Pate Gets Off To Fast Start in 1977
1976 Rookie of the Year picks continues hot play at the 1977 opening event.
The PGA TOUR is headed to the Valley of the Sun for the WM Phoenix Open on Super Bowl Sunday. The same two events shared the stage in 1977 when Jerry Pate won the Phoenix Open in a playoff over Dave Stockton on the same day the Oakland Raiders handled the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl XI. Scroll down to take a ride on our journey through the past and see how that week played out in 1977.
I wrote about the 1963 Phoenix Open, won by Arnold Palmer HERE, the 1978 event, won by Miller Barber, HERE, the 1987 event won by Paul Azinger HERE, and the 1975 event won by Johnny Miller HERE.
Enjoy the golf from the WM Phoenix Open this week, it should be a good appetizer for the Super Bowl main dish.
We send out our sympathy to Tiger Woods and his family on the loss of his mother Kultilda who passed away on Tuesday.
“My Mom was a force of nature all her own, her spirit was simply undeniable. She was quick with the needle and a laugh,” Woods wrote in a statement. “She was my biggest fan, greatest supporter, without her none of my personal achievements would have been possible. She was loved by so many, but especially by her two grandchildren, Sam and Charlie. Thank you all for your support, prayers and privacy at this difficult time for me and my family.”
The PGA TOUR was in Pebble Beach last weekend for the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, and it featured some proper “Crosby weather” in the third round. 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. Look into your crystal ball and predict what kind of year Rory McIlroy will have in the majors in The Tour Backspin Poll. We’re bringing you Queen performing “We Will Rock You/We Are The Champions” in 1977 in this week’s Music Clip and the theatrical trailer for the 1977 film, “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Richard Dreyfuss and Teri Garr in the Tour Backspin Goes To The Movies.
We’ve got some video, courtesy of the USGA, of Jerry Pate’s swing for this week’s Swing Like a Pro. The Vintage Ad has a 1977 ad for Toney Penna balls. Scroll down to view.
The latest episode of The Tour Backspin Show has dropped. Host Larry Baush (me!) talks with Bruce Devlin and Mike Gonzalez about their podcast Fore The Good Of The Game. It’s a video podcast and is available on Substack and YouTube. Please subscribe to The Tour Backspin Show on YouTube and help us reach the threshold of subscribers needed to qualify for revenue.
The Tour Backspin Poll
We asked you last week if you agreed with Dottie Pepper that today’s PGA TOUR pros need to be more respectful towards their fellow pros and fans when it comes to pace of play. We had a very healthy response rate and all 100% of respondents agreed with Dottie and adding that the pace of play is putting them to sleep.
This week we ask you to predict Rory McIlroy’s year in the majors in light of his play this past weekend in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
We’re playing Phoenix 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
Jerry Pate Starts Year Hot With Playoff Win
It is Monday, January 3rd, 1977, and half of the 140 hopeful players looking to qualify for the Phoenix Open are assembled at the Arizona Biltmore course while the other half have gathered at Camelback Country Club. They were competing for the 18 spots available in the main event that will be played at the Phoenix Country Club, a 6,726-yard, par 71 layout located right in downtown Phoenix. The Phoenix Open featured a $200,000 purse with $40,000 going to the winner and it was the first tournament on the 1977 tour schedule.
Mark Pfeil led the qualifiers at the Arizona Biltmore course with a 66 in the wind and rain. Bill Brask led qualifiers at Camelback with a four-under 68.
Phoenix Open officials were worried about two things; the weather forecast predicted rain, and the final round was scheduled to start at 7:30 am so it could be televised on CBS, the same network televising the Super Bowl where the Oakland Raiders were taking on the Minnesota Vikings later in the afternoon.
“You can’t get a bad lie on the fairways, and if I can get a good lie, I can hit my irons as good as anybody.”
“It’s not supposed to clear up until around the end of the week,” Bob Van Vorhees of the sponsoring Thunderbirds organization told the Tucson Daily Citizen. “It has rained off and on here the last couple of days, but all the courses are in good shape.”
Johnny Miller was a pre-tournament favorite as he seemed to own the state of Arizona winning five of the six tour events held in the state over the last three years. He had three rounds during that stretch where he shot a 61, and he flirted with a 59 during one of those rounds.
“I like these courses,” Miller said to the Associated Press. “You can’t get a bad lie on the fairways, and if I can get a good lie, I can hit my irons as good as anybody.”
Other big names entered in the tournament included the reigning Masters champion, Ray Floyd, U.S. Open, Canadian Open, and Rookie of the Year, Jerry Pate, and the current PGA champion, Dave Stockton. Hubert Green, Hale Irwin, Tom Watson, Billy Casper, Tom Weiskopf, Lanny Wadkins, and Roger Maltbie were also entered. The only big names missing were Jack Nicklaus, Ben Crenshaw, and Lee Trevino, who was recovering from back surgery and would be out for a couple of months.
