Palmer Wins A PGA Championship
Palmer needed a PGA Championship to achieve the career grand slam. He won the wrong one, the 1975 Penfold PGA Championship at Royal St. George's.
It sure was weird not having the PGA TOUR this last weekend. Congratulations to those players who earned their PGA TOUR card at the Korn Ferry Tour Championship. Can’t wait to see what they can do next year on the big stage. It’ll be weird again this week as the next tournament on the PGA TOUR will be next week.
We got quite a bit of feedback on last week’s story about how Wilson Sporting Goods lost Arnold Palmer as one of their staff members. Thanks for that, we love feedback. We’re highlighting some of it in our mailbag feature below.
We’re going to keep the Arnold Palmer good vibes going this week as we backspin to 1975 and the Penfold PGA Championship on the European Tour—the same tournament being played this week on the DP World Tour. Plus, it’s Arnie’s birthday on Saturday.
By the time this hits your inbox, I’ll be en route to Point O’ Woods Golf and Country Club in Benton Township, MI where I will be giving the feature presentation at the Robert Trent Jones Society annual meeting. Shoot me an email to larry@tourbackspin.com for information on an event at your club.
We love to get feedback! Let us know what you think about Tour Backspin and the stories we tell. Email me at larry@tourbackspin.com.
Listen to The Tour Backspin Show podcast HERE or on Spotify and Apple Podcast.
Congratulations to Jack Williams for correctly answering last week’s WHAT HOLE IS IT? The featured hole was #16 at Cypress Point Club in the Del Monte Forest, CA. Jack beat out nine other correct answers in the random drawing. Submit a “Guest Post” picture for WHAT HOLE IS IT? and if we use it, you’ll win a prize and also be credited with a correct score on the leader board. Send your pic to larry@tourbackspin.com. Scroll down for your chance to win in this week’s WHAT HOLE IS IT?
We’re playing Guess the Logo this week on the Tour Backspin Quiz. Scroll down to play.
See what shopping “online” (in this case, the telephone line) was like before the internet. Scroll down to see.
Did you miss a previous newsletter? You can view it HERE. Forward this email to a friend. Was this newsletter forwarded to you? You can sign up HERE.
Okay, we're on the tee, let's get going.
Arnold Palmer Wins 80th Victory in the Penfold PGA Championship
Arnold Palmer accepts the check for winning the 1975 Penfold PGA Championship
It’s Thursday, May 22nd, 1975, and Arnold Palmer has just finished a practice round at Royal St. George’s Golf Club in Sandwich, Kent, England, prior to the first round of the Penfold PGA Championship on the European Tour.
Palmer had a busy spring visiting, and winning, in Europe, twice. The week after the Masters he travelled to Spain to play in the Spanish Open at the La Manga Club in Murcia, Spain, taking the title by one-stroke over John Fourie of South Africa. He then returned to the States to play in the Houston Open in early May before turning right around and travelling to England for the Penfold PGA Championship.
“He made an eagle and a birdie at the two long holes and had three bogeys.”
Both his business manager, Mark McCormick, and his caddie, Tip Anderson agreed that Palmer was impressive in his practice round. Throngs of fans followed Palmer as he toured the Royal St. George’s course.
“He made an eagle and a birdie at the two long holes and had three bogeys,” McCormick reported. “I think a score of 280 will win if the wind blows as it can. Whether Arnie wins or not will depend on how many putts he can hole from inside ten feet.”
Peter Oosterhuis was the favorite as he was fresh off a second-place finish at the New Orleans Open. Other Americans, besides Palmer, in the field at the Penfold PGA Championship included Lanny Watkins, Ben Crenshaw, Rod Curl and Tom Shaw.
Manuel Ballesteros from Spain grabbed the first-round lead with a 67. Manuel was the older brother of Seve, and later became his manager. Palmer trailed Ballesteros by three-strokes as did Lanny Watkins.
“It could have been a fantastic round.”
Ballesteros added a 67 in the second round and held a one-stroke lead over Italian Baldovino Dassu. Palmer was five strokes off the lead while Watkins was another stroke back. England had three players in the mix with Neil Coles at 139, three-strokes off the lead. Eddie Darcy and George Will were tied, along with Hugh Baiocchi of South Africa, at 140. Oosterhuis shot himself out of the tournament with a disastrous 77.
Blustery winds whipped Royal St. George’s and kept scores high on the seaside links.
Palmer thought his round could have been much better. “It could have been a fantastic round,” he said after the round. He had missed at least six putts of six feet or less.
