Mike Souchak
Mike Souchak | |||
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Personal information | |||
Full name | Michael Souchak | ||
Born | Berwick, Pennsylvania | May 10, 1927||
Died | July 10, 2008 Belleair, Florida | (aged 81)||
Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||
Weight | 215 lb (98 kg; 15.4 st) | ||
Sporting nationality | United States | ||
Spouse | Nancy Souchak | ||
Children | 3 sons, 1 daughter | ||
Career | |||
College | Duke University | ||
Turned professional | 1952 | ||
Former tour(s) | PGA Tour Champions Tour | ||
Professional wins | At least 19 | ||
Number of wins by tour | |||
PGA Tour | 15 | ||
Best results in major championships | |||
Masters Tournament | T4:1955 | ||
PGA Championship | T5:1959 | ||
U.S. Open | T3:1959,1960 | ||
The Open Championship | T8:1956 | ||
Achievements and awards | |||
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Michael Souchak(May 10, 1927 – July 10, 2008) was an American professionalgolfer.He won fifteen events on thePGA Tourin the 1950s and 1960s and represented the United States for theRyder Cupin1959and1961.[1][2][3]
Early life
[edit]Born and raised inBerwick, Pennsylvania,[1]Souchak served two years as a gunner in theU.S. Navy.[4]He then attendedDuke UniversityinDurham, North Carolina,and played bothgolfandfootballfor theBlue Devils,as anendandplacekicker.[2]
Professional career
[edit]In his first win at the 1955Texas Open,Souchak set and tied several records. In the first round, he tied the tour's 18-hole record with a 60. This record was finally broken in 1977 byAl Geiberger's 59. This first round also included a record-breaking 27 on the back nine holes. This record was not broken until 2006 byCorey Pavin.He then finished with a 72-hole record of 257 (27-under-par).[5][6]This aggregate total record also stood until the 21st century untilMark Calcavecchiashot 256 at the 2001Phoenix Open.[7]
Souchak's fifteen PGA Tour wins came between 1955 and 1964, with his best year in 1956 (four victories). He won three tour titles in 1959, and was on an early cover ofSports Illustratedin January 1956, for its preview of theBing Crosby Pro-Am.[8]
Souchak had eleven top-10 finishes atmajor championships,including third-place finishes at theU.S. Openin1959and1960.[9]Souchak led after 36 holes in 1960 with a new record score of 135, which was 7-under-par. But he struggled on the final hole of the third round (which was played on the same day as the fourth round,) making a triple bogey, and couldn't regain his composure.Arnold Palmer,who had been seven strokes behind entering the final round, shot 65 to win the championship.
In 1970, Souchak moved from North Carolina toFloridaand became the first head pro at theInnisbrook Resort and Golf ClubinPalm Harbor, Florida,and resided inBelleair.
Souchak played on theSenior PGA Tourfrom its inception in 1980 until 1990. His best finish was second place in his very first tournament, theAtlantic City Senior Internationalin 1980.
Personal life
[edit]Souchak was married to Nancy. He had four children: sons Mike, Frank, and Chris Souchak and daughter Patti Taylor, as well as five grandchildren. He ran Golf Car Systems, a preventive maintenance firm,[4]with his business partner Bill Dodd until his death from complications of aheart attackin 2008.
Awards and honors
[edit]Souchak was inducted into the Duke Sports Hall of Fame in 1976.[10]
Professional wins (19)
[edit]PGA Tour wins (15)
[edit]No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | To par | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Feb 20, 1955 | Texas Open | 60-68-64-65=257 | −27 | 7 strokes | Fred Haas |
2 | Feb 27, 1955 | Houston Open | 70-71-67-65=273 | −15 | 2 strokes | Jerry Barber |
3 | Jan 22, 1956 | Agua Caliente Open | 65-71-74-71=281 | −7 | 2 strokes | Tommy Bolt |
4 | Apr 1, 1956 | Azalea Open Invitational | 70-70-65-68=273 | −15 | 1 stroke | Dick Mayer |
5 | May 6, 1956 | Colonial National Invitation | 74-72-65-69=280 | E | 1 stroke | Tommy Bolt |
6 | Aug 26, 1956 | St. Paul Open | 70-69-70-62=271 | −17 | 1 stroke | Sam Snead |
7 | Aug 17,1958 | St. Paul Open Invitational(2) | 66-64-68-65=263 | −25 | 4 strokes | Julius Boros,Sam Snead |
8 | Apr 26,1959 | Tournament of Champions | 66-70-68-77=281 | −7 | 2 strokes | Art Wall Jr. |
9 | Jul 12, 1959 | Western Open | 67-67-73-65=272 | −8 | 1 stroke | Arnold Palmer |
10 | Aug 16, 1959 | Motor City Open | 69-63-67-69=268 | −16 | 9 strokes | Billy Casper,Doug Ford |
11 | Jan 31,1960 | San Diego Open Invitational | 67-68-67-67=269 | −19 | 1 stroke | Johnny Pott |