These top tier pros would be joined by 27 newcomers, the latest graduates from the PGA Tour school that was completed in December.
Lanny Wadkins posted a four-under-par 67 to take the low pro honors in Wednesday’s pro-am. Wadkins finished his round late in the day over the rain-soaked Phoenix Country Club. Miller showed that he was in good form and ready to begin his season posting a 69.
With a wary eye to the sky and fingers crossed for good weather, it was time to get the 40th annual Phoenix Open underway. Players wore sweaters during the first round to ward off the colder than normal temperatures for Thursday’s opening round.
George Burns and Jerry Pate, both in their sophomore year as touring pros, each posted a score of 67 during the morning wave of players. They were joined at the top of the leaderboard by Danny Edwards who played in the afternoon wave. It looked like they were going to be the leaders before late finishing Victor Regalado posted a 66 that included six birdies and one bogey.
Larry Nelson, playing in the penultimate group, had a chance to replace Regalado at the top of the leaderboard before he bogeyed both the 17th and 18th holes to record a 68.
“I really putted well today,” Regalado said to reporters including Carl Soto of The Arizona Republic of Phoenix, AZ. He also noted that he was using a new driver, and new irons, which is not unusual for the first tournament of the season.
Dave Stockton opened with a 69, as did Gary McCord, and Johnny Miller was far down the leaderboard after a 74.
“I watch these young kids making long putts and I say ‘I used to do that.’”
The Phoenix Country Club layout was still soggy from rain as the second round commenced. Pate recorded his second-straight 67 to take a two-shot lead in round two. His round included four birdies and no bogeys. Larry Nelson finished his round in the morning after shooting his second straight 68 that included five birdies before Pate chased him down to overtake the lead in the afternoon. George Burns added a 69 to his first round 67 and moved into a tie with Nelson for second place.
“I feel like I’m as ready as anyone else,” Pate confidently told reporters after his round. “My touch with the wedge and putter has been really good.”
Miller came back with a second round 69 to make the cut, which came at 146, while Stockton fired a 72 to put him at 141. Regalado stumbled to a 73 and sat five strokes off Pate’s pace.
Miller was impressed by Pate’s play telling Bob Eger of the Arizona Republic, “Pate looks awfully good. He’s just been around one year, but he’s sure making himself known. I watch these young kids making long putts and I say ‘I used to do that.’”
Players were still wearing sweaters, and the course remained soggy as play commenced on Saturday for the third round. Pate stumbled out of the gate recording bogeys at the third and fourth holes and surrendered his lead to Burns, his playing partner. He fought back with a birdie on the 6th hole and made the turn in one-over-par 37.
“I lost my exempt status and my sponsor split. I’m on my own now and I think that’s really good. It keeps the pressure on and makes you bear down.”
Pate then went through a frustrating stretch when he missed a six-foot birdie putt on 12th, left another birdie on the lip at the 13th hole, and missed another birdie putt, this time a 12-footer, at the 14th hole. He finally made a birdie at the 15th hole after hitting his 5-iron approach shot to 10 feet. He was back to where he started in the round and with a birdie at the final hole, he was able to post a one-under 70.
Dave Stockton was the hottest thing on the cold and wet course where he lit it up with seven birdies and no bogeys to record a 64, the best score of the tournament to date. That put him one shot off Pate’s 204 lead. Gary McCord, with a third-round 65, and Larry Nelson, who shot an even-par 71, were at 207.
McCord started his round by making two 20-foot birdie putts on the first two holes and he had only 8 putts on his front nine.
“The first couple of putts helped to keep the chill factor down,” McCord said to reporters. “I lost my exempt status and my sponsor split. I’m on my own now and I think that’s really good. It keeps the pressure on and makes you bear down.”
“I’m really pleased because I fought hard.”
Stockton recorded back-to-back birdies at the 10th and 11th holes to get within one shot of Pate and added another birdie at the 17th before getting his seventh bird at the final hole where he ran in a nine-foot putt.
“I’m really pleased because I fought hard,” Stockton related to reporters including Soto of The Arizona Republic.
It was shaping up to be an exciting final round, one that would start brutally early to finish before the Super Bowl telecast would take the stage. There were 15 players within six strokes of Pate’s lead. It was going to be dicey, though, because of the weather. Any substantial overnight rain would make the already soggy course a swamp, while cold temperatures could result in frozen greens and a delay that would screw up the plans for the television broadcast. Tournament organizers planned to cover the first four greens of both nines with burlap to try to prevent them from becoming frozen or accumulating frost.
