| David Graham | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Graham in 1984 | |||
| Personal information | |||
| Full name | Anthony David Graham | ||
| Born | (1946-05-23)23 May 1946 (age 79) Melbourne, Australia | ||
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | ||
| Weight | 152 lb (69 kg; 10.9 st) | ||
| Sporting nationality |  Australia | ||
| Career | |||
| Turned professional | 1962 | ||
| Former tours | PGA Tour PGA Tour of Australia Champions Tour | ||
| Professional wins | 38 | ||
| Number of wins by tour | |||
| PGA Tour | 8 | ||
| European Tour | 3 | ||
| Japan Golf Tour | 1 | ||
| PGA Tour of Australasia | 5 | ||
| PGA Tour Champions | 5 | ||
| Other | 18 | ||
| Best results in major championships (wins: 2) | |||
| Masters Tournament | 5th:1980 | ||
| PGA Championship | Won:1979 | ||
| U.S. Open | Won:1981 | ||
| The Open Championship | T3:1985 | ||
| Achievements and awards | |||
| |||
Anthony David Graham,AM[1] (born 23 May 1946) is an Australian golfer. Graham turned pro as a teenager and had much success on the Australasian circuits in his youth, winning several tournaments. In 1972, he joined thePGA Tour where he continued with good play, winning several tournaments. This culminated with major tournament wins at the1979 PGA Championship and1981 U.S. Open. As a senior, Graham won five times on theSenior PGA Tour.
Graham was born and grew up inMelbourne, Australia. At young age he used to pass the Wattle Park nine-hole golf course when cycling to school and one day the local professional John Green offered him a job in the shop during week-ends. Graham started to learn to play and he did it as a left-hander.[2] At age 13, against the strong will of his father, Graham quit school to work in the golf shop and Graham and his father never spoke to each other after that. At the age of 14, Graham was offered the second-assistant job atRiversdale Golf Club by head professionalGeorge Naismith, who convinced Graham to play right-handed.[3][2][4][5]
Shortly thereafter, in late 1962, Naismith retired and Graham instead worked for a short time under Naismith's brother at Waverley Golf Club, south east of Melbourne. Graham then moved to the north-western part ofTasmania to work as an instructor at Seabrook Golf Club.[4]
In 1967, after playing golf with Eric Cremin, who came to Seabrook for an exhibition to promote Precision Golf Forging golf clubs, Graham got the opportunity to start working at a sporting goods store in Sydney. During this time he honed his golf skills atRoyal Sydney Golf Club under the tutelage of Alec Mercer, the club professional.[6]
In early 1968, Graham started working full-time as a touring professional.[6]
Among the first tournaments Graham received media attention for was the 1968Brisbane Water Tournament. In difficult conditions in the second round he moved into a tie for third.[7] The third round was cancelled and in the final round Graham shot a 72 to finish solo fourth, four behind championBob Shaw.[8]
In February 1969, Graham's finished in a tie for third at the two-round $3,500 Amoco Open atForbes, New South Wales, four back of champion Tony Mangan.[9]
Shortly thereafter, he moved onto theAsia Golf Circuit. In mid-March he finished joint second at the1969Malaysian Open, one behind championTakaaki Kono.[10] At this point he was in third place on theAsia Golf Circuit's Order of Merit.[11] The following week at theSingapore Open he was one back of leadersTomio Kamata of Japan andGuy Wolstenholme of England after three rounds. Graham made up one stroke on the leaders during the back nine to enter a playoff with them, but lost to Kamata on the third extra hole.[12]
After these two runner-ups finishes, Graham entered[13] the next tournament, theHong Kong Open, and shot two rounds of 69 to put him near the lead,[14] but finished in a tie for 14th place.[15] Graham cited his poor putting for his weak play.[6][15] At that point Graham said his goal was to qualify for theAlcan Open, a limited-field tournament on thePGA Tour to be held in September in the United States.[6] The1969 Asia Golf Circuit finished in April with Graham tied forth on theOrder of Merit.[16][17]
