1995 PGA Championship: Elk Sighting
The 1995 PGA Championship was the 77th time the tournament was played, and this one went to a playoff. Steve Elkington emerged from that playoff with his only major championship victory.
Winner: Steve Elkington, 267
Where it was played: Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles, California
Tournament dates: August 10-13, 1995
Leader after first round: Michael Bradley, 63
Leader after second round: Ernie Els and Mark O'Meara, 131
Leader after third round: Ernie Els, 197
What Happened at the 1995 PGA Championship
Ernie Els shared or held the lead at the 1995 PGA Championship after 36 holes and after 54. Following the third round, Els was in front by three strokes over Jeff Maggert. But neither Maggert nor Els figured in the final reckoning; Maggert played well with a 2-under 69, while Els posted a pedestrian 1-over 72. Both were overtaken by Steve Elkington and Colin Montgomerie.Elkington started the final round six strokes behind Els, while Monty was five back. But Elkington shot a blistering 64. Then Montgomerie made a long birdie putt on the 72nd green to shoot 65 and tie Elkington's 17-under 267 total.
On the first playoff hole, Elkington rolled in a 25-foot putt for birdie, then Monty missed a 20-footer. Steve Elkington was the 1995 PGA Championship winner. Els and Maggert tied for third.
Elkington's comeback from six behind was the second-best final-round comeback in tournament history to this point. Elkington and Montgomerie set a new tournament scoring record (later bettered) at 267, and tied what was then the lowest stroke total in any major (since bettered).
The victory was Elkington's sixth on the PGA Tour, and his first major. It remained his only major, although he did also win twice at the prestigious Players Championship. Montgomerie went on to a Hall of Fame career, but never won a major. He did set a record for most times finishing second in a major without winning, with five. His runner-up in the 1995 PGA was the second of those five.
Fifth-place finisher Brad Faxon tied the tournament (and then-major championship) 18-hole record with a 63 in the final round. That score included a 28 on the front nine, which set a 9-hole scoring record in the PGA Championship.
Jack Nicklaus finished tied for 67th here; it was the last time Nicklaus made the cut in a PGA Championship.
1995 PGA Championship Final Scores
| Steve Elkington | 68-67-68-64—267 |
| Colin Montgomerie | 68-67-67-65—267 |
| Ernie Els | 66-65-66-72—269 |
| Jeff Maggert | 66-69-65-69—269 |
| Brad Faxon | 70-67-71-63—271 |
| Bob Estes | 69-68-68-68—273 |
| Mark O'Meara | 64-67-69-73—273 |
| Jay Haas | 69-71-64-70—274 |
| Justin Leonard | 68-66-70-70—274 |
| Steve Lowery | 69-68-68-69—274 |
| Jeff Sluman | 69-67-68-69—274 |
| Craig Stadler | 71-66-66-71—274 |
| Jim Furyk | 68-70-69-68—275 |
| Miguel Angel Jimenez | 69-69-67-70—275 |
| Payne Stewart | 69-70-69-67—275 |
| Kirk Triplett | 71-69-68-67—275 |
| Mike Campbell | 71-65-71-69—276 |
| Costantino Rocca | 70-69-68-69—276 |
| Curtis Strange | 72-68-68-68—276 |
| Greg Norman | 66-69-70-72—277 |
| Jesper Parnevik | 69-69-70-69—277 |
| Duffy Waldorf | 69-69-67-72—277 |
| Woody Austin | 70-70-70-68—278 |
| Nolan Henke | 68-73-67-70—278 |
| Peter Jacobsen | 69-67-71-71—278 |
| Lee Janzen | 66-70-72-70—278 |
| Bruce Lietzke | 73-68-67-70—278 |
| Billy Mayfair | 68-68-72-70—278 |
| Steve Stricker | 75-64-69-70—278 |
| Sam Torrance | 69-69-69-71—278 |
| Paul Azinger | 70-70-72-67—279 |
| Mark Brooks | 67-74-69-69—279 |
| Fred Couples | 70-69-74-66—279 |
| Nick Faldo | 69-73-70-67—279 |
| Gil Morgan | 66-73-74-66—279 |
| Jose Maria Olazabal | 72-66-70-71—279 |
| Joe Ozaki | 71-70-65-73—279 |
| D.A. Weibring | 74-68-69-68—279 |
| Lennie Clements | 67-71-72-70—280 |
| Fred Funk | 70-72-68-70—280 |
| Sandy Lyle | 67-73-69-71—280 |
| Nick Price | 71-71-70-68—280 |
| Philip Walton | 71-70-71-68—280 |
| Chip Beck | 66-74-73-68—281 |
| Ben Crenshaw | 68-73-73-67—281 |
| Jim Gallagher Jr. | 64-72-73-72—281 |
| Gene Sauers | 69-71-68-73—281 |
| Peter Senior | 68-71-74-68—281 |
| John Adams | 65-76-71-70—282 |
| Brian Claar | 68-67-73-74—282 |
| Robin Freeman | 71-69-70-72—282 |
| Jumbo Ozaki | 73-68-69-72—282 |
| Kenny Perry | 75-67-70-70—282 |
| Michael Bradley | 63-73-73-74—283 |
| Hale Irwin | 71-68-71-73—283 |
| Tom Kite | 70-69-70-74—283 |
| Scott Simpson | 71-67-71-74—283 |
| Ed Dougherty | 68-72-74-70—284 |
| Per-Ulrik Johansson | 72-69-71-72—284 |
| Steve Pate | 71-71-71-71—284 |
| Loren Roberts | 74-68-71-71—284 |
| Tom Watson | 71-71-72-70—284 |
| Barry Lane | 74-68-75-68—285 |
| Mike Sullivan | 72-69-71-73—285 |
| Lanny Wadkins | 73-69-71-72—285 |
| Dillard Pruitt | 73-69-72-72—286 |
| David Frost | 69-73-72-73—287 |
| Jack Nicklaus | 69-71-71-76—287 |
| Fuzzy Zoeller | 72-69-75-72—288 |
| Brian Kamm | 71-66-74-78—289 |
| Curtis Byrum | 71-71-78-71—291 |
| Wayne DeFrancesco | 69-73-74-75—291 |
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