1977 Tournament Players Championship

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1977 Tournament Players Championship
Tournament information
DatesMarch 17–20, 1977
LocationPonte Vedra Beach, Florida
30°11′20″N 81°22′12″W / 30.189°N 81.370°W / 30.189; -81.370Coordinates: 30°11′20″N 81°22′12″W / 30.189°N 81.370°W / 30.189; -81.370
Course(s)Sawgrass Country Club,
East-West course
Tour(s)PGA Tour
Statistics
Par72
Length7,174 yards (6,560 m)[1]
Field140 players, 79 after cut
Cut155 (+11)
Prize fund$300,000
Winner's share$60,000
Champion
United States Mark Hayes
289 (+1)
Location Map
Sawgrass CC is located in the United States
Sawgrass CC
Sawgrass CC
Location in the United States
← 1976
1978 →

The 1977 Tournament Players Championship was a golf tournament in Florida on the PGA Tour, held March 17–20 at Sawgrass Country Club in Ponte Vedra Beach, southeast of Jacksonville. The fourth Tournament Players Championship, it was the first of five consecutive at Sawgrass, which had agreed a multi-year with the PGA Tour in 1976.[2]

Mark Hayes was the champion in windy conditions at 289 (+1), two strokes ahead of runner-up Mike McCullough.[1][3][4] McCullough and Tom Watson were the co-leaders after the third round, with Hayes a stroke back.[5] Defending champion Jack Nicklaus finished four strokes back, in a tie for fifth place.[1][3]

Bob Menne set the tour's 72-hole record for fewest putts with 99,[6] but tied for 47th at 303 (+15).[1] The record had been 102 putts, by Bert Yancey in 1966 at his victory in the final Portland Open Invitational.[6][7]

Venue[]

This was the first of five Tournament Players Championships held at Sawgrass Country Club; it moved to the nearby TPC at Sawgrass Stadium Course in 1982. The venues for the first three editions in Georgia, Texas, and south Florida were familiar to most of the participants as those courses had recently hosted multiple PGA Tour events; this was the first tour event at Sawgrass.[4]

Past champions in the field[]

Made the cut[]

Player Country Year(s) won R1 R2 R3 R4 Total To par Finish
Jack Nicklaus  United States 1974, 1976 73 74 72 74 293 +5 T5

Source:[1][3]

Missed the cut[]

Player Country Year won R1 R2 Total To par
Al Geiberger  United States 1975 77 80 157 +13

Round summaries[]

First round[]

Thursday, March 17, 1977

Place Player Country Score To par
1 Mike McCullough  United States 66 −6
T3 Don Bies  United States 68 −4
Raymond Floyd  United States
Tom Watson  United States
T6 Bruce Devlin  Australia 69 −3
Billy Kratzert  United States
Ed Sabo  United States
J. C. Snead  United States
T10 Hubert Green  Australia 71 −1
Peter Oosterhuis  England
John Schroeder  United States

Source:[8][9]

Second round[]

Friday, March 18, 1977

Place Player Country Score To par
1 Mike McCullough  United States 66-74=140 −4
2 Tom Watson  United States 68-74=142 −2
T3 Raymond Floyd  United States 68-76=144 E
Bob E. Smith  United States 73-71=144
5 J. C. Snead  United States 69-76=145 +1
6 Mark Hayes  United States 72-74=146 +2
T7 Jack Nicklaus  United States 73-74=147 +3
Bill Rogers  United States 75-72=147
Tom Weiskopf  United States 75-72=147
Larry Ziegler  United States 74-73=147

Source:[10][11]

Third round[]

Saturday, March 19, 1977

Place Player Country Score To par
T1 Mike McCullough  United States 66-74-76=216 E
Tom Watson  United States 68-74-74=216
3 Mark Hayes  United States 72-74-71=217 +1
T4 Raymond Floyd  United States 68-76-74=218 +2
Hale Irwin  United States 72-77-69=218
6 Jack Nicklaus  United States 73-74-72=219 +3
T7 Bruce Devlin  Australia 69-79-72=220 +4
J. C. Snead  United States 69-76-75=220
T9 Danny Edwards  United States 75-76-70=221 +5
Tom Jenkins  United States 75-75-71=221
Larry Nelson  United States 74-74-73=221

Source:[5]

Final round[]

Sunday, March 20, 1977

Place Player Country Score To par Money ($)
1 Mark Hayes  United States 72-74-71-72=289 +1 60,000
2 Mike McCullough  United States 66-74-76-75=291 +3 34,200
T3 Bruce Devlin  Australia 69-79-72-72=292 +4 17,700
Hale Irwin  United States 72-77-69-74=292
T5 Graham Marsh  Australia 73-77-72-71=293 +5 10,900
Jack Nicklaus  United States 73-74-72-74=293
Tom Watson  United States 68-74-74-77=293
T8 Steve Melnyk  United States 73-76-73-72=294 +6 8,150
Larry Nelson  United States 74-74-73-73=294
Bill Rogers  United States 75-72-76-71=294

Source:[1][3]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d e f "While leaders stumble, Mark Hayes eases home". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. March 21, 1977. p. 17.
  2. ^ "TPC tounrey in Florida". Rome News-Tribune. (Georgia). May 19, 1976. p. 7A.
  3. ^ a b c d "Youth movement goes on as Hayes wins in the wind". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. March 21, 1977. p. 5C.
  4. ^ a b Jenkins, Dan (March 28, 1977). "In a class all by itself - for now". Sports Illustrated. p. 64.
  5. ^ a b "Erratic Tom Watson knots slumping Mike McCullough". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. March 20, 1977. p. D10.
  6. ^ a b Missildine, Harry (May 22, 1977). "Putting game? you want to bet?". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). p. D1.
  7. ^ Wetzel, Frank (September 19, 1966). "Putts propel Bert Yancey to Open title". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. p. 3B.
  8. ^ "Another unknown scrambles into lead". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. March 18, 1977. p. 6B.
  9. ^ "McCullough fires 66 to lead TPC by two". Chicago Tribune. Associated Press. March 18, 1977. p. 5, sec. 4.
  10. ^ "Wind turns TPGC into joke". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. March 19, 1977. p. 2B.
  11. ^ "Golfers agree - Sawgrass a laugh". Chicago Tribune. March 19, 1977. p. 3, sec. 2.

External links[]

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