1974 PGA Championship: This Old Putter

The 1974 PGA Championship was the 56th time the tournament was played. An old putter brought out of storage helped the winner.

Winner: Lee Trevino, 276

Where it was played: Tanglewood Park in Clemmons, North Carolina

Tournament dates: August 8-11, 1974

Leader after first round: Hubert Green, John Schlee and Raymond Floyd, 68

Leader after second round: John Schlee, 135

Leader after third round: Lee Trevino, 207

What Happened at the 1974 PGA Championship

Lee Trevino fought off defending champ Jack Nicklaus in the final round, winning by one stroke over his rival. It was the fourth time Nicklaus finished second to Trevino in a major, and Trevino's fifth win in a major. Trevino led Nicklaus by one stroke after three rounds, having taken the tournament lead with a third-round 68 to Nicklaus' 70. Nicklaus battled Trevino all day in the final round, but in the end the two titans matched 69s and Trevino held onto his one-stroke advantage.

Trevino entered the tournament putting poorly, but found an old putter in the attic of his rental home, liked it, and used it during the tournament to good effect. For Nicklaus, it was his third time finishing runner-up in this major; he eventually added one more second-place finish for a tournament record four times as runner-up.

Sam Snead, age 62, was among those tied for third. Snead opened with a 69, added back-to-back 71s in the middle rounds, and closed with a 68. His 279 total was three strokes shy of Trevino's winning total and tied Snead for third place. It was the third straight Top 10 finish in a PGA Championship for Snead, who made the cut in only two more majors after this showing.

Paul Runyan — a 2-time PGA champion who beat Snead in the championship match of the 1938 PGA Championship — entered the tournament for the final time this year. He withdrew without completing the first round.

1974 PGA Championship Final Scores

Lee Trevino 73-66-68-69—276
Jack Nicklaus 69-69-70-69—277
Bobby Cole 69-68-71-71—279
Sam Snead 69-71-71-68—279
Hubert Green 68-68-73-70—279
Dave Hill 74-69-67-69—279
Gary Player 73-64-73-70—280
Al Geiberger 70-70-75-66—281
John Mahaffey 72-72-71-67—282
Don Bies 73-71-68-70—282
Tom Watson 69-72-73-70—284
Tommy Aycock 73-68-73-70—284
Raymond Floyd 68-72-74-70—284
Lee Elder 74-69-72-69—284
Frank Beard 73-67-69-75—284
Mike Hill 76-72-68-68—284
Gay Brewer 72-72-72-69—285
Tom Jenkins 70-73-71-71—285
John Schlee 68-67-75-75—285
Leonard Thompson 69-71-70-75—285
Dan Sikes Jr. 71-75-71-68—285
Bruce Devlin 70-74-70-72—286
Stan Brion 71-71-74-70—286
Don Massengale 74-71-70-72—287
J.C. Snead 72-72-75-68—287
Dave Stockton 71-73-70-74—288
Larry Hinson 74-73-69-72—288
Arnold Palmer 72-75-70-72—289
Jim Colbert 70-76-70-73—289
Gene Littler 76-72-70-71—289
Victor Regalado 70-72-77-70—289
Bob Murphy 74-73-71-72—290
Grier Jones 70-74-71-75—290
Larry Ziegler 75-72-71-72—290
Bert Yancey 75-74-73-68—290
Gene Borek 72-76-72-70—290
Forrest Fezler 77-68-74-71—290
Eddie Pearce 69-72-79-70—290
Gibby Gilbert 73-73-73-72—291
Tom Kite 71-74-73-73—291
Chi Chi Rodriguez 71-74-74-72—291
Bobby Nichols 72-74-72-73—291
Andy North 73-74-73-71—291
Johnny Miller 71-75-72-73—291
Charles Volpone 72-75-71-73—291
Bob E. Smith 72-75-72-72—291
Jim Dent 73-76-73-69—291
Bruce Crampton 75-71-73-73—292
Jerry Heard 73-76-73-70—292
Lou Graham 77-72-71-72—292
Kermit Zarley 70-73-73-77—293
Mason Rudolph 70-72-70-81—293
Dwight Nevil 75-72-75-72—294
Chuck Courtney 76-73-74-71—294
Dewitt Weaver 70-73-76-76—295
Tony Jacklin 73-72-76-74—295
Jerry McGee 75-73-71-76—295
Richie Karl 72-77-75-71—295
Tommy Aaron 73-67-78-77—295
Joe Porter 76-72-75-73—296
Tom Nieporte 70-73-76-77—296
Miller Barber 71-70-77-78—296
Billy Casper 75-73-75-74—297
Ben Crenshaw 75-74-74-74—297
Roy Pace 75-71-76-75—297
Bob Galloway 72-77-75-73—297
Gary Hopkins 72-77-76-74—299
Howell Fraser 71-76-74-78—299
Frank Mize 76-72-79-72—299
Homero Blancas 75-73-80-71—299
Dave Eichelberger 74-74-75-78—301
Clayton Cole 79-69-76-77—301
Bob Charles 72-75-77-78—302
Larry Mancour 75-73-76-78—302
Bert Greene 73-71-80-78—302
Bob Rosburg 75-72-74-82—303
Allen Miller 71-78-74-83—306
Clare Emery 74-72-80-81—307

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