In June 1969 he played a two-round tournament for a $1,650 purse inGoolwa, South Australia at South Lakes Golf Course. He shot a final round 70 to defeatJohn Lister by one stroke.[18]
As of August 1969, Graham had qualified for the Alcan Open inPortland, Oregon.[19][20] He finished 22nd among the 24 players in the field, 23 shots behind championBilly Casper.[21][6]
Shortly thereafter, he returned to Australia. In October he played theCity of Sydney Open and finished fourth.[22] Later in the month he played theAustralian Open. He shot a second round 69 to move into a tie for fifth, behindGuy Wolstenholme,Bruce Devlin,Peter Thomson, andGary Player.[23] However, he was not near the lead as the tournament concluded.[24] In November he played theNorth Coast Open inCoffs Harbour, New South Wales.[25] He finished in solo second place, three back of champion Tony Mangan.[26] In December he played theCaltex Tournament at Paraparaumu Links Golf Course inWellington, New Zealand, and finished in a tie for fourteenth.[27]
Early in 1970, Graham won two events in Australia. In February, he played theTasmanian Open at Kingston Beach Golf Club. With a final round 72, Graham defeatedTerry Kendall by one.[28] Right before the tournament began he played the one-round $750 Golden Crumpet Purse, also at Kingston Beach. He shot a 68 (−5) to tie Terry Kendall for second place, two behind champion Tony Mangan.[29]
The next week he won theVictorian Open.[30] Graham defeatedKevin Hartley,Kel Nagle, andGuy Wolstenholme by four shots. His 273 (−19) total brokeYarra Yarra Golf Club's course record, set byGary Player in 1959, by two shots.[2]
The following week Graham played theNew South Wales Open at Pymble Golf Course in Sydney. After three rounds Graham was five behind leaderKel Nagle. In the final round Graham made four birdies on holes 13–17. At the 477-yard par-5 18th hole Graham hit his second shot into a bunker. He hit his sand shot to 18 feet. His "chances of birdie looked remote" but he holed the putt creating a "tremendous roar" from the gallery. He entered an 18-hole playoff withFrank Phillips the following day.[31] Graham was behind for most of the playoff but got tied by the 15th hole. However, Phillips birdied the final two holes to defeat Graham by two strokes.[32]
Back onto theAsia Golf Circuit he played theThailand Open in March 1970. He came from three strokes behind in the final round to win.[33] The following month he played theYomiuri International in Japan, also on the Asian circuit. Graham birdied the final two holes to win by three over New ZealanderWalter Godfrey and four over pre-tournament favoriteTommy Aaron. With the victory, Graham won A$10,500 and a Japanese car.[34]
As of July 1970, he had qualified forThe Open atSt Andrews, Scotland, where he entered The Open Championship for the first time and went on to finished tied 32nd.[35][36][37]
In early November 1970, Graham attempted to qualify for thePGA Tour atPGA Tour Qualifying School inTucson, Arizona.[38] He failed to qualify by one stroke.[39]
In December 1970, two weeks after his appearance at the 1970 World Cup in Argentina, Graham played theArgentine Masters. After the first two rounds, Graham was tied for second,[40] one behind the leaderRoberto De Vicenzo, who went on to win the tournament.
Late in November 1970 it was announced that Graham would represent Australia at the1970 World Cup withBruce Devlin. The event would be held at the Jockey Club inBuenos Aires, Argentina.[41] Ahead of the World Cup event, the organizing International Golf Association, preferred the more well-knownBruce Crampton to team for Australia with Bruce Devlin. Crampton, as well as Kel Nagle and Peter Thomson, had declined to play[3] and The Australian PGA threatened not to send a team if Graham was not included.
