship, Ángel Cabrera winner of the U.S. Open, and Pádraig Harrington, the Champion Golfer of the Year at the Open Championship. Tiger Woods would not be taking advantage of taking a spot in the Grand Slam instead choosing to spend time with his family.
“I haven’t spent as much time at home as I would have liked,” Tiger said at the conclusion of the Tour Championship, which he won for his fourth victory in five starts on his way to becoming the first FedEx Cup champion.
Tiger’s decision not to play was a huge blow to Bermuda, the 20-square mile island in the Atlantic Ocean that featured turquoise water, pink sand and soft surf. It was also a blow to the PGA of America who lost a premier player in Phil Mickelson, winner of the Masters in 2006, who decided not to partake in the unofficial Grand Slam.
“We’re disappointed Tiger won’t be with us,” PGA president Brian Whitcomb said to reporters. “But we’re proud of our champions we have here. Tiger has always supported golf and the PGA of America. I got a classy letter from him stating that he’s mentally exhausted and just needs a rest. I can respect that.”
Tiger’s spot in the field was filled by Jim Furyk, a former major champion who earned the invitation through a points based alternate list. With the field filled, the players began to arrive from all points of the globe for the first round which would be played on Tuesday, October 16th.
Furyk spent the weekend before the event in South Korea where he finished third in a tournament and then hung around for a skins game for charity. He finished in South Korea around 3 p.m., had a two-hour drive to the airport, and arrived in New York at 7:30 p.m. Monday having crossed the international dateline. He cleared customs before arriving in Tucker’s Town about 1 a.m. Tuesday morning.
“It seems like a very great place to take some vacations.”
Cabrera lost in the final match of the HSBC World Match Play Championship in England on Sunday and arrived in Bermuda at 2 a.m. Monday and was still bleary-eyed when he showed up at the course on Monday.
“It seems like a very great place to take some vacations,” Cabrera, who looked like he needed a vacation, said looking at the scenic backdrop of the Mid Ocean Club.
Harrington and Johnson arrived earlier and were at the course for a pro-am and clinic conducted for fans on Monday. Johnson felt ready for the event to start as he played great in the pro-am. With all the players having arrived and the pre-tournament festivities concluded, it was time to tee it up to see who would win the $600,000 first place check. The purse for the unofficial event was $1.35 million and last place paid $200,000.
Tuesday’s round was played with swirling breezes and the course was setup with tucked pin positions. Doug Ferguson, golf writer for the Associated Press, described the greens as “so pure the players at times got too aggressive.”
Despite shooting a three-under 67 to take a one-stroke lead, Harrington was not comfortable with his game, and his round included two sloppy bogeys, on the 13th and 15th holes, as well as an earlier bogey on the par-3 third hole. He birdied the fifth hole after almost hitting his tee shot into the water, and then added birdies on the sixth and eighth holes. He added consecutive birdies at the 11th and 12th holes.
“I was struggling with my game, so my head was very much down,” Harrington admitted to Ferguson and other reporters. “I saw a little bit of nice coastline and scenery, but it was very much a workmanlike day. Every shot I was a bit worried. It was a tough day out there for me, and luckily, the putts were dropping, and it kept me right in there.”
Cabrera faced a 15-foot putt for eagle at the final hole that would have given him a share of the lead but came up short and had to settle for a two-under 68. He made short work of the par-5s and had only one bogey during his round.
“I hit the ball pretty solid,” Cabera said through his caddie, Eddie Gardino, who doubled as his interpreter. “I’ve played a lot of golf lately. I’m not 100 percent, but I will be up to 100 percent.”
The effects of Furyk’s extensive travel didn’t hit him until the back nine on Tuesday, as he made the turn one-under before slipping to a two-over 37 on the back nine for a total of 71. After playing great in the pro-am, Johnson suffered four bogeys in his first five holes of the opening round. The most amusing bogey in that stretch occurred on the second hole.
Johnson’s approach at the second hole bounced over bushes and into the backyard of a house adjoining the fairway. Johnson’s ball was lying on a stone walkway in the yard, and he was shocked to learn that there was no out-of-bounds at the Mid Ocean Club. He was allowed a free drop off the walkway, which was treated as a cart path, and then played his shot being mindful about not taking a divot out of the backyard. His approach from the backyard ended up 15 feet from the hole but Johnson got aggressive with the putt running it 8-feet past the hole. He made the comebacker for his bogey.