12 | Jul 4, 1960 | Buick Open Invitational | 71-68-74-69=282 | −6 | 1 stroke | Gay Brewer,Art Wall Jr. |
13 | Apr 16,1961 | Greater Greensboro Open | 70-68-69-69=276 | −8 | 7 strokes | Sam Snead |
14 | Apr 19,1964 | Houston Classic(2) | 71-69-68-70=278 | −6 | 1 stroke | Jack Nicklaus |
15 | May 24, 1964 | Memphis Open Invitational | 69-65-67-69=270 | −10 | 1 stroke | Billy Casper,Tommy Jacobs |
PGA Tour playoff record (0–3)
No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1955 | Thunderbird Invitational | Fred Haas,Shelley Mayfield | Mayfield won with birdie on second extra hole after 18-hole playoff; Mayfield: −3 (69), Souchak: −3 (69), Haas: −2 (70) |
2 | 1957 | Thunderbird Invitational | Jimmy Demaret,Ken Venturi | Demaret won 18-hole playoff; Demaret: −4 (67), Souchak: + 4 (75), Venturi: +5 (76) |
3 | 1963 | Hot Springs Open Invitational | Dave Hill | Lost to par on second extra hole |
Other wins (4)
[edit]This list is probably incomplete
- 1955Havana Invitational[11]
- 1959Carolinas PGA Championship
- 1967Michigan Open
- 1968Michigan PGA Championship
Results in major championships
[edit]Tournament | 1953 | 1954 | 1955 | 1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | T4 | T17 | CUT | T14 | T25 | ||
U.S. Open | CUT | CUT | T10 | T29 | CUT | CUT | T3 |
The Open Championship | T8 | ||||||
PGA Championship | R16 | T8 | T5 |
Tournament | 1960 | 1961 | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | T16 | T28 | T5 | T11 | T9 | T35 | T33 | |||
U.S. Open | T3 | T4 | T14 | T32 | CUT | CUT | T42 | |||
The Open Championship | ||||||||||
PGA Championship | T12 | T45 | T39 | T23 | T13 | T15 | CUT | T20 | CUT | T59 |
Tournament | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | |||||||
U.S. Open | CUT | CUT | |||||
The Open Championship | CUT | ||||||
PGA Championship | T29 |
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
R16, QF, SF = Round in which player lost in PGA Championship match play
Summary
[edit]Tournament | Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top-5 | Top-10 | Top-25 | Events | Cuts made |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 12 | 11 |
U.S. Open | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 16 | 8 |
The Open Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
PGA Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 14 | 12 |
Totals | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 11 | 22 | 44 | 32 |
- Most consecutive cuts made – 19 (1958 PGA – 1965 Masters)
- Longest streak of top-10s – 2 (twice)
U.S. national team appearances
[edit]- Ryder Cup:1959(winners),1961(winners)
- Hopkins Trophy:1956 (winners)
References
[edit]- ^abGrimsley, Will (June 18, 1976)."Realist Mike Souchak doesn't miss big time".Schenectady Gazette.(New York)). Associated Press. p. 31.
- ^abGoldstein, Richard (July 13, 2008)."Mike Souchak dies at 81".The Day.(New London, Connecticut).(New York Times).p. C6.
- ^Fields, Bill (July 10, 2008)."Mike Souchak, 1927–2008".Golf Digest.RetrievedAugust 9,2016.
- ^abO'Keefe, John (September 23, 2002)."Mike Souchak, golfer".Sports Illustrated.p. 10.
- ^"Souchak's 257 cops Texas Open".St. Petersburg Times.(Florida). Associated Press. February 21, 1955. p. 18.
- ^"Mike Souchak registers record-shattering 257 to win Texas Open by 7 strokes".Youngstown Vindicator.(Ohio). Associated Press. February 21, 1955. p. 13.
- ^"Calcavecchia sets record in victory".Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.Associated Press. January 29, 2001. p. D6.
- ^"The Crosby tournament".Sports Illustrated.January 16, 1956. p. 12.
- ^"Longtime PGA Tour scoring record-holder Souchak dies at 81".PGA Tour. July 10, 2008.RetrievedDecember 10,2013.
- ^"Duke Sports Hall of Fame".RetrievedDecember 10,2013.
- ^"Souchak wins Havana Invitational tourney".The Pantagraph.Bloomington, Illinois. December 5, 1955. p. 11.RetrievedMarch 20,2020– via Newspapers.
External links
[edit]- Mike Souchakat thePGA Tourofficial site
- Duke University Athletics– Mike Souchak
- Mike SouchakatFind a Grave
- American male golfers
- Duke Blue Devils men's golfers
- PGA Tour golfers
- PGA Tour Champions golfers
- Ryder Cup competitors for the United States
- Golfers from Pennsylvania
- Duke Blue Devils football players
- Players of American football from Pennsylvania
- People from Berwick, Pennsylvania
- Sportspeople from Columbia County, Pennsylvania
- People from Belleair, Florida
- Sportspeople from Pinellas County, Florida
- 1927 births
- 2008 deaths
- United States Navy personnel of World War II
- United States Navy sailors