It took a 54-hour plane trip for both Graham and Devin to reach Argentina and both were "tired" once they started playing the first round. However, both played excellently in the opening round. Graham fired a bogey-free 65 (−7) and Devlin a bogey-free 66 (−6). At 131 (−13), they held a three-stroke lead over Argentina's team. In the individual competition, Graham was in solo second, one behind leader, home legendRoberto De Vicenzo, while Devlin was tied for third. After the round Graham stated, "I don't regard it as my best performance ever, but it is pretty close."[42] In the second round Graham shot a 67 (−5) while Devlin shot a 69 (−3). In the third round Graham shot a back nine 30 (−7), including birdies on the final four holes, to record at 65 (−7). Devlin recorded a third round 66 (−6). They held a 19-stroke lead over Argentina, the second place team. After the round, according toThe Canberra Times, "Graham said the three rounds here were the so far were the best he's ever played."[39] Among individuals, Graham held a two-stroke lead overRoberto De Vicenzo.[43] At the beginning of the final round both Graham and his partner Devlin played poorly shooting 35 and 36, respectively, over the course of the par-35 front nine.[44] In addition, Graham lost the solo individual lead to de Vicenzo when Graham bogeyed the par-3 8th hole and the Argentine birdied it.[43] According to thePapua New Guinea Post-Courier, however, at the end of the front nine the Australians "were assured of victory over their nearest rivals Argentina." At his point their team still had an 11 stroke lead over Argentina.[44] Among individuals, "The lead see-sawed back and forth until De Vicenzo took the lead for good with a birdie on the par-5 15th."[43] Graham finished second among individuals. The Australian team won by a record ten shots. At 544, they beat the team record set byArnold Palmer andJack Nicklaus at the1966 Canada Cup by four shots.[43]
Devlin and Graham again represented Australia in the1971 World Cup, but when Devlin was not selected for the event the year after, Graham refused to play and never again participated in anyWorld Cup events.[45]
Another controversy with Graham involved was reported during the inaugural1985 Dunhill Cup at theOld Course at St Andrews, Scotland. Australia won the team event, with Graham,Greg Norman andGraham Marsh in the team. Prior to the tournament, Marsh had criticized Graham for accepting appearance money for playing in Australian golf tournaments. At the time, Marsh had recently been made anMBE for services to golf and was for six years chairman of thePGA Tour of Australasia. However, Norman took David Graham's side in the debate and Australia went on to win the tournament despite the conflict. In1986, Australia successfully defended the title with Graham, Norman andRodger Davis in their team.[46]
In late 1971 Graham attempted to qualify for thePGA Tour atPGA Tour Qualifying School. He was successful.[47] In 1976, he won twice on the PGA Tour, and then came from behind to secure a victory over the reigning championHale Irwin in thePiccadilly World Match Play Championship atWentworth Club in England.[48]
Graham won twomajor championships, the1979 PGA Championship and the1981 U.S. Open[49][50] He also finished third at the1985 Open Championship, after sharing the third-round lead. He became the fourth Australian major champion (afterJim Ferrier,Peter Thomson andKel Nagle) and the first to win a U.S. Open. He is the only Australian male golfer to win two differentmen's major golf championships.
Both of his major victories came in remarkable fashion. In the 1979 PGA Championship, atOakland Hills, outside Detroit, Michigan, he stood on the last tee at 7 under par for his final round and leading by two, but double-bogeyed the last hole for a 65 to drop back into a playoff withBen Crenshaw. At each of the first two sudden-death holes he holed long putts to keep the playoff alive and finally won at the third extra hole.
At the1981 U.S. Open, atMerion Golf Club, just west ofPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania. Graham shot a 67 in the final round to overturn a three-shot deficit to overnight leaderGeorge Burns to win by 3 strokes. In the last round he hit every green in regulation and every fairway except one.
In 1982, Graham was interested in club making and was appointed byJack Nicklaus as a club designer atMacGregor Golf Company.[51]
In 1996, upon turning 50, Graham joined theSenior PGA TOUR. Graham won five times on the tour.
