Koch Surprise Winner in San Diego
Gary Koch comes from nowhere to capture the 1984 Andy Williams San Diego Open
With the PGA TOUR at Torrey Pines this week, we aim our journey through the past to 1984 when Gary Koch came from off the pace to win. When Koch won, it was known as the Isuzu Andy Williams San Diego Open. It’s been played under many different names since it joined the tour schedule full-time in 1952 as the San Diego Open.
I wrote about the 1968 Andy Williams San Diego Open, won by Tom Weiskopf HERE, the 1970 event, won by Pete Brown, HERE, the 1968 event when Andy Williams came on board to help promote the event HERE the 1964 event where Art Wall nipped Tony Lema HERE.
It is truly heartbreaking what is happening in Los Angeles with the wild fires. Here’s a list of organizations where you can lend a hand.
This week’s edition of Tour Backspin was written from a hotel room in Orlando, and the media center at the PGA Golf Show. We’ll have some content for premium subscribers about the show soon.
The PGA TOUR was in the Coachella Valley for the American Express won by Sepp Straka. We’ve got some of the action in the Clips You Might Have Missed. I also give my take on the tournament in the PGA TOUR Wrap-Up. You are also invited to tell us “Would you use this?” in The Tour Backspin Poll. We’re bringing you the official video of Bruce Springsteen doing “Dancing in the Dark” in 1984 in this week’s Music Clip and the theatrical trailer for the 1984 film, “Beverly Hills Cop” starring Eddie Murphy in the Tour Backspin Goes To The Movies.
View the swing of Payne Stewart from the 1984 Tournament of Champions in the Swing Like a Pro. The Vintage Ad has a 1984 ad for one of the prettiest irons of the era. Scroll down to view.
The Tour Backspin Poll
We asked you last week where your favorite place to get some golf in the sun during the winter. There were 57% who love to go to the Coachella Valley, and Hawaii, Arizona, and Florida each garnered 14% of the vote. In this week’s Tour Backspin Poll we ask, “Would you use this?”
Check out the features HERE.
We’re playing San Diego Open Trivia in this week’s Tour Backspin Quiz. Scroll down to play.
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Okay, we're on the tee, let's get going.
Enjoy!
Larry Baush
Koch Comes Out of Nowhere to Win in San Diego
The Andy Williams San Diego Open always threw one of the best parties on the PGA TOUR. The host would tap into his show business friends who showed up to play in the Wednesday pro-am, and entertain those who ponied up $1,500 to join the celebrities in the pro-am.
The festivities in 1984 got a big boost when 80-year-old Bob Hope showed up with his good golfing friend, former President Gerald R. Ford, in tow. The two played together frequently in Palm Springs where Hope had a home.
Hope made a big difference in the bottom line of the Andy Williams San Diego Open as he helped attract 25,000 spectators. He also helped make the traditional dinner for pro-am participants a success.
“Hope always draws the biggest gallery of anyone,” said Ralph Trembley, The San Diego Open Publicity Director. Trembly was talking with Tom Shanahan of the North County Times of Escondido, CA. “In addition, Hope always comes to the private dinner Andy Williams puts on for the amateurs who paid $1,500 to play in the pro-am. He’ll do a great monologue like he does on TV for about 25 minutes for free, and you can’t get a bigger name in show business than him.”
“The thing I like about playing with the former president is you never have to worry about his score. Just look back and count the wounded.”
Hope and Ford, playing with Craig Stadler, stood on the first tee in perfect weather with 75-degree temperatures. Ford stepped up to hit his tee shot, studied the shot, and then promptly duck-hooked his tee shot sending the fans who were 125-yards downrange, on the left side, scurrying for cover.
“The thing I like about playing with the former president is you never have to worry about his score. Just look back and count the wounded.” Hope quipped.
Once Hope, Ford, and the other celebrities, including former LA Dodger pitcher Don Drysdale, vacated the scene at the completion of the pro-am, the pros were set to compete for the $72,000 first place check in the $400,000 purse Andy Williams San Diego Open.
It would be contested over the North and South Courses at Torrey Pines. Both courses played to a par of 72, but the North played 400 yards shorter at 6,667 yards, than the South which measured 7,002 yards. The difference in the yardage was one of the factors that made the North an easier course than the South. Another factor was the North being sheltered from the winds that buffeted the South course.
Pre-tournament favorites included Tom Watson, Johnny Miller, Ray Floyd, and the defending champion, Gary Hallberg. Hometown favorites included Gary McCord.
Even though the North course was the easier of the two, it didn’t seem that way to Ray Floyd.
“Over the years it’s been my nemesis,” he told Don Norcross of the Daily Times-Advocate out of Escondido. “I’ve lost this tournament two times in playoffs. And that’s after playing the North in 68 and 69. If you’re playing well, you feel like par is about 68. If you expect to do well in the tournament, you feel you ought to have a really good round on the North.”
And that is exactly what Floyd did shooting a 64 on the North where he had no bogeys, no fives on his card, and just a single one-putt par.
