1974 PGA Championship: This Old Putter
The 1974 PGA Championship was the 56th time the tournament was played. An old putter brought out of storage helped the winner.
Winner: Lee Trevino, 276
Where it was played: Tanglewood Park in Clemmons, North Carolina
Tournament dates: August 8-11, 1974
Leader after first round: Hubert Green, John Schlee and Raymond Floyd, 68
Leader after second round: John Schlee, 135
Leader after third round: Lee Trevino, 207
What Happened at the 1974 PGA Championship
Lee Trevino fought off defending champ Jack Nicklaus in the final round, winning by one stroke over his rival. It was the fourth time Nicklaus finished second to Trevino in a major, and Trevino's fifth win in a major. Trevino led Nicklaus by one stroke after three rounds, having taken the tournament lead with a third-round 68 to Nicklaus' 70. Nicklaus battled Trevino all day in the final round, but in the end the two titans matched 69s and Trevino held onto his one-stroke advantage.Trevino entered the tournament putting poorly, but found an old putter in the attic of his rental home, liked it, and used it during the tournament to good effect. For Nicklaus, it was his third time finishing runner-up in this major; he eventually added one more second-place finish for a tournament record four times as runner-up.
Sam Snead, age 62, was among those tied for third. Snead opened with a 69, added back-to-back 71s in the middle rounds, and closed with a 68. His 279 total was three strokes shy of Trevino's winning total and tied Snead for third place. It was the third straight Top 10 finish in a PGA Championship for Snead, who made the cut in only two more majors after this showing.
Paul Runyan — a 2-time PGA champion who beat Snead in the championship match of the 1938 PGA Championship — entered the tournament for the final time this year. He withdrew without completing the first round.
1974 PGA Championship Final Scores
| Lee Trevino | 73-66-68-69—276 |
| Jack Nicklaus | 69-69-70-69—277 |
| Bobby Cole | 69-68-71-71—279 |
| Sam Snead | 69-71-71-68—279 |
| Hubert Green | 68-68-73-70—279 |
| Dave Hill | 74-69-67-69—279 |
| Gary Player | 73-64-73-70—280 |
| Al Geiberger | 70-70-75-66—281 |
| John Mahaffey | 72-72-71-67—282 |
| Don Bies | 73-71-68-70—282 |
| Tom Watson | 69-72-73-70—284 |
| Tommy Aycock | 73-68-73-70—284 |
| Raymond Floyd | 68-72-74-70—284 |
| Lee Elder | 74-69-72-69—284 |
| Frank Beard | 73-67-69-75—284 |
| Mike Hill | 76-72-68-68—284 |
| Gay Brewer | 72-72-72-69—285 |
| Tom Jenkins | 70-73-71-71—285 |
| John Schlee | 68-67-75-75—285 |
| Leonard Thompson | 69-71-70-75—285 |
| Dan Sikes Jr. | 71-75-71-68—285 |
| Bruce Devlin | 70-74-70-72—286 |
| Stan Brion | 71-71-74-70—286 |
| Don Massengale | 74-71-70-72—287 |
| J.C. Snead | 72-72-75-68—287 |
| Dave Stockton | 71-73-70-74—288 |
| Larry Hinson | 74-73-69-72—288 |
| Arnold Palmer | 72-75-70-72—289 |
| Jim Colbert | 70-76-70-73—289 |
| Gene Littler | 76-72-70-71—289 |
| Victor Regalado | 70-72-77-70—289 |
| Bob Murphy | 74-73-71-72—290 |
| Grier Jones | 70-74-71-75—290 |
| Larry Ziegler | 75-72-71-72—290 |
| Bert Yancey | 75-74-73-68—290 |
| Gene Borek | 72-76-72-70—290 |
| Forrest Fezler | 77-68-74-71—290 |
| Eddie Pearce | 69-72-79-70—290 |
| Gibby Gilbert | 73-73-73-72—291 |
| Tom Kite | 71-74-73-73—291 |
| Chi Chi Rodriguez | 71-74-74-72—291 |
| Bobby Nichols | 72-74-72-73—291 |
| Andy North | 73-74-73-71—291 |
| Johnny Miller | 71-75-72-73—291 |
| Charles Volpone | 72-75-71-73—291 |
| Bob E. Smith | 72-75-72-72—291 |
| Jim Dent | 73-76-73-69—291 |
| Bruce Crampton | 75-71-73-73—292 |
| Jerry Heard | 73-76-73-70—292 |
| Lou Graham | 77-72-71-72—292 |
| Kermit Zarley | 70-73-73-77—293 |
| Mason Rudolph | 70-72-70-81—293 |
| Dwight Nevil | 75-72-75-72—294 |
| Chuck Courtney | 76-73-74-71—294 |
| Dewitt Weaver | 70-73-76-76—295 |
| Tony Jacklin | 73-72-76-74—295 |
| Jerry McGee | 75-73-71-76—295 |
| Richie Karl | 72-77-75-71—295 |
| Tommy Aaron | 73-67-78-77—295 |
| Joe Porter | 76-72-75-73—296 |
| Tom Nieporte | 70-73-76-77—296 |
| Miller Barber | 71-70-77-78—296 |
| Billy Casper | 75-73-75-74—297 |
| Ben Crenshaw | 75-74-74-74—297 |
| Roy Pace | 75-71-76-75—297 |
| Bob Galloway | 72-77-75-73—297 |
| Gary Hopkins | 72-77-76-74—299 |
| Howell Fraser | 71-76-74-78—299 |
| Frank Mize | 76-72-79-72—299 |
| Homero Blancas | 75-73-80-71—299 |
| Dave Eichelberger | 74-74-75-78—301 |
| Clayton Cole | 79-69-76-77—301 |
| Bob Charles | 72-75-77-78—302 |
| Larry Mancour | 75-73-76-78—302 |
| Bert Greene | 73-71-80-78—302 |
| Bob Rosburg | 75-72-74-82—303 |
| Allen Miller | 71-78-74-83—306 |
| Clare Emery | 74-72-80-81—307 |
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