“We were quite amused by the ruling that there was no out-of-bounds on the golf course,” Harrington said. “It was different.”
There were 7,000 spectators attending on Wednesday for the second and final round. That was about 10 percent of the population of Bermuda. Fans tuned in back in the U.S. to same day taped delay coverage provided by TNT.
Cabrera did not get off to a great start in his quest to catch Harrington in the second, and final, round on Wednesday. After driving into the trees at the first hole, he had trouble escaping and was lucky to make a triple bogey that put him five shots behind Harrington.
Harrington managed to maintain his lead, now four strokes with 11 holes to play, despite the challenges thrown at him by his three opponents. Furyk seemed to build up some momentum before encountering a bunker shot that he bladed over the green and into bushes resulting in a triple bogey that knocked him out of contention. He still managed to finish with a 67 for a two-round total of 138 thanks to four birdies in the last five holes. Furyk won $250,000.
Johnson, seven shots down with ten holes to play, put on a rush making up five shots in five holes, but couldn’t get any closer. He finished with a 68 and was one shot behind Furyk at 139 winning a check for $200,000.
“I couldn’t keep track of who was behind me,” Harrington admitted.
“I told my caddie we had to make 2-3 to have a chance.”
Cabrera rallied from his disastrous start catching Harrington on the 11th hole with an eagle. After driving to within 50 yards of the par-4, 16th hole, Cabrera proceeded to make a sloppy bogey missing a short putt. He knew he would have to do something fantastic to have a chance of catching Harrington.
“I told my caddie we had to make 2-3 to have a chance,” Cabrera said.
He hit an 8-iron to about 10 feet at the par-3, 17th hole, and made the putt for the two he needed while Harrington made a par. Cabrera boomed his drive at the final hole and followed up with a 4-iron that caught the slope on the green which funneled the ball towards the cup ending up four-feet away. Harrington two-putted for birdie before Cabrera rolled in his eagle putt for the tie. The two players were off to the 17th hole to begin a playoff for the $600,000 first place prize money.
“It was hard to go into a playoff where he had just gone birdie-eagle,” Harrington said later. “I didn’t see any advantage I had.”
“I wouldn’t have liked to be second here.”
After both players parred the 17th and 18th holes, the players played the 18th hole again. Cabrera boomed another big drive off the 18th tee and again hit a 4-iron into the green, this time 18 feet from the hole. Harrington hit his tee shot into a deep fairway bunker and was looking at a four-foot putt for par when Cabrera two-putted for birdie for the win.
Even though it was just an exhibition, the players were all business.
“I wouldn’t have liked to be second here,” Cabrera said after the playoff.
With such an exciting finish, and the beautiful scenery at the Mid Ocean Club, the PGA of America was thrilled with its move from Hawaii to Bermuda for the PGA Grand Slam of Golf as were the residents of Bermuda, and the golf fans in the U.S. watching the tape delayed action.
Ángel Cabrera returned to competitive golf this year after completing his two year prison sentence for threatening and the harassment of Cecilia Torres Mana, his partner of two years.
Next Week: Hubert Green wins 1975 Southern Open
BONUS STORY
The field at the 1990 PGA Grand Slam of Golf at Kemper Lakes outside of Chicago, was slated to have alternates Craig Stadler and Andy North joining Payne Stewart, the PGA Champion, and Curtis Strange, the U.S, Open champion, to face off against each other. In 1990, the four players played with four amateur partners in a best-ball format in addition to the individual competition, and it was a one-day fundraiser for the Michael W. Louis Foundation, a Chicago-based philanthropic organization. The event raised over $100,000 for the foundation.
On Sunday night, May 27th, before the event on Monday, Curtis Strange withdrew complaining of an intestinal disorder. The PGA scrambled to find a replacement for Strange and landed on Mike Ditka, the popular head coach of the Chicago Bears.
“He was great, I really enjoyed it.”
Ditka was five-over-par on the front nine with three three-putt greens and then picked up on several holes on the back nine muttering some obscenities that the famously salty language Strange would have approved of. He played with two teams, nine holes each, and one team came in tied for third and the other team came in fourth.
His amateur playing partners were not disappointed that they weren’t playing with Strange.
“He was great,” Bob Powers, one of his amateur partners, said. “I really enjoyed it.”
