84 | October 2006 | www.pgamagazine.com (password: PGAmag007)

P G A 9 0 T H A N N I V E R S A R Y

Elite Company

Despite earning his first victory in two years atthe 1980 U.S. Open, pundits claimed it was timefor Jack Nicklaus to hang up the golf spikes. So,he set out to prove at the 1980 PGA Champ-ionship at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester,N.Y., that his Open title was no fluke.

Nicklaus shot a 6-under-par 274 to win theWanamaker Trophy by a record seven strokes.The only player to finish below par, Nicklausincredibly clinched his fifth PGA Championship,equaling a hallowed record set by Walter Hagenin 1927 – in “The Haig’s” hometown.

“This probably was the most solid final roundI’ve ever played in a major championship,” Nicklaussaid at the time. “I never played better in my life.”

So much for retirement.“A few people asked me this week if I was

planning to retire,” said Nicklaus. “I’m not.”At the 1986 PGA Championship, Bob Tway

parlayed “Glory’s Last Shot” into the “Shot Heard’Round The World,” as he holed out from agreenside bunker on No. 18 at Toledo’s InvernessClub. Tway became the first player in the mod-ern era to win the Wanamaker Trophy with a72nd-hole birdie. He also shot a third-round,record-tying 64. Meanwhile, Greg Norman had

a feeding frenzy to top the leader-board after the first three rounds –shooting 65, 68 and 69 – but afinal-round 76 left “The Shark”two shots short.

Arnie’s Senior ArmyA record gallery of 15,000 con-

verged on Turnberry Isle CountryClub in North Miami Beach, Fla.,to witness Arnold Palmer’s debut inthe 1980 Senior PGA Championship.ESPN, then a 24-hour cable sportsnetwork in its infancy, televised the

event for the first time. After holding on during regulation, Palmer

sank a birdie from seven feet on the first playoffhole to edge Paul Harney and win the Alfred S.Bourne Trophy.

During Palmer’s PGA Tour days, the PGAChampionship was the sole major that alluded hisgrasp, as he tied for second on three occasions,including a one-stroke heartbreaker to JuliusBoros in 1968. So, Palmer’s 1980 Senior PGAChampionship was a welcome relief.

“It’s the PGA Championship I never won,” heproclaimed.

Palmer also clinched the Senior PGA Champ-ionship in January 1984, at PGA National GolfClub, in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., thanks to atournament- and course-record second–round 63.

House WarmingOn the doorstep of PGA National, The PGA

of America unveiled its new headquarters in 1981.Moving vans pulled up to the former PGA Head-quarters in Lake Park, Fla., on Feb. 2, 1981. Aweek later, The PGA opened a 36,000-square–foot facility, double the size of its old stompinggrounds.

“It’s like going from a WWII foxhole to the bridal suite at the Sheraton,” penned PGAMagazine in 1981.

In 1987, Jim Awtrey became the first PGAmember to serve as staff executive director.Awtrey was named The PGA’s first chief executiveofficer six years later.

“We unanimously agreed that he has earnedthe appointment and the opportunity it affordshim to continue his outstanding work for theAssociation and its membership,” said PGA President J.R. Carpenter in 1987.

Make Room, “Haig,”Here Comes Jack!The PGA of America’s 90 Years of Excellence: 1980-89

By Michael R. Abramowitz

R emember the ’80s? MTV and the Miracle on Ice. Reaganomicsand Rubik’s Cube. Steve Jobs and the Space Shuttle. Jack wasback. Arnie’s Army marched on. And The PGA of Americaunveiled its new home.

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Bob Tway (top)celebrates afterholing out from thefront right bunker onthe 18th hole for abirdie that wouldenable him to capturethe 1986 PGAChampionship atInverness Club.Making his SeniorPGA Championshipdebut in 1980 atTurnberry Isle CountryClub, Arnold Palmer(below, with then-PGA President JoeBlack) prevailedthanks to a birdieon the first hole of aplayoff with PaulHarney.

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Europeans Prevail

The U.S. Ryder Cup team had not lost a RyderCup in 28 years. But two years after the U.S. heldon for a dramatic 14 1/2 to 13 1/2 triumph at PGANational – thanks to Lanny Wadkins’ pressure-packed 60-yard approach shot within one foot ofthe cup on No. 18 – the Europeans finally brokethrough the door with electrifying authority.