The wind continued to blow during Sunday’s third round. Eamon Darcy from Ireland utilized a hot putter to wrestle the lead away from Ballesteros. Palmer sat three-strokes off the lead.
“I would say this was comparable to the round I played at Birkdale in a gale on the way to winning the 1961 British Open,” Palmer said after the round. “Yes, you could say I’m happy.
30-mile-per-hour winds greeted the players as they arrived at Royal St. George’s on Monday morning for the final round. For many of the players, the wind was too much to handle, but not Arnold Palmer. Palmer won with a wind-cheating game, and he described the performance as one of the greatest of his career.
Palmer fired a one-over-par 71 while the rest of the field was going the other direction. Darcy shot a 78, Ballesteros shot an 80 and Hugh Balocchi shot a 79—and still managed to finish third overall with a 289 total, four strokes back of Palmer.
“I would say this was comparable to the round I played at Birkdale in a gale on the way to winning the 1961 British Open,” Palmer said after the round. “Yes, you could say I’m happy.”
Palmer was never in the lead until the 68th hole of the tournament, a par-5 that Palmer reached in two. He then rammed the putt in for an eagle and the lead. Darcy, playing behind Palmer, dropped shots at the 10th and 11th holes. Palmer now held the lead that he never relinquished despite a dropped shot at the 15th hole.
The title was the 80th win for Palmer, and the second win on the European Tour in 1975. Although he lacked a PGA Championship on the American Tour that denied him the career grand slam, he did pick up a PGA Championship on the “other side of the pond” in England.
Arnold Palmer holds the Penfold PGA Championship trophy in 1975 (photo: Getty Images)
This week’s Bonus Story is about the Penfold ball. Scroll down to see.
Be sure to checkout 1975 The Hits That Made You Cuckoo, our playlist this week. Listen HERE.
Please help us grow by forwarding this email to a friend who would enjoy it. Thanks.
Enjoy!
Larry Baush
Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube
Tour Backspin Playlist
Thanks for reading! Please let your family, friends and colleagues know they
can sign up for email delivery of this free newsletter through this link.
WHAT HOLE IS IT?
Are you on the leader board?
Tour Backspin Quiz | Guess The Logo
Do you recognize this logo from the golf world?
Answer below
Pro Pointer
Bonus Story
Penfold was a leading manufacturer of golf balls in the 1930s through the 1970s and played a role in the 1964 James Bond movie, Goldfinger. Sales rocketed in the mid-60s once Bond declared, “Here’s my Penfold Hearts,” as he foiled the cheating Goldfinger. By this point, Penfold became the first manufacturer to produce one million balls in a year.
Penfold devised a new winding process for the rubber thread inside the ball that permitted extreme tension that produced distance and accuracy. Gary Player and Seve Ballesteros swore by the Penfold Ace that also featured a thin balata cover to boost feel on scoring shots. Ballesteros won The Open for the first time at Royal Lytham in 1979 playing the Penfold Tradition.
James Bond, Goldfinger and Oddjob at London’s Stoke Park
Blind Shot
Click for something fun. 👀
Mailbox
This one came from an old buddy. I’m pretty sure he was the one who loaned me a couple bucks to buy the putter in last week’s Bonus Story.
Hey Larry,
I enjoyed your story about Palmer and Wilson Co. , especially your personal story about the putter.
I too came across one about 15 years ago at a Rotary Club auction event on the island. Picked it up for $1.25. I wasn't sure if it was valuable until later.
Mine is a "pre designed by" from 1962, apparently more valuable than later models. All original except missing the shaft band sticker.
If you know someone interested in buying it, let me know. Not looking to make a fortune.
If you or someone is interested I can send some pictures. I'll attach two here.
Thanks and hope you are doing well!
Fuzzy
From a Tour Backspin subscriber who keeps me honest. Thanks, Chip!
Larry,
I question that the picture of Palmer with a Wilson staff bag is from 1953. (Tour Backspin 9/1/2022)
Arnold was still an amateur during all of 1953 (he won the US Amateur in 1954) and there’s no way he could have kept his amateur status in those days with a bag like that - even if he didn’t get paid for it.
I think the picture could have been from late 1954 as Palmer turned pro and signed that first contract with Wilson following his Amateur Championship win.
Regards,
Chip
Tour Backspin Quiz Answer:
That is the Point O’ Woods Golf and Country Club in Benton Township, MI
I'd love to hear your feedback! Email me at larry@tourbackspin.com.
Vintage Ad