There was sunshine for the final round, but it was still very chilly with the start of play being delayed by 2 ½ hours due to frozen greens, despite the use of the burlap coverings. Pate and Stockton played tag with the lead and there were a handful of players eager to get in on the action. One was Bruce Lietzke who drew even with Pate and Stockton for the lead when he birdied the 16th hole, only to finish bogey-bogey for a score of 69 and a total of 279 good for a tie for fourth place with George Burns. Burns bogeyed the 17th hole and could not birdie the final hole shooting a 70.
Larry Nelson, who was playing with Pate and Stockton, got within one shot of the lead after a birdie at the 16th hole. Stockton built up a two-shot lead but fell back into a tie with Pate after he three-putted the 15th hole. The three players came to the final hole with Pate and Stockton tied and Nelson one-stroke back. Stockton pulled his drive under some trees. He was forced to punch out with a 5-iron and then hit his approach to the par 5 to about 15-feet from the hole, just off the green.
Nelson went for broke hitting a wood trying to reach the green in two. His shot ended up left of the green and he pitched up to within seven feet of the hole for birdie. Pate played the hole conservatively hitting the green in regulation and faced a 20-footer for birdie.
Stockton two-putted for his par, as did Pate, and now Nelson needed to sink his putt for birdie to join them at 277 and become the third member of the sudden death playoff. Nelson missed the putt and his final round 71 gave him a total of 278, good for a solo third place finish and a check of $14,200.
Pate and Stockton headed out to the 15th hole for their playoff, one that would not be shown on television. Due to the delayed start because of the frozen greens, the exciting finish of the Phoenix Open was not shown on television.
“It’s not like me to fold.”
Pate hit first and put his tee shot on the par-3 on the green, 25 feet left of the pin. Stockton, just as he did in regulation, hit it past the pin and faced a 70-foot downhill putt. He three-putted in regulation from a similar location. His first putt in the playoff rolled six feet past the hole and he placed a mark on his ball. Pate then lagged his putt to within two feet, and more importantly, left himself an uphill putt. When Stockton missed his six-footer, Pate, taking his time, knocked in the short putt and then let his emotions show as he pumped his fist with a wide smile on his face.
“It’s very pleasing and rewarding to start out by winning a tournament,” Pate said after the playoff. “There was a lot of pressure on me today, after last year, and leading.”
Stockton admitted after the round that he didn’t have his game under control.
“I put a lot of pressure on myself,” he told Soto. “I didn’t hit the ball well. I could see what was happening, but I was powerless to prevent it. I completely mis-read the putt in sudden death. I hit it like I wanted. It’s not like me to fold. This is only the second or third time I can remember that I had a clear lead this late and folded. I just had no idea where the ball was going.”
One of the first things Pate did after winning was park himself in front of a television to watch the Super Bowl. He was rooting for Ken Stabler, a fellow University of Alabama alumni. Stabler and the Oakland Raiders dominated the Minnesota Vikings to win 32-14. Stabler earned $15,000 for winning the Super Bowl while Pate won $40,000 for winning the Phoenix Open.
With a win in the first event of the year, Pate made a statement that he was going to follow up his sensational rookie year with another great year on the 1977 tour.
BONUS STORY
In 1976, CBS enjoyed the largest share of audience for a live golf tournament broadcast at the Phoenix Open. The broadcast reached 8,490,000 homes, over 200,000 more than the Crosby garnered. The time slot of the tournament, immediately following the broadcast of Super Bowl X played in the Orange Bowl in Miami, helped fuel the audience numbers for the Phoenix Open, because, you know, all those televisions left on at Super Bowl parties after the game was over.
“I can’t say enough about what television means to our event and to our community.”
The script, or at least the schedule, was flipped in 1977 when the Phoenix Open would lead into the coverage of the Super Bowl, this time played at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, CA. To accommodate the time slot for the Super Bowl, the Phoenix Open was starting very early for Sunday’s final round. Tee times started at 7:30 on Sunday with leaders teeing off around 8:30 to 9:00. Officials were hopeful that play would be completed before the 1:30 (Arizona time) kickoff of the big game.
“I can’t say enough about what television means to our event and to our community,” tournament chairperson Bob Fannin said. “It’s a bit inconvenient to begin the final round so early, but we feel the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.”
The only thing that could screw the schedule up would be the weather, and sure enough, it did. Frozen greens delayed the start of the final round by 2 ½ hours, even though tournament officials covered the first four greens of both nines with burlap to try to stave off the effects of the cold temperatures. When the CBS coverage began, the leaders were only just getting started on their rounds. With cameras only on the five finishing holes, the broadcast would be unable to feature the leaders.