“It’s very nice to get off to a good start,” Floyd said to Norcross.
Gary McCord was tied with Brad Bryant, one shot back. McCord birdied all the par fives on the North course. Loren Roberts led a group at 66 and he was the only player among the leaders to play his first round on the more difficult South course. Gary Koch opened with a 68, as did Payne Stewart and another 18 players.
Stewart came out in the second round and recorded a seven-under-par 65 on the South course to grab the lead. Floyd had a 70 on the South course and was one shot behind Stewart at 134, tied with Dan Pooley and Chip Beck who both went 66-68, and Brad Bryant who had a second round 69. Gary McCord added a 70 on the South course and sat at 135. Gary Koch came in with a 70 for a two-day total of 138.
The second-round weather was another Chamber of Commerce day with warm temperatures and sunny skies, which attracted a crowd of 20,000.
Stewart maintained his lead after a third-round 68 where he needed to birdie the final hole to hold a one-shot lead over Andy Bean. Bean was using a “borrowed” wedge from Bill Kratzert that he used so well that he was worried that Kratzert would charge him an exorbitant price for the loaned wedge.
“Those final birdies salvaged my round. If I wouldn’t have made those two putts, I’d have been too far back.”
“He’s going to blackmail me,” Bean said to reporters including Norcross of the Daily Times-Advocate. “I may have to negotiate to see how much it’s worth. I hope it doesn’t cost me too much.”
Floyd, who played with Stewart, came in with a 69 and was two off the lead at 203. He needed to birdie the final two holes to remain in contention.
“Those final birdies salvaged my round,” Floyd admitted to reporters after his round. “If I wouldn’t have made those two putts, I’d have been too far back.”
Floyd was also impressed with the round played by Stewart.
“He played a damn fine round of golf,” Floyd said about Stewart.
“I think you’ll see the record broken because of the conditions of the golf course, the good weather, and there are a lot of players capable of shooting the lights out.”
However, Stewart did not have the best day on the greens as he missed seven birdie putts of 18 feet, or less. He did make five birdies, but he could have made so many more if his putter was hot. His only bogey of the round was a result of a three-putt.
“I’m not pleased with the way I putted,” Stewart told reporters. “I feel I hit a lot of good putts that just didn’t go in. That’s golf.”
Chip Beck was tied with Floyd at 203 after shooting a 69, and Gary Hallberg was another shot back after a third-round 66. Gary Koch sat at 207 after coming in with a 69.
The weather continued to be perfect and contributed to the low scores being recorded.
“I think you’ll see the record broken because of the conditions of the golf course, the good weather, and there are a lot of players capable of shooting the lights out.”
It all set up for an exciting final round and the weather cooperated again with 80-degree temperatures and lots of sunshine. While the sky may have been clear, storm clouds gathered in the mind of Payne Stewart who collapsed shooting a 78 and fell well down the leaderboard to finish in tie for 23rd. Floyd also struggled coming in with a 74 for a four-day total of 277, two strokes better than Stewart. That left the field wide open as several players now had a shot at the title.
Gary Koch shot a fantastic seven-under 65 that put him two shots out of the lead and his presence was requested in the pressroom. He made it clear that he was happy with his round but was not very optimistic about his chances of winning the event.
“I played about as good as I can play,” Koch told the assembled press. “But obviously, it’s not good enough.”
“Up until the moment he missed the putt I can’t emphasize enough how much I didn’t think I had a chance to win.”
Andy Bean appeared to be the heir apparent to the title after Stewart’s collapse as he opened a two-shot lead with a birdie at the 13th hole to go to 18-under. His lead lasted only to the 14th tee where he hit his drive toward a canyon, then he hit two terrible shots and followed up with two terrible chip shots before finally holing out for a triple bogey.
Then Gary Hallberg looked like he was going to take the title after a birdie on the 14th hole. He came to the final hole needing only a par to defend the title he won in 1983 after he birdied the final hole. He only needed to two-putt from 30-feet, and he would win. Three putts later, he was in a playoff with Koch, who rushed to the range to hit a few shots to warm-up.
“Up until the moment he missed the putt I can’t emphasize enough how much I didn’t think I had a chance to win,” Koch said later.
Hallberg and Koch both parred the first playoff hole, the 16th, before Koch nailed a 5-iron to within 10-feet on the 17th hole. He made the putt to win one of the unlikeliest titles of his career, a title that looked at one point as if nobody wanted it.
“It’s nice to be back in here,” Koch said upon returning to the pressroom after the playoff.
One reporter asked Koch if he felt lucky.
“Definitely,” he honestly replied when asked the question. “I guess I’m fortunate that Gary’s misfortune was my fortune.”
At one of the tour’s biggest parties, it was Koch’s luck that made him the belle of the ball.
