Ranking The Best PGA Championship Competitors Of All-Time
By Bill Felber
PGA Championship Era: 1960 to 1969
Between his professional debut in 1962 and 1967, Jack Nicklaus only once finished lower than third in the PGA. Combine that fact with his general excellence and it’s no surprise that Nicklaus was the dominant PGA Championship star of the decade.
Coming off a playoff victory over Arnold Palmer at the 1962 U.S. Open, Nicklaus tied for third in that year’s PGA, three strokes behind Gary Player. One year later, he beat the field by two strokes. He tied Palmer for second in 1964, tied Billy Casper for second in 1965, and in 1967 finished one stroke out of a playoff eventually won by Don January.
Here’s the full 1960s top 10:
1. Jack Nicklaus, -1.64
2. Gary Player, -1.38
3. Al Geiberger, -1.12
4. Arnold Palmer, -1.08
5. Doug Ford, -1.06
6. Doug Sanders, -0.88
7. Julius Boros, -0/88
8. Don January, -0.88
9. Wes Ellis Jr., -0.83
10. Frank Beard, -0.74
Gary Player made seven PGA Championship cuts during the decade, highlighted of course by his 1962 victory. He also finished second, one stroke behind Ray Floyd, in 1969, tied for eighth in 1963, and for third in 1966.
Failure to win the PGA Championship was an enduring gap on Arnold Palmer’s resume. He had several shots in the 1960s, including ties for second in 1964 and 1968, for fifth in 1961, for sixth in 1966, and for seventh in 1960.
He lost by three to Bobby Nichols in 1964, and in 1968 saw his best chance evaporate when Julius Boros pitched within two feet on the 72nd green and holed the par putt to beat him and Bob Charles by one.
The PGA Championship seemed to bring out the best in Geiberger. Three of his top fives in 1960s majors came in the PGA: he was fifth in 1963 and 1967 and a four-stroke winner in 1966.