Completed Edition

1978 PGA Championship

PGA Championship August 3–August 6, 1978

John Mahaffey began the final round of the 1978 PGA Championship seven strokes behind Tom Watson. At Oakmont, his 66 brought him into a three-player tie. A birdie on the second playoff hole won the title.³¹

Results

Published results

Recorded score

Won byJohn Mahaffey
276
Runner-upJerry Pate
276
Runner-upTom Watson
276

Decided by playoff.

Venue

Primary venueOakmont Country Club
Hosted by Oakmont Country Club

Seven Strokes Back

Watson had opened 67-69-67 for 203. Jerry Pate stood at 208 and Mahaffey at 210, having recovered from an opening 75 with rounds of 67 and 68. On Sunday Watson took 73, Pate 68 and Mahaffey 66. All three finished at 276.³

The first extra hole produced three pars. At the second, Mahaffey made a birdie putt of about twelve feet to beat Watson and Pate. The PGA records it as the first three-player playoff of its stroke-play era.¹⁴

Mahaffey had already lost one major in a playoff. At the 1975 U.S. Open, Lou Graham beat him over eighteen extra holes. Three years later, the playoff ended with Mahaffey holding the trophy.²

Nearby editions

Sources and record notes

Archive note

The 1978 edition was won by John Mahaffey. Verified venue assignments are published in this record.

Record sources

2026 PGA Championship Media Guide
- 1978 PGA Championship · Championship identity
  The official Media Guide directly enumerates the 60th 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
National Park Service: Oakmont National Historic Landmark nomination
- Oakmont Country Club
  The retained National Historic Landmark nomination identifies the physical Oakmont course and lists its 1922, 1951 and 1978 PGA Championships on PDF pages 11-12. Course alterations and the 1978 playoff are described. This establishes continuing physical identity, not unchanged individual holes.
  Verified 2026-10-23
PGA official Championship result
- John Mahaffey
  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
PGA official Championship finalist record
- Jerry Pate · Tom Watson
  Guide page 5 corroborates the finalist identity; the detailed official History supplies the explicit stroke total and relative score. The extended final or stroke-play playoff is corroborated in the reviewed champion evidence.
  Verified 2026-10-23

Sources for this history

A Look Back at Every Playoff in PGA Championship HistoryPGA of America
1977 and 1978 entries: participants, playoff format and winning holes.
Consulted 2026-10-16
John MahaffeyTexas Golf Hall of Fame
Biography and Scar Tissue sections: Houston, Champions Golf Club, Ben Hogan and the 1975 U.S. Open playoff.
Consulted 2026-10-16
1978 PGA Championship LeaderboardPGA of America
Round-by-round scores and final totals.
Consulted 2026-10-16
Biggest 54-Hole Comebacks in PGA Championship HistoryPGA of America
1978 Oakmont entry: the seven-stroke deficit and both playoff holes.
Consulted 2026-10-16