On 27 June 2004, during the final round of theBank of America Championship inConcord, Massachusetts, Graham collapsed over a putt on the eighth green. He was later diagnosed withcongestive heart failure, ending his competitive golf career at age 58.[52]
In 1968, Graham married Maureen.[6] They formerly lived inDelray Beach, Florida and then moved toDallas, Texas. They have two sons.[3]
Graham is now retired and resides inWhitefish, Montana.
| Legend |
|---|
| Major championships (2) |
| Other PGA Tour (6) |
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | To par | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 Jul1972 | Cleveland Open | 68-73-68-69=278 | −6 | Playoff | Bruce Devlin |
| 2 | 18 Jul1976 | American Express Westchester Classic | 63-68-70-71=272 | −12 | 3 strokes |  Ben Crenshaw,Tom Watson,Fuzzy Zoeller |
| 3 | 29 Aug 1976 | American Golf Classic | 69-67-69-69=274 | −14 | 4 strokes | Lou Graham |
| 4 | 5 Aug1979 | PGA Championship | 69-68-70-65=272 | −8 | Playoff | Ben Crenshaw |
| 5 | 25 May1980 | Memorial Tournament | 73-67-70-70=280 | −8 | 1 stroke | Tom Watson |
| 6 | 24 Jan1981 | Phoenix Open | 65-68-69-66=268 | −16 | 1 stroke | Lon Hinkle |
| 7 | 21 Jun 1981 | U.S. Open | 68-68-70-67=273 | −7 | 3 strokes | George Burns,Bill Rogers |
| 8 | 8 May1983 | Houston Coca-Cola Open | 66-72-73-64=275 | −9 | 5 strokes | Lee Elder,Jim Thorpe,Lee Trevino |
PGA Tour playoff record (2–1)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1972 | Cleveland Open | Bruce Devlin | Won with birdie on second extra hole |
| 2 | 1972 | Liggett & Myers Open | Lou Graham,Hale Irwin,Larry Ziegler | L. Graham won with birdie on third extra hole D. Graham and Ziegler eliminated by par on first hole |
| 3 | 1979 | PGA Championship | Ben Crenshaw | Won with birdie on third extra hole |
| Legend |
|---|
| Major championships (2) |
| Other European Tour (1) |
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | To par | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 Aug1979 | PGA Championship | 69-68-70-65=272 | −8 | Playoff | Ben Crenshaw |
| 2 | 21 Jun1981 | U.S. Open | 68-68-70-67=273 | −7 | 3 strokes | George Burns,Bill Rogers |
| 3 | 24 Oct1982 | Trophée Lancôme | 66-70-70-70=276 | −12 | 2 strokes |  Seve Ballesteros |
European Tour playoff record (1–0)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1979 | PGA Championship | Ben Crenshaw | Won with birdie on third extra hole |
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | To par | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | July 1970 | French Open | 268 | 1 stroke |  Jean Garaïalde | |
| 2 | 9 Oct 1976 | Piccadilly World Match Play Championship | 38 holes | Hale Irwin | ||
| 3 | 18 Oct 1981 | Trophée Lancôme | 71-72-67-70=280 | −8 | 5 strokes |  Isao Aoki, Sandy Lyle |
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | To par | Margin of victory | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 May1976 | Chunichi Crowns | 72-68-69-67=276 | −4 | 1 stroke | Yasuhiro Miyamoto |
PGA of Japan Tour playoff record (0–1)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1985 | Taiheiyo Club Masters | Tsuneyuki Nakajima | Lost to birdie on first extra hole |
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | To par | Margin of victory | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 22 Mar1970 | Thailand Open | 74-72-71-69=286 | −2 | 1 stroke |  Hsieh Min-Nan |
| 2 | 19 Apr 1970 | Yomiuri International | 71-71-75-69=286 | −2 | 3 strokes |  Walter Godfrey |
Asia Golf Circuit playoff record (0–1)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponents | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1969 | Singapore Open | Tomio Kamata, Guy Wolstenholme | Kamata won with birdie on third extra hole Wolstenholme eliminated by par on first hole |
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | To par | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 26 Oct 1975 | Wills Masters | 71-70-69-72=282 | −8 | 2 strokes | Rob McNaughton |