BONUS STORY
Whenever Payne Stewart was near the top of the leaderboard during the mid-80s, and his presence was requested in the pressroom, talk always centered on his distinctive, and very large, wardrobe. Stewart’s trademark outfits included a Kangol cap and colorful pants that were a cross between plus fours and knickerbockers, a throwback to the traditional golf pants worn by players generations before Stewart. He wore bright knee high socks unders his pants.
He claimed that one reason he wore the pants was that they were comfortable, but another reason was to help him stand out from all the other pros on tour.
“At least I don’t look the same as everyone else,” Stewart explained to Don Norcross of the Daily Times-Advocate of Escondido after he captured the lead in the second round. “It seems everyone’s wearing Izod shirts. I swear I went to the range this morning, and there were two guys in the exact same outfit, red slacks and a white shirt. At least everyone knows me when I walk the fairway.”
“Occasionally, I have a choice.”
In San Diego, the press covered the colorful outfit he wore in the second round, (lime green pants, yellow socks). The next day, still in the lead, he was asked what he had planned for his outfit for the final round (blue pants, a blue and white striped shirt, white knee-high socks, and white wingtip shoes).
He told reporters that his wife, Tracey, usually picked out his outfit, but not always.
“Occasionally, I have a choice,” he said with a smile.
In the 1990s, Stewart entered a clothing sponsorship deal with the NFL and wore his trademark outfit in team colors that were relative to the location of the tournament being played.
Stewart was killed in a plane crash in October of 1995 flying from his home in Orlando, FL, to the Tour Championship in Houston, TX.
WHAT HOLE IS IT?
Congratulations to Glenn Blue for winning the WHAT HOLE IS IT? contest last week by correctly identifying #14 at Tamarisk Country Club in Rancho Mirage, CA. Glenn beat out three other correct answers in the drawing and we’ve got a gift discount code to The Tour Backspin Golf Shop coming his way. We are sending discount codes to the winners of WHAT HOLE IS IT? in 2025 so that they can choose their prize from the offerings in The Tour Backspin Golf Shop, including the Tour Backspin 19th Hole Hot Sauce. Multiple winners can combine their discount codes to use on a single order, and the codes never expire. When the code is redeemed, the prize will be sent with free shipping, so getting your prize will not cost you anything. Check out The Tour Backspin Golf Shop HERE.
Congratulations to Doug Posten, our 2024 WHAT HOLE IS IT? champion! Doug’s name will be engraved on the Herbert C. Leeds Trophy, the perpetual trophy for WHAT HOLE IS IT? We’ll send it to him for a visit and post a champion’s picture of him with the trophy.
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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. Below is home movie footage of Tony, and his new bride Betty, leaving the church on their wedding day. The driver of the car is Jim Malarky, Tony’s sponsor on tour. This is the only known footage of Malarky that I’ve been able to find. (clicking on link will open this post on the web, scroll down to video player).
Clips You Might Have Missed
I’ve added octuple bogey to my vocabulary.
Being a dad is a full-time job.
The winning putt.
Burning money.
Not what I think about when I think “on the rocks.”
PGA TOUR Wrap-Up | The American Express
The American Express did not register with television viewers as the final round was up against the NFL playoff games, and the final round did not provide much in the way of fireworks. Sepp Straka waltzed his way to victory, and as Geoff Schakelford wrote in his Quatralateral on Substack (Subscribe!), the final group took five hours and 40 minutes to play. They took three hours and 50 minutes to play just the first 12 holes. Pretty easy to flip over to the NFL when the pace is that slow.
Staka finished two strokes in front of Justin Thomas and three strokes in front of Jason Day.
Read more from the PGA TOUR HERE.
Tour Backspin Quiz | San Diego Open Trivia
There have been only two players to win the San Diego Open more than two times. Who are they and how many did they win?
Scroll down for answer
Swing Like a Pro
Payne Stewart at the Tournament of Champions.
Blind Shot
Click for something fun. 👀
Justin Thomas wants his fellow pros to provide more access to the media and fans to humanize the players and increase fan engagement. Sean Zak has the story at golf.com. By the way, I just finished Zak’s great book “Searching in St. Andrews” and it’s great. A MUST READ.
Tour Backspin Music Clip
Official 1984 video of Bruce Springsteen doing “Dancing in the Dark.” This gun’s for hire.
Tour Backspin Quiz Answer:
Tiger Woods won in 1999 and 2003 when the San Diego Open was known as the Buick Invitational and then won four straight from 2005 to 2008. He added his seventh win in 2013 after it became the Farmers Insurance Open. Phil Mikelson won in 1993 (Buick Invitational of California), 2000 and 2001 (Buick Invitational).
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Vintage Ad
Final Thoughts
Those Staff Tour Blades are so sweet.
I’m counting that as a hole-in-one in this week’s Blind Shot.
It’s been a while, but we’ve got a new episode of The Tour Backspin Show that will drop for paid subscribers next week. We’ll also have some content from the PGA Show in Orlando that will drop for paid subscribers before it will be available for all subscribers. Seems like a pretty good time to upgrade to a paid subscription.