The March 1977 issue of Golf Digest was brutal in the commentary on the situation.
By sundown on Super Bowl Sunday, the Oakland Raiders had won a major and Jerry Pate had won a minor. As the Raiders, Walt Disney Productions and 100,000 unpaid assistants dazzled 80 million viewers pretty much as planned, the wheels unavoidably fell off at the Phoenix Open. Inclement weather closed out television 6 and 5.
While sports fans missed seeing the exciting finish, and sudden death playoff, at the Phoenix Open, they did see the Oakland Raiders manhandle the Minnesota Vikings 32-14.
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WHAT HOLE IS IT?
Congratulations to Al Oppenheim for winning the WHAT HOLE IS IT? contest last week by correctly identifying #12 at Spyglass Hill in Pebble Beach, CA. Al beat out seven 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).
Click on image to open video player on the web.
You can now help get Tony Lema into the World Golf Hall of Fame. Sign the online petition HERE.
Clips You Might Have Missed
How’s your Jim Nantz impersonation?
Rory for the ace.
And how about an ace for Shane?
Pay the piper.
Nice par.
Maybe some shaming will help cure the problem.
I bet I know where you’re going to go when you play the 18th at Pebble.
PGA TOUR Wrap-Up | AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am
The PGA TOUR put on their best display with a signature event, the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, featuring a strong field on an iconic venue. The only players cut from the event were the amateurs who exited after Friday’s second round.
The week had a little throwback to the old Crosby Clambake days with the weather, especially on Saturday when the conditions were at their worst.
McIlroy was driving the ball incredibly, especially on the weekend, and moved out from the pack on the back nine on Sunday. He seemed in total control of his game and, with the win, is looking forward to having a great year. He was never threatened as he came down the stretch.
McIlroy played with his fellow countryman, and good friend, Shane Lowry, and the two put on quite the show. Once the drama was drained over who would win, the tournament boiled down to a fierce battle for second place. Lowry was able to secure a birdie at the final hole to capture solo second place over Justin Rose and Lucas Glover, who both also birdied the final hole with Rose chipping in from in front of the green.
In the first round both McIlroy and Lowry made aces. McIlroy dunked it at the 15th at Spyglass, and Lowry aced the iconic 7th hole at Pebble Beach.
That must have been a fun flight back to Florida for the two friends.
Here are the highlights of the final round:
Tour Backspin Quiz | Phoenix Open Trivia
Four players have won the Phoenix Open three times. Can you name them? What years did they win?
Scroll down for answer
Swing Like a Pro
Jerry Pate’s swing at the 1976 U.S. Open.
Blind Shot
Click for something fun. 👀
Tour Backspin Music Clip
Queen will rock you live in 1977.
Tour Backspin Quiz Answer:
Gene Littler won the Phoenix Open in 1955, 1959, and 1969. Arnold Palmer also won three times in 1961, 1962, and 1963. Mark Calcavecchia won it in 1989, 1992, and 2001. Phil Mickelson got his threepeat winning in 1996, 2005, and 2013.
We’ve Got Mail
Feedback from the Tour Backspin newsletter January 30th, Edition 5, Volume 5 The Crosby Kicks Off The 1968 Tour
I still wish they'd call it the Crosby just for old times' sake.
James H.
My grandfather gave me his set of aluminum-shaft clubs when I graduated from high school. I played them with good success, until the DOD contract movers stole 'em when I returned from deployment in Germany in 1979. (Those wankers also stole my cavalry saber and stetson!)
David H.
Ed. Best use of “Wankers” so far in 2025
Feedback from The Tour Backspin Show podcast with Bruce Devlin and Mike Gonzalez from the Fore The Good Of The Game podcast.
Just listened to your interview with Bruce Devlin and Mike Gonzalez. Two incredible gentlemen what a great interview.
Looking forward to the Tony Lema Movie this year. I know it will be great.
Gary P.
Great interview on the podcast from the other day.
Ryan R.
Thanks for the feedback, we really appreciate it. Have thoughts about this week’s edition, or podcast? Send them on to us.
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Vintage Ad
Final Thoughts
How fun do you think that plane ride home to Florida was for Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry Sunday night?
Did you check out that Pebble Beach post from the Check it Out section? It is so cool.
If I don’t get out on a golf course soon, I’m going to explode. Golf in Florida was wet, windy, and very cold, but upon returning to Seattle, the weather has been so bad that I haven’t been able to get out and play at all. Doesn’t look like the weather will let up any for the rest of the week.
We’re working on the content from the PGA Show in Orlando. I keep thinking I’ll write like Hunter S. Thompson and the part in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas where he goes to the police convention. We’ll see if that works out.