Playing a hunch, 1985 European Ryder CupCaptain Tony Jacklin coupled Spaniards JoseMaria Canizares/Jose Rivero and Seve Ballesteros/Manuel Pinero into two nearly unbeatable pairings.The strategy worked, as the Europeans shockedthe U.S., 16 1/2 to 11 1/2, at The Belfry in SuttonColdfield, England.

Veteran European team member Sam Torrance broke down in tears. “I couldn’t helpit,” he explained. “The emotion was so great.”

Still, there was an even greater challenge forEurope, as they had never won the Ryder Cup onAmerican soil. That 60-year-old curse wouldevaporate in 1987, when Europe edged the U.S., 15 to 13, at Muirfield Village Golf Club inDublin, Ohio.

Captained by course-designer Nicklaus, theU.S. staged a comeback after falling behind, 101/2to 5 1/2. Then, Europe’s Eamonn Darcy jumpedto a 2-up lead over Ben Crenshaw after six holes insingles. In disgust, Crenshaw uncharacteristicallysnapped his putter and was forced to putt with a1-iron and the edge of his sand wedge. Darcywould best Crenshaw 1-up, and the Ryder Cupremained overseas.

Two years later at The Belfry, the Ryder Cupwas fit to be tied for just the second time. U.S.Captain Raymond Floyd reprised Ben Hogan’slegendary 1967 introduction by declaring the 1989U.S. Team – led by Tom Watson, Fred Couplesand Payne Stewart – as “the 12 greatest players inthe world.”

But perhaps Floyd underestimated the immensetalents of Europe’s Ballesteros and partner JoseMaria Olazabal, who won two matches and halvedanother during the 14 to 14 split.

High HonorsSeveral coveted PGA Awards debuted in the

1980s. One year prior to his passing, the inaugural

PGA Distinguished Service Award honored Herb Graffis in 1988, for his leadership andhumanitarian qualities, sportsmanship and enthusiasm for the game. Other VIP recipientsinclude: U.S. Presidents Gerald Ford and GeorgeH.W. Bush; golf legends Gene Sarazen, ByronNelson, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Paul Run-yan and Patty Berg; course designer Pete Dye; andentertainer Bob Hope.

Manuel de la Torre, whose father Angel was the

first Spanish golf professional, received the firstPGA Teacher of the Year Award in 1986. Manuelis considered one of the foremost practitioners ofErnest Jones’ swinging-motion method. Animpressive list of honorees followed, includingGary Wiren (1987), Jim Flick (1988) and HarveyPennick (1989) to round out the 1980s.

Steve Braley of Oak Tree Country Club, inEdmond, Okla., the 1982 PGA Merchandiser ofthe Year for private facilities, also received the1982–1983 President’s Plaque for extraordinaryand exemplary contributions to player develop-ment. Randy Smith of Royal Oaks Country Clubin Dallas went on to literally own the President’sPlaque – winning 16 times from 1984–2001,including six consecutive years during the 1980s.

Bill Schumaker, of Crooked Lake Golf Club inColumbia City, Ind., won the inaugural PGAClub Professional Player of the Year Award in1984. Lonnie Nielsen garnered the Award threetimes in 1986, 1987 and 1989. In between, 1987PGA Golf Professional of the Year Bob Ford ofOakmont (Pa.) Country Club won the 1988 PGAClub Professional Player of the Year Award aswell.

Rick Murphy of Cardinal Golf and CountryClub in Greensboro, N.C., received the inauguralPGA Junior Golf Leader Award in 1988. The1989 Award went to Tom Sargent of Yorba Linda(Calif.) Country Club.

Tom Watson earned a then-record sixth andfinal PGA Player of the Year Award in 1984. Hewas eventually eclipsed by Tiger Woods in 2005,who witnessed firsthand Nicklaus’ true retirementfollowing last year’s British Open – some 25 yearsafter the Golden Bear’s “alleged” demise. ■

Editor’s note: Throughout the remainder of 2006, ThePGA of America will continue to commemorate its 90thanniversary with a monthly retrospective of significantevents that have defined the Association’s history. Nextmonth: The 1990s.

Led by the SeveBallesteros/ManuelPinero pairing, theEuropeans upset theU.S., 16 1/2 to 111/2,in the 1985 RyderCup at The Belfry inSutton Coldfield,England. It markedthe first time the U.S.had lost a Ryder Cupsince 1957.

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