Wikipedia

1979 Tournament Players Championship

The 1979 Tournament Players Championship was a golf tournament in Florida on the PGA Tour, held March 22–25 at Sawgrass Country Club in Ponte Vedra Beach, southeast of Jacksonville. The sixth Tournament Players Championship, it was the third at Sawgrass and Lanny Wadkins won in the wind at 283 (−5), five strokes ahead of runner-up Tom Watson.[1][2][3][4]

1979 Tournament Players Championship
Tournament information
DatesMarch 22–25, 1979
LocationPonte Vedra Beach, Florida
30°11′20″N 81°22′12″W / 30.189°N 81.370°W / 30.189; -81.370
Course(s)Sawgrass Country Club,
East-West course
Tour(s)PGA Tour
Statistics
Par72
Length7,083 yards (6,477 m)[1]
Field143 players, 71 after cut
Cut147 (+3)
Prize fund$440,000
Winner's share$72,000
Champion
United States Lanny Wadkins
283 (−5)
Location map
Sawgrass CC is located in the United States
Sawgrass CC
Sawgrass CC
Location in the United States
Sawgrass CC is located in Florida
Sawgrass CC
Sawgrass CC
Location in Florida
← 1978
1980 →

The first two years at Sawgrass had resulted with both winners at 289 (+1), but Wadkins jumped out to a 36-hole score of 135 (−9).[5] Gusty winds and dry greens on the weekend caused high scores, but he held on with an even-par 72 in the final round for a comfortable win.[1][2][4]

Defending champion Jack Nicklaus finished seventeen strokes back, in a tie for 33rd place.

Venue edit

Main article: Sawgrass Country Club

This was the third of five Tournament Players Championships held at Sawgrass Country Club; it moved to the nearby TPC at Sawgrass Stadium Course in 1982. The course length this year was reduced by 91 yards (83 m) to 7,083 yards (6,477 m).[1]

Eligibility requirements edit

1. All designated players

Miller Barber, Andy Bean (2), Ben Crenshaw (2), Lee Elder (2), Raymond Floyd, Rod Funseth (2), Al Geiberger, Lou Graham, Hubert Green (2), Mark Hayes, Jerry Heard (2), Dave Hill, Lon Hinkle (2), Hale Irwin, Don January, Tom Kite (2), Billy Kratzert, Bruce Lietzke, John Mahaffey (2), Jerry McGee, Mac McLendon (2), Johnny Miller, Gil Morgan (2), Jack Nicklaus (3), Andy North (2), Jerry Pate (2), Gary Player (2), Bill Rogers, Jim Simons (2), Ed Sneed, Dave Stockton, Lee Trevino (2), Lanny Wadkins, Tom Watson (2), Tom Weiskopf, Fuzzy Zoeller (2)

2. Winners of major PGA Tour co-sponsored or approved events beginning with the 1978 Tournament Players Championship and concluding with the tournament immediately preceding the 1979 TPC

Seve Ballesteros, Craig Stadler, Barry Jaeckel, Jeff Hewes, Jack Newton, Victor Regalado, Ron Streck

3. The current British Open champion

4. Leaders In PGA Tour Official Standings as necessary to complete the field, beginning with the 1978 Tournament Players Championship and concluding with the tournament scheduled to end on the Sunday immediately preceding the 1979 TPC, the Doral-Eastern Open

Source:[6]

Field edit

Tommy Aaron, Wally Armstrong, Seve Ballesteros, Miller Barber, Dave Barr, Andy Bean, Frank Beard, Don Bies, Homero Blancas, Brad Bryant, George Burns, Bob Byman, George Cadle, Rex Caldwell, Bill Calfee, Billy Casper, Jim Colbert, Bobby Cole, Frank Conner, Charles Coody, Ben Crenshaw, Rod Curl, Jim Dent, Terry Diehl, Dale Douglass, Bob Eastwood, Danny Edwards, David Edwards, Dave Eichelberger, Lee Elder, Randy Erskine, Keith Fergus, Ed Fiori, Marty Fleckman, Bruce Fleisher, Raymond Floyd, Rod Funseth, Buddy Gardner, Al Geiberger, Gibby Gilbert, Bob Gilder, David Graham, Lou Graham, Hubert Green, Jay Haas, Joe Hager, Dan Halldorson, Phil Hancock, Morris Hatalsky, Mark Hayes, Jerry Heard, Jeff Hewes, Dave Hill, Mike Hill, Lon Hinkle, Joe Inman, Hale Irwin, Don Iverson, Peter Jacobsen, Barry Jaeckel, Don January, Tom Kite, Gary Koch, Billy Kratzert, Wayne Levi, Bruce Lietzke, John Lister, Bob Lunn, Mark Lye, Bob Mann, Graham Marsh, Fred Marti, Rik Massengale, Gary McCord, Mike McCullough, Mark McCumber, Pat McGowan, Mac McLendon, Artie McNickle, Steve Melnyk, Lee Mikles, Allen Miller, Johnny Miller, Lindy Miller, Jeff Mitchell, Florentino Molina, Orville Moody, Gil Morgan, Mike Morley, Bob Murphy, Jim Nelford, Larry Nelson, Jack Newton, Jack Nicklaus, Andy North, Peter Oosterhuis, Arnold Palmer, Alan Pate, Jerry Pate, Eddie Pearce, Calvin Peete, Mark Pfeil, Gary Player, Don Pooley, Greg Powers, Tom Purtzer, Victor Regalado, Mike Reid, Jack Renner, Chi Chi Rodriguez, Bill Rogers, Ed Sabo, Cesar Sanudo, John Schroeder, Bob Shearer, Jim Simons, Scott Simpson, Tim Simpson, J. C. Snead, Ed Sneed, Craig Stadler, Dave Stockton, Curtis Strange, Ron Streck, Mike Sullivan, Alan Tapie, Barney Thompson, Leonard Thompson, Jim Thorpe, Lee Trevino, Howard Twitty, Bobby Wadkins, Lanny Wadkins, Bobby Walzel, Tom Watson, D. A. Weibring, Tom Weiskopf, Carlton White, Bob Wynn, Kermit Zarley, Bob Zender, Larry Ziegler, Fuzzy Zoeller