| 2 | 20 Nov 1977 | Australian Open | 74-71-68-71=284 | −4 | 3 strokes | Don January,Bruce Lietzke,John Lister |
| 3 | 28 Oct 1979 | CBA West Lakes Classic | 72-70-72-71=285 | −3 | 2 strokes | Bob Shearer,Gary Vanier |
| 4 | 13 Oct 1985 | Stefan Queensland Open | 66-64-69-70=269 | −19 | 5 strokes | Paul Foley |
| 5 | 11 Oct1987 | Konica Queensland Open (2) | 69-71-69-66=275 | −13 | 7 strokes | Vaughan Somers |
PGA Tour of Australia playoff record (0–1)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1983 | National Panasonic New South Wales Open | Greg Norman | Lost to par on second extra hole |
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | To par | Margin of victory | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 Dec1979 | Air New Zealand Shell Open | 70-67-69-73=279 | −5 | 8 strokes | Rodger Davis |
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | To par | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 15 Nov 1970 | World Cup (with Bruce Devlin) | 131-136-131-146=544 | −32 | 10 strokes |  Argentina −Roberto De Vicenzo andVicente Fernández |
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | To par | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 16 Feb1997 | GTE Classic | 71-68-65=204 | −9 | 3 strokes | Bob Dickson |
| 2 | 30 Mar 1997 | Southwestern Bell Dominion | 68-69-69=206 | −10 | 1 stroke | John Jacobs |
| 3 | 21 Sep 1997 | Comfort Classic | 67-68-65=200 | −16 | 1 stroke | Buddy Allin,Larry Nelson |
| 4 | 1 Feb1998 | Royal Caribbean Classic | 67-68-67=202 | −11 | Playoff | Dave Stockton |
| 5 | 17 Oct1999 | Raley's Gold Rush Classic | 63-71-65=199 | −17 | 4 strokes | Larry Mowry |
Senior PGA Tour playoff record (1–1)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1996 | Emerald Coast Classic | Bob Eastwood,Mike Hill,Dave Stockton,Lee Trevino | Trevino won with birdie on first extra hole |
| 2 | 1998 | Royal Caribbean Classic | Dave Stockton | Won with birdie on tenth extra hole |
| Year | Championship | 54 holes | Winning score | Margin | Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | PGA Championship | 4 shot deficit | −8 (69–68–70–65=272) | Playoff1 | Ben Crenshaw |
| 1981 | U.S. Open | 3 shot deficit | −7 (68–68–70–67=273) | 3 strokes | George Burns,Bill Rogers |
1Defeated Crenshaw with birdie on third extra hole.
| Tournament | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | T36 | CUT | T29 | T6 | T9 | WD | ||||
| U.S. Open | CUT | CUT | T47 | T58 | T18 | T29 | CUT | CUT | CUT | 7 |
| The Open Championship | T32 | CUT | T11 | T28 | T21 | CUT | T39 | |||
| PGA Championship | CUT | CUT | 10 | T4 | CUT | CUT | 1 |
| Tournament | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | 5 | 7 | 19 | 46 | T6 | T10 | T28 | T27 | ||
| U.S. Open | T47 | 1 | T6 | T8 | T21 | T23 | T15 | T51 | T47 | T61 |
| The Open Championship | T29 | T14 | T27 | T14 | CUT | T3 | T11 | 34 | CUT | T61 |
| PGA Championship | T26 | T43 | T49 | T14 | T48 | T32 | T7 | CUT | T17 | CUT |
| Tournament | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | ||||||
| U.S. Open | 64 | 60 | ||||
| The Open Championship | T8 | CUT | ||||
| PGA Championship | T66 | T52 | CUT | CUT | CUT |
CUT = missed the halfway cut (3rd round cut in 1971, 1977 and 1984 Open Championships)
WD = withdrew
"T" indicates a tie for a place.
| Tournament | Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top-5 | Top-10 | Top-25 | Events | Cuts made |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 14 | 12 |
| U.S. Open | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 8 | 22 | 17 |
| The Open Championship | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 19 | 14 |
| PGA Championship | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 22 | 13 |
| Totals | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 16 | 28 | 77 | 56 |
 | ||
Lost: 20 – 12 | ||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Academics | |
