- Mike Souchak
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Mike Souchak Personal information Full name Michael Souchak Born May 10, 1927
Berwick, PennsylvaniaDied July 10, 2008 (aged 81)
Belleair, FloridaHeight 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) Weight 215 lb (98 kg; 15.4 st) Nationality United States
Career College Duke University Turned professional 1952 Former tour(s) PGA Tour
Champions TourProfessional wins 18 Number of wins by tour PGA Tour 15 Best results in Major Championships Masters Tournament T4: 1955 U.S. Open T3: 1959, 1960 The Open Championship T8: 1956 PGA Championship T5: 1959 Achievements and awards Duke Sports Hall of Fame 1976 Michael Souchak (May 10, 1927 – July 10, 2008) was an American professional golfer who won 15 times on the PGA Tour in the 1950s and 1960s, and played for the 1959 and 1961 Ryder Cup teams.
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Early years, college
Souchak was born in Berwick, Pennsylvania. He attended Duke University where he played both golf and football. He was inducted into the Duke Sports Hall of Fame in 1976.[1]
Tour record-setter
In his first win at the 1955 Texas 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 by Al Geiberger's 59. This first round also included a record-breaking 27 on the back nine holes, a record that was tied by Andy North in 1975, Billy Mayfair in 2001 and Robert Gamez in 2004, and broken by Corey Pavin in 2006. He then finished with a 72-hole record of 257 (27 under par). This record stood until 2001 when Mark Calcavecchia shot 256 at the Phoenix Open (this record was subsequently broken when Tommy Armour III shot 254 at the 2003 Valero Texas Open).
Souchak's 15 Tour wins came between 1955 and 1964, with his best year being 1956, when he won four times. He won three Tour titles in 1959.
Near misses in majors
Souchak finished 11 times in the top-10 at major championships, including third place finishes at the 1959 and 1960 U.S. Opens.[2] In 1960, Souchak led the U.S. Open after 36 holes with a new record score of 135, which was 7 under par. But he struggled on the final hole of the third 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.
Souchak played on the Senior PGA Tour (now called the Champions Tour) from its inception in 1980 until 1990. His best finish was second place in his very first tournament, the 1980 Atlantic City Senior International.
Souchak moved from North Carolina to Florida in 1970 and became the first head pro at the Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club, in Palm Harbor, Florida. He then resided in Belleair, Florida, with his wife Nancy. He had four children, Mike, Frank, and Chris Souchak and Patti Taylor, as well as five grandchildren. He ran Golf Car Systems with his partner Bill Dodd until his death from complications of a heart attack in 2008.
PGA Tour wins (15)
No. Date Tournament Winning Score Margin of Victory Runner(s)-up 1 Feb 20, 1955 Texas Open -27 (60-68-64-65=257) 7 strokes Fred Haas
2 Feb 27, 1955 Houston Open -15 (70-71-67-65=273) 2 strokes Jerry Barber
3 Jan 22, 1956 Agua Caliente Open -7 (65-71-74-71=281) 2 strokes Tommy Bolt
4 Apr 1, 1954 Azalea Open Invitational -15 (70–70–65–68=273) 1 stroke Dick Mayer
5 May 6, 1956 Colonial National Invitation Even (74-72-65-69=280) 1 stroke Tommy Bolt
6 Aug 26, 1956 St. Paul Open -17 (70-69-70-62-271) 1 stroke Sam Snead
7 Aug 17, 1958 St. Paul Open Invitational -25 (66-64-68-65=263) 4 strokes Julius Boros,
Sam Snead
8 Apr 26, 1959 Tournament of Champions -7 (66-70-68-77=281) 2 strokes Art Wall, Jr.
9 Jul 12, 1959 Western Open -8 (67-67-73-65=272) 1 stroke Arnold Palmer
10 Aug 16, 1959 Motor City Open -16 (69-63-67-69=268) 9 strokes Billy Casper,
Doug Ford
11 Jan 30, 1960 San Diego Open Invitational -19 (67-68-67-67=269) 1 stroke Tommy Bolt
12 Jul 4, 1960 Buick Open Invitational -6 (71-68-74-69=282) 1 stroke Gay Brewer,
Art Wall, Jr.
13 Apr 16, 1961 Greater Greensboro Open -4 (70–68–69–69=276) 7 strokes Sam Snead
14 Apr 19, 1964 Houston Classic -6 (69-68-69-70=278) 1 stroke Jack Nicklaus
15 May 24, 1964 Memphis Open Invitational -10 (69-65-67-69=270) 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
Haas eliminated in 18-hole playoff2 1957 Thunderbird Invitational Jimmy Demaret,
Ken Venturi
Demaret wins after 18-hole playoff (Demaret:67, Souchak:75, Venturi:76) 3 1963 Hot Springs Open Dave Hill
Lost to par on second extra hole Other wins
This list is probably incomplete
- 1959 Carolinas PGA Championship
- 1967 Michigan Open
- 1968 Michigan PGA Championship
Results in major championships
Tournament 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 The Masters DNP DNP T4 T17 CUT T14 T25 U.S. Open CUT CUT T10 T29 CUT CUT T3 The Open Championship DNP DNP DNP T8 DNP DNP DNP PGA Championship DNP DNP DNP DNP R16 T8 T5 Tournament 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 The Masters T16 T28 T5 T11 T9 T35 T33 DNP DNP DNP U.S. Open T3 T4 T14 T32 DNP CUT CUT DNP DNP T42 The Open Championship DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP PGA Championship T12 T45 T39 T23 T13 T15 CUT T20 CUT T59 Tournament 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 The Masters DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP U.S. Open DNP CUT DNP DNP DNP DNP CUT The Open Championship DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP CUT PGA Championship DNP DNP T29 DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP = Did not play
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
R64, R32, R16, QF, SF = Round in which player lost in PGA Championship match play
Yellow background for top-10See also
References
External links
- Mike Souchak at the PGA Tour official site
Mike Souchak in the Ryder Cup United States Ryder Cup team – 1959 Julius Boros • Dow Finsterwald • Doug Ford • Jay Hebert • Cary Middlecoff • Bob Rosburg • Mike Souchak • Art Wall, Jr.
Sam Snead (playing captain)
Won: 8.5 – 3.5United States Ryder Cup team – 1961 Billy Casper • Bill Collins • Dow Finsterwald • Doug Ford • Jay Hebert • Gene Littler • Arnold Palmer • Mike Souchak • Art Wall, Jr.
Jerry Barber (playing captain)
Won: 14.5 – 5.5Categories:- American golfers
- Duke Blue Devils men's golfers
- PGA Tour golfers
- Champions Tour golfers
- Duke Blue Devils football players
- Deaths from myocardial infarction
- People from Berwick, Pennsylvania
- 1927 births
- 2008 deaths
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