Mike Souchak
Mike Souchak | |
---|---|
— Golfer — | |
![]() | |
Personal information | |
Full name | Michael Souchak |
Born |
Berwick, Pennsylvania | May 10, 1927
Died |
July 10, 2008 81) Belleair, Florida | (aged
Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) |
Weight | 215 lb (98 kg; 15.4 st) |
Nationality |
![]() |
Spouse | Nancy Souchak |
Children | 3 sons, 1 daughter |
Career | |
College | Duke University |
Turned professional | 1952 |
Former tour(s) |
PGA Tour Champions Tour |
Professional 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 fifteen events on the PGA Tour in the 1950s and 1960s, and played for the Ryder Cup teams in 1959 and 1961.[1][2][3]
Early years
Born and raised in Berwick, Pennsylvania,[1] Souchak served two years as a gunner in the U.S. Navy.[4] He then attended Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, where he played both golf and football, as an end and placekicker.[2] He was inducted into the Duke Sports Hall of Fame in 1976.[5]
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 Valero Texas Open in 2003).
Souchak's fifteen PGA 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, and was on an early cover of Sports Illustrated in January 1956, for its preview of the Bing Crosby Pro-Am.[6]
Near misses in majors
Souchak had eleven top-10 finishes at major championships, including third-place finishes at the U.S. Open in 1959 and 1960.[7] 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, 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 PGA Tour Champions) from its inception in 1980 until 1990. His best finish was second place in his very first tournament, the Atlantic City Senior International in 1980.
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, and resided in Belleair with his wife 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 partner Bill Dodd until his death from complications of a heart attack in 2008.
Professional wins
PGA Tour wins (15)
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 | ![]() |
2 | Feb 27, 1955 | Houston Open | 70-71-67-65=273 | −15 | 2 strokes | ![]() |
3 | Jan 22, 1956 | Agua Caliente Open | 65-71-74-71=281 | −7 | 2 strokes | ![]() |
4 | Apr 1, 1956 | Azalea Open Invitational | 70-70-65-68=273 | −15 | 1 stroke | ![]() |
5 | May 6, 1956 | Colonial National Invitation | 74-72-65-69=280 | Even | 1 stroke | ![]() |
6 | Aug 26, 1956 | St. Paul Open | 70-69-70-62=271 | −17 | 1 stroke | ![]() |
7 | Aug 17, 1958 | St. Paul Open Invitational | 66-64-68-65=263 | −25 | 4 strokes | ![]() ![]() |
8 | Apr 26, 1959 | Tournament of Champions | 66-70-68-77=281 | −7 | 2 strokes | ![]() |
9 | Jul 12, 1959 | Western Open | 67-67-73-65=272 | −8 | 1 stroke | ![]() |
10 | Aug 16, 1959 | Motor City Open | 69-63-67-69=268 | −16 | 9 strokes | ![]() ![]() |
11 | Jan 31, 1960 | San Diego Open Invitational | 67-68-67-67=269 | −19 | 1 stroke | ![]() |
12 | Jul 4, 1960 | Buick Open Invitational | 71-68-74-69=282 | −6 | 1 stroke | ![]() ![]() |
13 | Apr 16, 1961 | Greater Greensboro Open | 70-68-69-69=276 | −8 | 7 strokes | ![]() |
14 | Apr 19, 1964 | Houston Classic | 71-69-68-70=278 | −6 | 1 stroke | ![]() |
15 | May 24, 1964 | Memphis Open Invitational | 69-65-67-69=270 | −10 | 1 stroke | ![]() ![]() |
PGA Tour playoff record (0–3)
No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1955 | Thunderbird Invitational | ![]() ![]() |
Mayfield won with birdie on second extra hole after 18-hole playoff Haas eliminated in 18-hole playoff (Mayfield:69, Souchak:69, Haas:70) |
2 | 1957 | Thunderbird Invitational | ![]() ![]() |
Demaret wins 18-hole playoff (Demaret:67, Souchak:75, Venturi:76) |
3 | 1963 | Hot Springs Open | ![]() |
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 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | 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 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | 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 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | 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-10
Summary
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)
See also
References
- 1 2 Grimsley, Will (June 18, 1976). "Realist Mike Souchak doesn't miss big time". Shenectady Gazette. (New York)). Associated Press. p. 31.
- 1 2 Goldstein, 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. Retrieved August 9, 2016.
- 1 2 O'Keefe, John (September 23, 2002). "Mike Souchak, golfer". Sports Illustrated. p. 10.
- ↑ "Duke Sports Hall of Fame". Retrieved December 10, 2013.
- ↑ "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. Retrieved December 10, 2013.
External links
- Mike Souchak at the PGA Tour official site
- Duke University Athletics – Mike Souchak
- Mike Souchak at Find a Grave