Completed Edition
1972 PGA Championship
At Oakland Hills in 1972, Gary Player won his second PGA Championship. His 281 was one over par, two strokes ahead of Tommy Aaron and Jim Jamieson. The decisive recovery came at the sixteenth hole.23
Results
Published results
Recorded score
- Won byGary Player281
- Runner-upTommy Aaron283
- Runner-upJim Jamieson283
Venue
A Nine-Iron Over the Water
Player’s opening 71s were followed by a 67, putting him at 209 after three rounds. He had the lowest total, but the last round still required 72 strokes. Aaron finished with 71 and Jamieson with 70; both reached 283.3
After bogeys at fourteen and fifteen, Player drove far right at sixteen. The PGA’s account describes a blocked view of the flag, with a willow tree and a pond between him and the green. He sent a nine-iron over them and left a birdie putt of about four feet. Oakland Hills’ own history preserves the same shot and its role in the two-stroke victory.12
Sam Snead also gave the week a place in the Club’s history. At sixty, he finished at 284, tied with Billy Casper and Raymond Floyd. Snead’s last round was 69, three strokes better than the champion’s.23
Nearby editions
Sources and record notes
Archive note
The 1972 edition was won by Gary Player. Verified venue assignments are published in this record.
Record sources
- 2026 PGA Championship Media Guide
- 1972 PGA Championship · Championship identity
The official Media Guide directly enumerates the 54th playing, champion, site, and its year-page date span. The recorded venue and champion preserve the official PGA Championship History entry’s published text.
Verified 2026-08-20
- 1972 PGA Championship · Championship identity
- Oakland Hills Country Club: South Course championship history
- Oakland Hills Country Club - South
The owner explicitly assigns all three PGA Championships to its South Course, including the 90th playing in 2008. The PGA dated register identifies the complete three-edition set as 1972, 1979 and 2008. The distinct North Course is excluded. No unchanged hole-by-hole design is asserted.
Verified 2026-10-23
- Oakland Hills Country Club - South
- PGA official Championship result
- Gary Player
The official detailed result and four published rounds corroborate the regulation total and relative score. Playoff status is checked against the Guide playoff table and detailed tied scores.
Verified 2026-09-10
- Gary Player
- PGA official Championship finalist record
- Tommy Aaron · Jim Jamieson
Guide PDF page 37 (printed pages 72-73) lists Aaron and Jamieson T2 at 283, Casper and Floyd T4 at 284. History mislabels the latter two T2; Guide summary page 5 omits Jamieson. Guide page 5 corroborates the finalist identity; the detailed official History supplies the explicit stroke total and relative score. No playoff flag is asserted.
Verified 2026-10-23
- Tommy Aaron · Jim Jamieson
Sources for this history
- PGA Championship HistoryPGA of America
1971-1978 year panels: dates, settings and retrospective accounts; scores checked against the full leaderboards.
Consulted 2026-10-16 - Oakland Hills Country Club: HistoryOakland Hills Country Club
1972 entry: Player’s nine-iron at the sixteenth, runners-up and Sam Snead’s finish.
Consulted 2026-10-16 - 1972 PGA Championship LeaderboardPGA of America
Round-by-round scores and final totals.
Consulted 2026-10-16