1979 PGA Championship Winner and Scores
The 1979 PGA Championship was the 61st time the tournament was played. An Australian golfer who almost carded one of the all-time great major championship rounds beat Ben Crenshaw in a playoff.
Winner: David Graham, 272
Where it was played: Oakland Hills Country Club (South Course) in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan
Tournament dates: August 2-5, 1979
Leader after first round: Tom Watson, 66
Leader after second round: Ben Crenshaw, 136
Leader after third round: Rex Caldwell, 203
What Happened at the 1979 PGA Championship
Australian David Graham won the 1979 PGA Championship the old-fashioned way: He earned it. And he earned it despite recording a double-bogey on the 72nd hole.Graham began the final round four strokes off the lead of Rex Caldwell, with Ben Crenshaw in second, two behind Caldwell. Crenshaw was one of the most popular players in golf and the big fan favorite, but he was still looking for his first win in a major. Three weeks earlier, Crenshaw finished second in the 1979 British Open.
Caldwell didn't play poorly in the final round, carding a 71, but both Graham and Crenshaw zipped past him, Crenshaw with a 67 that got him in the clubhouse at 8-under 272.
Graham, who had four PGA Tour wins entering the tournament, reached the 72nd hole with a two-stroke lead. And promptly blew it, recording a double-bogey. He had been having one of the all-time great closing rounds in major championship history up to that point. How good? Despite the double-bogey, Graham still shot 65. Had he parred the final hole, Graham would have won by two strokes with what would have been just the second 63 in PGA Championship history.
But with the double-bogey, he fell into a tie with Crenshaw and the two headed into a playoff. Crenshaw ended his career with one of the worst playoff records in PGA Tour history — zero wins in eight playoffs. So you know he lost this one. But as noted above, he made Graham earn the win.
On the first extra hole, Crenshaw sank a 50-foot par putt. Graham then made his own 30-footer for par. On the second extra hole, Crenshaw sank a mid-range birdie putt. Graham than made his own 10-footer for birdie. Graham won the trophy with a birdie on the third extra hole.
It was the first of two major championship wins for Graham, who also won the 1981 U.S. Open. Crenshaw later won a pair of Masters titles.
The 1979 PGA Championship also was the site of Sam Snead's last cut made in a major. Snead, 67 years old at the time, finished 42nd. But he set the record as oldest golfer to make the cut in a major.
1979 PGA Championship Final Scores
| David Graham | 69-68-70-65—272 |
| Ben Crenshaw | 69-67-69-67—272 |
| Rex Caldwell | 67-70-66-71—274 |
| Ron Streck | 68-71-69-68—276 |
| Jerry Pate | 69-69-69-71—278 |
| Gibby Gilbert | 69-72-68-69—278 |
| Don January | 69-70-71-69—279 |
| Jay Haas | 68-69-73-69—279 |
| Howard Twitty | 70-73-69-67—279 |
| Gary Koch | 71-71-71-67—280 |
| Lou Graham | 69-74-68-69—280 |
| Jerry McGee | 73-69-71-68—281 |
| Tom Watson | 66-72-69-74—281 |
| Jack Renner | 71-74-66-70—281 |
| Andy Bean | 76-69-68-68—281 |
| Graham Marsh | 69-70-71-72—282 |
| Hubert Green | 69-70-72-71—282 |
| Bruce Lietzke | 69-69-71-73—282 |
| Gene Littler | 71-71-67-73—282 |
| Bob Gilder | 73-71-68-70—282 |
| John Schroeder | 72-72-70-69—283 |
| Bob Byman | 73-72-69-69—283 |
| Frank Conner | 70-73-69-72—284 |
| Gary Player | 73-70-70-71—284 |
| Peter Jacobsen | 70-74-67-73—284 |
| Rod Funseth | 70-69-76-69—284 |
| Alan Tapie | 73-65-76-70—284 |
| Gil Morgan | 72-73-70-70—285 |
| Miller Barber | 73-72-69-71—285 |
| Artie McNickle | 69-70-72-74—285 |
| George Burns | 71-74-67-73—285 |
| Larry Nelson | 70-75-70-70—285 |
| Mark McCumber | 75-68-70-72—285 |
| Ed Sneed | 77-67-70-71—285 |
| Lee Elder | 70-71-73-73—287 |
| Bill Rogers | 70-72-73-72—287 |
| Lee Trevino | 70-73-72-72—287 |
| Lynn Janson | 73-71-72-71—287 |
| Jim Masserio | 69-73-71-74—287 |
| Tom Kite | 72-72-69-74—287 |
| Dave Stockton | 70-75-72-70—287 |
| Sam Snead | 73-71-71-73—288 |
| Jimmy Wright | 72-69-72-75—288 |
| Kermit Zarley | 73-69-71-75—288 |
| Calvin Peete | 75-71-70-72—288 |
| Jim Colbert | 73-73-72-71—289 |
| Chi Chi Rodriguez | 71-72-72-74—289 |
| Tommy Aaron | 73-73-69-74—289 |
| Don Padgett | 71-75-73-70—289 |
| Jim Simons | 76-68-73-72—289 |
| Rod Curl | 72-72-73-73—290 |
| John Mahaffey | 72-74-71-73—290 |
| Bob Mann | 71-73-71-75—290 |
| Dewitt Weaver | 73-73-71-74—291 |
| Wally Armstrong | 74-71-73-73—291 |
| Fuzzy Zoeller | 70-75-75-71—291 |
| Jim Dent | 70-72-76-73—291 |
| Dave Barber | 74-69-71-77—291 |
| Leonard Thompson | 72-67-78-74—291 |
| Barry Jaeckel | 71-73-75-73—292 |
| Keith Fergus | 73-70-73-76—292 |
| Rocky Thompson | 72-72-73-76—293 |
| Mark Hayes | 71-73-77-72—293 |
| Raymond Floyd | 74-70-77-72—293 |
| Scott Bess | 73-72-75-74—294 |
| Al Geiberger | 76-70-73-75—294 |
| Lon Hinkle | 73-72-71-78—294 |
| Jack Nicklaus | 73-72-78-71—294 |
| Austin Straub | 73-70-72-79—294 |
| Lanny Wadkins | 71-75-73-76—295 |
| Bobby Wadkins | 77-68-75-76—296 |
| Dean Refram | 75-69-79-75—298 |
| Ronald Smoak | 72-74-78-79—303 |
| Dennis Coscina | 76-70-74-83—303 |
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