Embed from Getty ImagesBy PGA of America Jon Rahm of Spain captured his first PGA of America Player of the Year Award, presented by the PGA of America for excellence by a PGA TOUR professional. Rahm capped the sweep of season-ending PGA of America awards by also claiming the Vardon Trophy, presented annually since 1937 … Read more
By John CoyneCopyright © John Coyne. Used with permission. While interviewing golf legends for my book Playing with the Pros: Golf Lessons from the Senior Tour (1990), I arranged some of their answers into a separate chapter I called “Playing Clinic.” Following are words of wisdom from some of the best players. Next up is Harry Cooper (August … Read more
By John CoyneCopyright © John Coyne. Used with permission. While interviewing golf legends for my book Playing with the Pros: Golf Lessons from the Senior Tour (1990), I arranged some of their answers into a separate chapter I called “Playing Clinic.” Following are words of wisdom from some of the best players. First up is Bruce Crampton. An … Read more
CALVIN PEETE, A BLACK MAN with a crooked left arm, hit the golf ball straighter than any PGA Tour player of his generation. Peete died on Wednesday in Atlanta. He was 71. The son of a vegetable picker, Peete didn’t try golf until he was 23. He didn’t turn professional until the age of 32. … Read more
It wasn’t too long ago that some people said Tiger Woods wouldn’t win again on the PGA Tour, or win much. Woods is certainly back to winning, including five times in 2013, propelling him to his 11th player of the year award (both PGA Tour and PGA of America). The majors, however, are still an … Read more
Billy Casper focused on his own game. LAST SUMMER I INTERVIEWED BILLY Casper, whose Hall-of-Fame career included 51 PGA Tour wins (three of them majors), eight Ryder Cup appearances and five Vardon Trophies. No American, by the way, has won more Ryder Cup points than Casper. I thought the following was interesting. A man who … Read more
I’M READING PRO: FRANK BEARD ON THE GOLF TOUR, Beard’s PGA Tour diary from the 1969 season that was edited by Dick Schaap. Beard was the leading money winner in 1969 ($175,223.93) and finished second to Dave Hill in the Vardon Trophy Standings with a 70.527 stroke average. Here’s what Beard said about what it … Read more
DAVE HILL, A 13-TIME PGA Tour winner who died this week at the age of 74, was called the Don Rickles of the golf tour by Sports Illustrated because of his outspokenness and derogatory comments. A solid performer who won the Vardon Trophy in 1969 and played on three U.S. Ryder Cup teams, Hill was … Read more
THE VARDON TROPHY LOOKS like it’s a heavy rascal. But Matt Kuchar, shown above in a recent appearance on Golf Channel’s “Morning Drive” show, has a strong grip on the trophy and that ever-present Cheshire cat smile on his face. The Vardon Trophy is awarded to the PGA Tour player with the lowest adjusted scoring … Read more
CONGRATULATIONS TO JIM FURYK for winning the PGA Player of the Year, an award given by the PGA of America. Furyk earned 60 points under the PGA’s points system. Matt Kuchar and Steve Stricker each collected 50 points. Ernie Els and Phil Mickelson tallied 46 and 42 points, respectively. Furyk ended a three-year drought when … Read more