1968 PGA Championship
The 1968 PGA Championship was the 50th PGA Championship played July 18–21 at Pecan Valley Golf Club in San Antonio, Texas. Julius Boros, age 48, won the third of his three major titles, one stroke ahead of runners-up Bob Charles and Arnold Palmer.[2] Boros was the oldest winner of a major championship for over a half century, until Phil Mickelson won in the PGA Championship in 2021 at age fifty. The tournament was played in very hot conditions.[2] Palmer had an 8-foot (2.4 m) putt to tie on the 72nd green, but it missed on the high side of the hole.[3][4] It was the second of his three runner-up finishes at the only major he never won; he also tied for second in 1964 and 1970.
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Dates | July 18–21, 1968 |
| Location | San Antonio, Texas |
| Course(s) | Pecan Valley Golf Club |
| Organized by | PGA of America |
| Tour(s) | PGA Tour |
| Statistics | |
| Par | 70 |
| Length | 7,096 yards (6,489 m) |
| Field | 165 players, 75 after cut[1] |
| Cut | 149 (+9) |
| Prize fund | $150,000[1] |
| Winner's share | $25,000 |
| Champion | |
 Julius Boros | |
| 281 (+1) | |
This was the final major before the formation of the Tournament Players Division, later renamed the PGA Tour. The tour pros broke away from the PGA of America in August and formed an independent tour, the American Professional Golfers, Inc. (APG).[5][6][7][8] A compromise was reached in December which brought the tournament players back to the PGA in a separate division with its own policy board and commissioner.[9][10][11]
In his seventh PGA Championship, Jack Nicklaus missed his first cut in the event by a stroke; five of his six previous finishes were in the top three, with a victory in 1963 in Dallas. He made the next nine cuts at the PGA Championship and won four more times (1971, 1973, 1975, 1980).
This PGA Championship was played immediately after the Open Championship in Scotland, the fifth time during the 1960s which the final two majors were played in consecutive weeks. This PGA Championship was also the last held in July (until 2016); it moved to August in 1969 (except 1971 when it was played in February in Florida).
Round summaries
First round
Thursday, July 18, 1968
| Place | Player | Score | To par |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Marty Fleckman | 66 | −4 |
| 2 | Frank Beard | 68 | −2 |
| T3 | Don Bies | 69 | −1 |
| Mason Rudolph | |||
| Lee Trevino | |||
| T6 | Miller Barber | 70 | E |
| Frank Boynton | |||
| Charles Coody | |||
| Al Geiberger | |||
| Laurie Hammer | |||
| Johnny Pott | |||
| Dan Sikes |
Source:[12]
Second round
Friday, July 19, 1968
| Place | Player | Score | To par |
|---|---|---|---|
| T1 | Frank Beard | 68-70=138 | −2 |
| Marty Fleckman | 66-72=138 | ||
| 3 | Doug Sanders | 72-67=139 | −1 |
| T4 | George Archer | 71-69=140 | E |
| Miller Barber | 70-70=140 | ||
| Arnold Palmer | 71-69=140 | ||
| Johnny Pott | 70-70=140 | ||
| Lee Trevino | 69-71=140 | ||
| T9 | Don Bies | 69-73=142 | +2 |
| Julius Boros | 71-71=142 | ||
 Bob Charles | 72-70=142 | ||
| Dan Sikes | 70-72=142 |
Source:[13]
Third round
Saturday, July 20, 1968
| Place | Player | Score | To par |
|---|---|---|---|
| T1 | Frank Beard | 68-70-72=210 | E |
| Marty Fleckman | 66-72-72=210 | ||
| T3 | Miller Barber | 70-70-72=212 | +2 |
| Julius Boros | 71-71-70=212 | ||
| Bob Charles | 72-70-70=212 | ||
| Arnold Palmer | 71-69-72=212 | ||
| Dick Rhyan | 72-72-68=212 | ||
| Doug Sanders | 72-67-73=212 | ||
| Lee Trevino | 69-71-72=212 | ||
| 10 | Lou Graham | 73-70-70=213 | +3 |
Source:[14]
Final round
Sunday, July 21, 1968
| Place | Player | Score | To par | Money ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Julius Boros | 71-71-70-69=281 | +1 | 25,000 |
| T2 | Bob Charles | 72-70-70-70=282 | +2 | 12,500 |
| Arnold Palmer | 71-69-72-70=282 | |||
| T4 | George Archer | 71-69-74-69=283 | +3 | 7,500 |
| Marty Fleckman | 66-72-72-73=283 | |||
| T6 | Frank Beard | 68-70-72-74=284 | +4 | 5,750 |
| Billy Casper | 74-70-70-70=284 | |||
| T8 | Miller Barber | 70-70-72-73=285 | +5 | 3,406 |
| Frank Boynton | 70-73-72-70=285 | |||
| Charles Coody | 70-77-70-68=285 | |||
| Al Geiberger | 70-73-71-71=285 | |||
| Bob Goalby | 73-72-70-70=285 | |||
| Lou Graham | 73-70-70-72=285 | |||
| Doug Sanders | 72-67-73-73=285 | |||
| Dan Sikes | 70-72-73-70=285 | |||
| Kermit Zarley | 72-75-68-70=285 |
Source:[15]
References
- "Tournament Info for: 1968 PGA Championship". PGA of America. Archived from the original on August 15, 2012. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
- Jenkins, Dan (July 29, 1968). "The Junkman cools it". Sports Illustrated. p. 12.
- "Boros wins PGA; Palmer ties for 2nd". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. July 22, 1968. p. 20.
- "Boros oldest victor in PGA meet". Milwaukee Journal. July 22, 1968. p. 10.
- "Touring pros studying break". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. July 23, 1968. p. 12. Retrieved January 2, 2013.
- "Rebel Golfers Number 205". Eugene Register-Guard. Oregon. Associated Press. August 20, 1968. p. 3B.
- "Touring golf pros set up own shop". Milwaukee Journal. August 20, 1968. p. 11.
- Mulvoy, Mark (September 2, 1968). "The revolt of the touring pros". Sports Illustrated: 20.
- Awtrey, Stan (February 11, 2009). "Professionals' split was a good thing for the game". PGA Tour. Retrieved January 2, 2013.
- "Tour golfers, PGA settle fuss over tourney control". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. December 14, 1968. p. 15.
- "Pro golf struggle is settled; PGA forms tourney group". Milwaukee Journal. December 14, 1968. p. 18.
- "Fleckman leads PGA on hot 66". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. July 19, 1968. p. 16.
- "PGA scorecard". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. July 20, 1968. p. 8.
- "Beard, Fleckman tie for PGA lead". Toled Blade. Ohio. Associated Press. July 21, 1968. p. F-1.
- "Bad news for young pros: vet PGA king to play on". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Washington. July 22, 1968. p. 13.