1987 PGA Championship
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The 1987 PGA Championship was the 69th PGA Championship, held August 6–9 at the Champion Course of PGA National Golf Club in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. In hot and windy conditions, Larry Nelson won his second PGA Championship in a sudden-death playoff over 1977 champion Lanny Wadkins. It was Nelson's third and final major title.
D.A. Weibring, a 54-hole co-leader, shot 76 (+4) and finished a stroke back at even-par 288. The other co-leader, Mark McCumber, posted 77 and finished in a tie for fifth. Two major champions in contention shot high scores and fell back: Seve Ballesteros (78) and Raymond Floyd (80).
In the August heat of Florida, the attendance was low. A record high temperature for the day of 97 °F (36 °C) was recorded on Sunday. It was the second major played in Florida, following the PGA Championship in 1971, played in February at the old PGA National. Through 2021, this is the last major played in the state. The purse was the last under $1 million at the PGA Championship.
With the win, Nelson gained an automatic bid to the Ryder Cup team in 1987, his third, bumping Don Pooley. Nelson's record in that competition in late September was 0–3–1, as the U.S. lost the Cup for the first time on home soil. He lost all three pairs matches and halved his singles match.
The Champion Course hosted the Ryder Cup in 1983 and the Senior PGA Championship for 19 years (1982–2000). Since 2007, it has been the venue of The Honda Classic on the PGA Tour, played in March.
Round summaries
First round
Thursday, August 6, 1987
Source:
Second round
Saturday, August 7, 1987
| Place | Player | Score | To par |
|---|---|---|---|
| T1 | United States Raymond Floyd | 70-70=140 | −4 |
| United States Lanny Wadkins | 70-70=140 | ||
| T3 | United States Tim Simpson | 71-70=141 | −3 |
| United States Jeff Sluman | 72-69=141 | ||
| T5 | Spain Seve Ballesteros | 72-70=142 | −2 |
| United States Ben Crenshaw | 72-70=142 | ||
| United States Larry Nelson | 70-72=142 | ||
| United States Bobby Wadkins | 68-74=142 | ||
| T9 | United States Bobby Clampett | 71-72=143 | −1 |
| United States Mark McCumber | 74-69=143 |
Source:
Third round
Saturday, August 8, 1987
| Place | Player | Score | To par |
|---|---|---|---|
| T1 | United States Mark McCumber | 74-69-69=212 | −4 |
| United States D. A. Weibring | 73-72-67=212 | ||
| T3 | United States Raymond Floyd | 70-70-73=213 | −3 |
| United States Bobby Wadkins | 68-74-71=213 | ||
| T5 | Spain Seve Ballesteros | 72-70-72=214 | −2 |
| United States Lanny Wadkins | 70-70-74=214 | ||
| 7 | United States Larry Nelson | 70-72-73=215 | −1 |
| T8 | United States Ben Crenshaw | 72-70-74=216 | E |
| South Africa David Frost | 75-70-71=216 | ||
| T10 | United States Curt Byrum | 74-75-68=217 | +1 |
| United States Don Pooley | 73-71-73=217 | ||
| Zimbabwe Nick Price | 76-71-70=217 | ||
| United States Curtis Strange | 70-76-71=217 |
Source:
Final round
Sunday, August 9, 1987
| Place | Player | Score | To par | Money ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| T1 | United States Larry Nelson | 70-72-73-72=287 | −1 | Playoff |
| United States Lanny Wadkins | 70-70-74-73=287 | |||
| T3 | United States Scott Hoch | 74-74-71-69=288 | E | 58,750 |
| United States D. A. Weibring | 73-72-67-76=288 | |||
| T5 | United States Mark McCumber | 74-69-69-77=289 | +1 | 37,500 |
| United States Don Pooley | 73-71-73-72=289 | |||
| T7 | United States Ben Crenshaw | 72-70-74-74=290 | +2 | 27,500 |
| United States Bobby Wadkins | 68-74-71-77=290 | |||
| 9 | United States Curtis Strange | 70-76-71-74=291 | +3 | 22,500 |
| T10 | Spain Seve Ballesteros | 72-70-72-78=292 | +4 | 17,000 |
| South Africa David Frost | 75-70-71-76=292 | |||
| United States Tom Kite | 72-77-71-72=292 | |||
| Zimbabwe Nick Price | 76-71-70-75=292 |
Source:
Scorecard
| Birdie | Bogey | Double bogey |
Final round
| Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Par | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 5 |
| United States Nelson | −1 | E | −1 | −2 | −2 | −2 | −2 | −2 | −2 | −2 | −2 | −2 | −2 | −1 | −1 | E | −1 | −1 |
| United States Wadkins | −3 | −1 | −2 | −3 | −3 | −3 | −3 | −2 | −1 | −1 | −2 | E | E | E | −1 | −1 | −1 | −1 |
Cumulative tournament scores, relative to par Source:
Playoff
The sudden-death playoff began on the par-4 10th hole, where both missed the green. Nelson chipped to six feet (1.8 m) and Wadkins to four. First to putt, Nelson saved par but Wadkins missed his attempt to extend the playoff.
| Place | Player | Score | To par | Money ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States Larry Nelson | 4 | E | 150,000 |
| 2 | United States Lanny Wadkins | x | +1 | 90,000 |
External links
- – 1987 PGA Championship
26°49′44″N 80°08′28″W/26.829°N 80.141°W/ 26.829; -80.141