Round summaries edit

First round edit

Thursday, March 22, 1979

Place Player Score To par
1   Kermit Zarley 66 −6
T2   Jack Nicklaus 67 −5
  Andy North
  Lanny Wadkins
T5   Don January 68 −4
  Gil Morgan
  Jim Nelford
  Ron Streck
T9   Brad Bryant 69 −3
  Danny Edwards
  Ed Fiori
  Dan Halldorson
  Phil Hancock
  Billy Kratzert
  Wayne Levi
  Lindy Miller
  Jack Newton
  Jerry Pate
  Tim Simpson
  Dave Stockton

Source:[7]

Second round edit

Friday, March 23, 1979

Place Player Score To par
1   Lanny Wadkins 67-68=135 −9
2   George Burns 72-66=138 −6
T3   Dan Halldorson 69-70=139 −5
  Billy Kratzert 69-70=139
  Lee Trevino 70-69=139
T6   Ed Fiori 69-71=140 −4
  Mark McCumber 70-70=140
  Jack Nicklaus 67-73=140
T9   Wayne Levi 69-72=141 −3
  Andy North 67-74=141
  Dave Stockton 69-72=141

Source:[5]

Third round edit

Saturday, March 24, 1979

Place Player Score To par
1   Lanny Wadkins 67-68-76=211 −5
T2   George Burns 72-66-76=214 −2
  Billy Kratzert 69-70-75=214
  Jack Renner 73-70-71=214
  Lee Trevino 70-69-75=214
6   Gary Koch 70-72-74=216 E
T5   Phil Hancock 69-73-75=217 +1
  Andy North 67-74-76=217
  Victor Regalado 70-74-73=217
  Tom Watson 70-72-75=217

Source:[8]

Final round edit

Sunday, March 25, 1979

Champion
(c) = past champion
Place Player Score To par Money ($)
1   Lanny Wadkins 67-68-76-72=283 −5 72,000
2   Tom Watson 70-72-75-71=288 E 43,200
3   Jack Renner 73-70-71-75=289 +1 27,200
4   Phil Hancock 69-73-75-74=291 +3 19,200
T5   Billy Kratzert 69-70-75-79=293 +5 14,600
  Wayne Levi 69-72-77-75=293
  Lee Trevino 70-69-75-79=293
8   Andy Bean 72-73-74-75=294 +6 12,400
T9   Jay Haas 71-74-74-76=295 +7 10,800
  Tom Kite 72-73-75-75=295
  Jack Newton 69-74-77-75=295

Source:[9]

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d "Lanny Wadkins plays 'best ever,' wins". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. March 26, 1979. p. 17.
  2. ^ a b "Wadkins' effort leaves field in awe". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). wire services. March 26, 1979. p. 7D.
  3. ^ "Wadkins wins Players golf". Chicago Tribune. wire services. March 26, 1979. p. 4, sec. 5.
  4. ^ a b Jenkins, Dan (April 2, 1979). "Lanny's a two-time winner". Sports Illustrated. p. 24.
  5. ^ a b "Wadkins beats the wind to grab 3-stroke TPC lead". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). UPI. March 24, 1979. p. 2B.
  6. ^ "1979 PGA Tour Media Guide" (PDF). PGA Tour. p. 218. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 24, 2020.
  7. ^ "Jack says he's 'back' and a 67 proves it". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. March 23, 1979. p. 6D.
  8. ^ "Wadkins keeps star's role in a pro golf horror shoe". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. March 25, 1979. p. 6E.
  9. ^ "Past Results 1974 – present". PGA Tour. Archived from the original on September 1, 2020. Retrieved March 1, 2020.

External links edit

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