1977 Tournament Players Championship

The 1977 Tournament Players Championship was a golf tournament in Florida on the PGA Tour, held March 17–20 at Sawgrass Country Club in Ponte Vedra Beach, southeast of Jacksonville. The fourth Tournament Players Championship, it was the first of five consecutive at Sawgrass, which had agreed a multi-year with the PGA Tour in 1976.[2]

1977 Tournament Players Championship
Tournament information
DatesMarch 17–20, 1977
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
Length7,174 yards (6,560 m)[1]
Field140 players, 79 after cut
Cut155 (+11)
Prize fund$300,000
Winner's share$60,000
Champion
United States Mark Hayes
289 (+1)
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
← 1976
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Mark Hayes was the champion in windy conditions at 289 (+1), two strokes ahead of runner-up Mike McCullough.[1][3][4] McCullough and Tom Watson were the co-leaders after the third round, with Hayes a stroke back.[5] Defending champion Jack Nicklaus finished four strokes back, in a tie for fifth place.[1][3]

Bob Menne set the tour's 72-hole record for fewest putts with 99,[6] but tied for 47th at 303 (+15).[1] The record had been 102 putts, by Bert Yancey in 1966 at his victory in the final Portland Open Invitational.[6][7]

Venue

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This was the first of five Tournament Players Championships held at Sawgrass Country Club; it moved to the nearby TPC at Sawgrass Stadium Course in 1982. The venues for the first three editions in Georgia, Texas, and south Florida were familiar to most of the participants as those courses had recently hosted multiple PGA Tour events; this was the first tour event at Sawgrass.[4]

Round summaries

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First round

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Thursday, March 17, 1977

Place Player Score To par
1   Mike McCullough 66 −6
T3   Don Bies 68 −4
  Raymond Floyd
  Tom Watson
T6   Bruce Devlin 69 −3
  Billy Kratzert
  Ed Sabo
  J. C. Snead
T10   Hubert Green 71 −1
  Peter Oosterhuis
  John Schroeder

Source:[8][9]

Second round

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Friday, March 18, 1977

Place Player Score To par
1   Mike McCullough 66-74=140 −4
2   Tom Watson 68-74=142 −2
T3   Raymond Floyd 68-76=144 E
  Bob E. Smith 73-71=144
5   J. C. Snead 69-76=145 +1
6   Mark Hayes 72-74=146 +2
T7   Jack Nicklaus 73-74=147 +3
  Bill Rogers 75-72=147
  Tom Weiskopf 75-72=147
  Larry Ziegler 74-73=147

Source:[10][11]

Third round

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Saturday, March 19, 1977

Place Player Score To par
T1   Mike McCullough 66-74-76=216 E
  Tom Watson 68-74-74=216
3   Mark Hayes 72-74-71=217 +1
T4   Raymond Floyd 68-76-74=218 +2
  Hale Irwin 72-77-69=218
6   Jack Nicklaus 73-74-72=219 +3
T7   Bruce Devlin 69-79-72=220 +4
  J. C. Snead 69-76-75=220
T9   Danny Edwards 75-76-70=221 +5
  Tom Jenkins 75-75-71=221
  Larry Nelson 74-74-73=221

Source:[5]

Final round

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Sunday, March 20, 1977

Place Player Score To par Money ($)
1   Mark Hayes 72-74-71-72=289 +1 60,000
2   Mike McCullough 66-74-76-75=291 +3 34,200
T3   Bruce Devlin 69-79-72-72=292 +4 17,700
  Hale Irwin 72-77-69-74=292
T5   Graham Marsh 73-77-72-71=293 +5 10,900
  Jack Nicklaus 73-74-72-74=293
  Tom Watson 68-74-74-77=293
T8   Steve Melnyk 73-76-73-72=294 +6 8,150
  Larry Nelson 74-74-73-73=294
  Bill Rogers 75-72-76-71=294

Source:[1][3]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "While leaders stumble, Mark Hayes eases home". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. March 21, 1977. p. 17.
  2. ^ "TPC tounrey in Florida". Rome News-Tribune. (Georgia). May 19, 1976. p. 7A.
  3. ^ a b c "Youth movement goes on as Hayes wins in the wind". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. March 21, 1977. p. 5C.
  4. ^ a b Jenkins, Dan (March 28, 1977). "In a class all by itself - for now". Sports Illustrated. p. 64.
  5. ^ a b "Erratic Tom Watson knots slumping Mike McCullough". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. March 20, 1977. p. D10.
  6. ^ a b Missildine, Harry (May 22, 1977). "Putting game? you want to bet?". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). p. D1.
  7. ^ Wetzel, Frank (September 19, 1966). "Putts propel Bert Yancey to Open title". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. p. 3B.
  8. ^ "Another unknown scrambles into lead". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. March 18, 1977. p. 6B.
  9. ^ "McCullough fires 66 to lead TPC by two". Chicago Tribune. Associated Press. March 18, 1977. p. 5, sec. 4.
  10. ^ "Wind turns TPGC into joke". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. March 19, 1977. p. 2B.
  11. ^ "Golfers agree - Sawgrass a laugh". Chicago Tribune. March 19, 1977. p. 3, sec. 2.
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