1964 PGA Championship Results
The 1964 PGA Championship was the 46th edition of this major, staged by the PGA of America. Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer staged a duel, fighting neck-and-neck all the way. But they were fighting for second place. The winner was the less-heralded Bobby Nichols.
Winner: Bobby Nichols, 271
Where it was played: Columbus Country Club in Columbus, Ohio
Tournament dates: July 16-19, 1964
Leader after first round: Bobby Nichols, 64
Leader after second round: Bobby Nichols, 135
Leader after third round: Bobby Nichols, 204
What Happened at the 1964 PGA Championship
Sixty-four in '64, that's how Bobby Nichols started the 1964 PGA Championship. The 64 he scored in the first round was the very first 64 ever recorded in the PGA Championship.And Nichols never stopped, winning wire-to-wire with a total of 271. The 271 was also a new record for this event, and it was so good that it took 30 years for anyone to better it. Not until Nick Price won with a 269 at the 1994 PGA Championship was Nichols' 72-hole PGA Championship scoring record broken.
Nichols led by one over Arnold Palmer after three rounds. Palmer was solid in Round 4 with a 69, but Nichols carded a 67. That left Palmer tied for runner-up with defending champion Jack Nicklaus, who closed by matching the 18-hole record of 64 that Nichols had established a few days earlier. For Nicklaus, it was his third runner-up finish in a major in 1964.
It was the first of three runner-up finishes in the PGA for Palmer, who never won this championship. But in shooting 68-68-69-69, Palmer became the first golfer to score four rounds in the 60s at a major. For Nichols, it was the fourth PGA Tour win of his career. Nichols eventually finished with 11 wins on the PGA Tour, but this remained his only win in a major.
Fifty-one-year-old Ben Hogan was tied for fifth place following the third round, and finished tied for ninth. He played this major only once more, and Hogan had one more Top 10 finish in a major after this (at the 1967 Masters).
1964 PGA Championship Final Scores
| Bobby Nichols | 64-71-69-67—271 |
| Jack Nicklaus | 67-73-70-64—274 |
| Arnold Palmer | 68-68-69-69—274 |
| Mason Rudolph | 73-66-68-69—276 |
| Tom Nieporte | 68-71-68-72—279 |
| Ken Venturi | 72-65-73-69—279 |
| Bo Wininger | 69-68-73-70—280 |
| Gay Brewer | 72-71-71-67—281 |
| Billy Casper | 68-72-70-72—282 |
| Jon Gustin | 69-76-71-66—282 |
| Ben Hogan | 70-72-68-72—282 |
| Tony Lema | 71-68-72-71—282 |
| Ed Furgol | 71-69-72-71—283 |
| Billy Maxwell | 72-71-70-70—283 |
| Gary Player | 70-71-71-71—283 |
| Mike Souchak | 67-73-71-72—283 |
| Walter Burkemo | 70-71-72-71—284 |
| Jacky Cupit | 72-71-72-69—284 |
| Bob Charles | 68-71-73-73—285 |
| Al Geiberger | 73-72-72-68—285 |
| Tommy Aaron | 72-74-70-70—286 |
| Julius Boros | 70-73-71-72—286 |
| Gardner Dickinson | 74-74-68-71—287 |
| Mike Fetchick | 74-73-74-66—287 |
| Ted Kroll | 72-73-72-70—287 |
| Ed Kroll | 75-72-72-68—287 |
| Dick Rhyan | 71-72-71-73—287 |
| Bill Bisdorf | 73-72-73-70—288 |
| Jim Ferree | 70-72-75-71—288 |
| Dick Hart | 73-73-72-70—288 |
| George Knudson | 76-69-72-71—288 |
| Doug Sanders | 71-73-76-68—288 |
| Frank Beard | 72-72-71-74—289 |
| Al Besselink | 71-73-72-73—289 |
| Pete Brown | 71-75-73-70—289 |
| Paul Haviland | 68-73-73-75—289 |
| Gene Littler | 75-72-74-68—289 |
| Dave Ragan | 73-71-74-71—289 |
| Don Bies | 76-66-76-72—290 |
| Joe Campbell | 73-72-71-74—290 |
| Bruce Devlin | 70-73-76-71—290 |
| Bob Keller | 69-75-72-74—290 |
| Jack Rule | 74-71-72-73—290 |
| George Bayer | 71-74-76-70—291 |
| Jack Burke Jr. | 74-72-73-72—291 |
| Chi Chi Rodriguez | 71-74-71-75—291 |
| Joe Conrad | 69-72-74-76—291 |
| John Cook | 75-72-70-74—291 |
| Chick Harbert | 74-75-68-74—291 |
| Babe Lichardus | 72-74-73-72—291 |
| Fred Wampler | 74-73-71-73—291 |
| Pete Cooper | 77-71-73-71—292 |
| J.C. Goosie | 72-74-74-72—292 |
| Bob Hill | 72-70-75-75—292 |
| Don Spears | 73-71-76-72—292 |
| Bruce Crampton | 72-74-74-73—293 |
| Jim Ferrier | 73-72-76-72—293 |
| Furman Hayes | 74-72-74-73—293 |
| Huston Leclair | 73-74-72-74—293 |
| Bob Rosburg | 72-75-71-75—293 |
| Bill Ogden | 73-76-71-74—294 |
| Jim Browning | 71-72-77-75—295 |
| Jimmy Johnson | 71-74-72-78—295 |
| Jim Turnesa | 76-72-73-74—295 |
| Dave Marr | 72-73-74-77—296 |
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