1963 PGA Championship Winner and Scores
The 1963 PGA Championship was the 45th edition of this major, staged by the PGA of America. A golfer who eventually won five of these championships earned his first here.
Winner: Jack Nicklaus, 279
Where it was played: Dallas Athletic Club (Blue Course) in Dallas, Texas
Tournament dates: July 18-21, 1963
Leader after first round: Dick Hart, 66
Leader after second round: Dick Hart, 138
Leader after third round: Bruce Crampton, 208
What Happened in the 1963 PGA Championship
Just 23 years old, Jack Nicklaus won his third major championship title at the 1963 PGA Championship. It was his seventh win on the PGA Tour and made Nicklaus, along with Ben Hogan, Byron Nelson and Gene Sarazen, the only golfers at the time to have wins in The Masters, U.S. Open and PGA Championship.Bruce Crampton was the third-round leader, and 1958 PGA Championship winner Dow Finsterwald was two strokes behind. Nicklaus trailed Crampton by three and Finsterwald by one entering the final round. But Nicklaus carded a 68 to Crampton's 74 and Finsterwald's 72, overtaking both and finishing two strokes ahead of runner-up Dave Ragan.
Crampton never won a major, and later finished second to Nicklaus at both the 1973 and 1975 PGA championships. Nicklaus eventually won the PGA five times, tying the tournament record first set by Walter Hagen.
Raymond Floyd is someone who did later win majors, including two PGA Championships. The 1963 PGA was Floyd's first appearance in any of the four majors. He made the cut and finished tied for 57th.
The tournament was played in extreme heat in Dallas, Texas, and at the trophy ceremony Nicklaus had to use towels to hold the sun-broiled Wanamaker Trophy. This PGA followed the 1963 British Open — in which Nicklaus bogeyed the final two holes to miss a playoff by one stroke — by just a week.
The PGA Championship week began with what was, at the time, a staple of the event: a pre-tournament long-drive contest. Nicklaus won that, too, with a blast of 341 yards, breaking the previous record by 12 yards.
1963 PGA Championship Final Scores
| Jack Nicklaus | 69-73-69-68—279 |
| Dave Ragan | 75-70-67-69—281 |
| Bruce Crampton | 70-73-65-74—282 |
| Dow Finsterwald | 72-72-66-72—282 |
| Al Geiberger | 72-73-69-70—284 |
| Billy Maxwell | 73-71-69-71—284 |
| Jim Ferrier | 73-73-70-69—285 |
| Gardner Dickinson | 72-74-74-66—286 |
| Tommy Jacobs | 74-72-70-70—286 |
| Bill Johnston | 71-72-72-71—286 |
| Gary Player | 74-75-67-70—286 |
| Art Wall | 73-76-66-71—286 |
| Julius Boros | 69-72-73-73—287 |
| Bob Charles | 69-76-72-70—287 |
| Tony Lema | 70-71-77-69—287 |
| Jack Sellman | 75-70-74-68—287 |
| Manuel De La Torre | 71-71-74-72—288 |
| Wes Ellis Jr. | 71-74-71-72—288 |
| Bob Goalby | 74-70-74-70—288 |
| Dick Hart | 66-72-76-74—288 |
| Dave Hill | 73-72-69-74—288 |
| Doug Sanders | 74-69-70-75—288 |
| Paul Harney | 72-74-71-72—289 |
| Bobby Nichols | 74-73-71-71—289 |
| Mason Rudolph | 69-75-71-74—289 |
| Mike Souchak | 72-72-73-72—289 |
| Doug Ford | 70-72-71-77—290 |
| J.C. Goosie | 74-74-74-68—290 |
| Fred Haas Jr. | 80-70-70-70—290 |
| Sam Snead | 71-73-70-76—290 |
| Earl Stewart | 70-77-70-73—290 |
| Bert Weaver | 76-73-71-70—290 |
| Bo Wininger | 75-71-71-73—290 |
| Jack Burke Jr. | 75-72-73-71—291 |
| Billy Farrell | 72-74-72-73—291 |
| Mike Krak | 73-73-72-73—291 |
| Gene Littler | 71-72-75-73—291 |
| Eddie Merrins | 74-70-73-74—291 |
| Stan Mosel | 71-77-74-70—292 |
| Jerry Barber | 74-73-72-74—293 |
| Jay Hebert | 75-76-73-69—293 |
| Doug Higgins | 74-74-75-70—293 |
| Don January | 76-75-69-73—293 |
| Arnold Palmer | 74-73-73-73—293 |
| Jerry Pisano | 72-76-69-76—293 |
| Bob Rosburg | 72-75-74-72—293 |
| Tony Holguin | 77-71-75-71—294 |
| Dan Sikes | 74-70-73-77—294 |
| Gay Brewer | 74-75-72-74—295 |
| Dutch Harrison | 73-73-75-74—295 |
| Bob McCallister | 71-76-73-75—295 |
| Joe Zakarian | 75-73-76-71—295 |
| Don Bies | 74-71-73-78—296 |
| Hubby Habjan | 76-75-71-74—296 |
| Mac Hunter | 76-70-75-75—296 |
| Shelley Mayfield | 69-72-76-79—296 |
| Raymond Floyd | 75-73-74-75—297 |
| Ernie Vossler | 74-77-73-73—297 |
| George Bayer | 75-73-74-76—298 |
| Charles Congdon | 70-79-73-76—298 |
| Ted Kroll | 81-70-74-73—298 |
| Frank Stranahan | 74-73-77-74—298 |
| Gene Borek | 74-76-75-74—299 |
| Furman Hayes | 76-71-74-78—299 |
| Skee Riegel | 78-73-76-72—299 |
| Herman Scharlau | 75-76-76-72—299 |
| Stan Thirsk | 73-74-73-79—299 |
| John Cleary | 75-76-75-74—300 |
| Bob Gajda | 72-72-76-81—301 |
| Dick Turner | 75-76-78-72—301 |
| Edward Kuna | 73-71-79-79—302 |
| Jim Lucius | 77-74-77-74—302 |
| John Barnum | 74-74-74-82—304 |
| Tom Watrous | 78-70-75-81—304 |
| Ron Bakich | 73-77-78-77—305 |
| Frank Beley | 75-74-79-77—305 |
| Ira Gwin | 76-75-81-73—305 |
| Bill Ezinicki | 74-71-83-78—306 |
| John Cook | 75-73-79-80—307 |
| Bernie Haas | 70-80-79-79—308 |
| Lou Warobick | 74-77-78-80—309 |
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