Ditka did not post a final score but is listed as finishing in fourth place on the PGA Grand Slam Wikipedia page.
What Hole is It? powered by Rota Golf. Doesn’t your bucket list journey deserve one of these?
WHAT HOLE IS IT?
Are you on the leader board? Effisimo regains the solo lead.
Congratulations to Ryan Ross, who correctly identified #7 at El Cardonal at Diamante in Los Cabos, Mexico in last week’s WHAT HOLE IS IT? contest. Ryan beat out three other correct answers in the random drawing. We’re sending a prize pack of golf swag, including the new Tour Backspin 19th Hole Hot Sauce, to Ryan.
THE TOUR BACKSPIN 19TH HOLE HOT SAUCE IS NOW AVAILABLE IN THE TOUR BACKSPIN GOLF SHOP.
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We told you about getting our hands on a treasure trove of film that we are cleaning up and digitizing for the Tony Lema documentary. Some great footage of Tony in action and even home movies. The work is paying off with good results. Check it out (clicking on link will open this post on the web, scroll down to video player).
PGA TOUR Wrap-Up | World Wide Technology Championship
Austin Eckroat became the second player to win multiple times on the PGA TOUR in 2024 by adding the World Wide Technology Championship to his win at the Cognizant Classic back in March. He joins Scottie Scheffler (7 wins), Rory McIlroy (2), Robert MacIntyre (2), Xander Schauffele (2), Nick Dunlap (2), and Hideki Matsuyama (2) as the multiple winners on the tour this year.
Eckroat captured the title with a Sunday 63 that included 11 birdies, and two bogeys including one at the final hole where he started the hole with a three-stroke lead. Eckroat birdied nine of his first 11 holes.
Eckroat earned himself a Masters invite with the win even though the field strength of the event was somewhat suspect. Only 25 players in the field were ranked inside the top 120 players on the Official World Golf Rankings. The field also featured 40 players ranked outside the top 300. And the 34th alternate (Robert Garrigus), got into the event. There were four unranked players in the event including Billy Andrade.
Max Greyerson, ranked number 40, was the top-ranked player teeing up in Cabo and he finished in fourth-place, his fourth top-10 finish in his last six starts, including three runner-up finishes. He’s due to break through soon for his maiden win.
Two of our favorite players because they are from the PNW are Joel Dahmen (who celebrated his 37th birthday on Monday), and Joe Highsmith. They both were playing for their cards in Cabo as Dahmen entered the event in the 124th spot and finished with a T14th to move up to the 121st spot, and Highsmith made a big move by finishing in fifth-place moving up 14 spots to 112th.
Here are the highlights from Sunday.
Clips You Might Have Missed
Justin Lower chipping in.
Making a move.
Ace alert!
Another ace alert, although this one is bit more crazy.
Pretty cool way to honor the 1974 and 1975 NCAA national champions from Wake Forest.
Tour Backspin Quiz | PGA Grand Slam of Golf Trivia
What year was the last year that the PGA Grand Slam of Golf was played?
Scroll down for answer
Swing Like a Pro
Ángel Cabrera puts both cheeks into this one.
Blind Shot
Click for something fun. 👀
Are your clubs fake? Learn how to tell in this article from LINKS Magazine by Erik Matuszewski.
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Tour Backspin Music Clip
I know I must be getting old when I find it so difficult to find a good song from 2007, but I did find one. Rihanna does “Shut Up and Drive” live in 2007.
Tour Backspin Quiz Answer:
The last playing of the PGA Grand Slam of Golf was in 2014, won by Martin Kaymer (U.S. Open), over Bubba Watson (Masters), Rory McIlroy (Open Championship), and Jim Furyk (alternate). The PGA then moved the tournament to Trump National Golf Club in Rancho Palos Verdes, CA for 2015. In July of 2015, the PGA announced that the tournament would not be played at Trump National due to outcry over remarks made by Donald Trump about Latino immigrants. A replacement course could not be found in time for the tournament so it was scrapped. In 2016 the tournament was discontinued altogether.
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Final Thoughts
Zach Johnson playing a shot from a backyard in the 2007 PGA Grand Slam of Golf is one of those things that Kyle Porter would highlight in his “Normal Sport” newsletter.
Here’s what the other side of that Eckroat family selfie looked like:
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