Mike Souchak
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Michael Souchak (May 10, 1927 – July 10, 2008) was an American professional golfer. He won fifteen events on the PGA Tour in the 1950s and 1960s and represented the United States for the Ryder Cup in 1959 and 1961.[1][2][3]
Key Information
Early life
[edit]Born and raised in Berwick, Pennsylvania,[1] Souchak served two years as a gunner in the U.S. Navy.[4] He then attended Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, and played both golf and football for the Blue Devils, as an end and placekicker.[2]
Professional career
[edit]In his first win at the 1955 Texas Open, Souchak set and tied several records. In the first round, he tied the tour's 18-hole record with a 60. This record was finally broken in 1977 by Al Geiberger's 59. This first round also included a record-breaking 27 on the back nine holes. This record was not broken until 2006 by Corey Pavin. He then finished with a 72-hole record of 257 (27-under-par).[5][6] This aggregate total record also stood until the 21st century until Mark Calcavecchia shot 256 at the 2001 Phoenix Open.[7]
Souchak's fifteen PGA Tour wins came between 1955 and 1964, with his best year in 1956 (four victories). He won three tour titles in 1959, and was on an early cover of Sports Illustrated in January 1956, for its preview of the Bing Crosby Pro-Am.[8]
Souchak had eleven top-10 finishes at major championships, including third-place finishes at the U.S. Open in 1959 and 1960.[9] Souchak led after 36 holes in 1960 with a new record score of 135, which was 7-under-par. But he struggled on the final hole of the third round (which was played on the same day as the fourth round,) making a triple bogey, and couldn't regain his composure. Arnold Palmer, who had been seven strokes behind entering the final round, shot 65 to win the championship.
In 1970, Souchak moved from North Carolina to Florida and became the first head pro at the Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club in Palm Harbor, Florida, and resided in Belleair.
Souchak played on the Senior PGA Tour from its inception in 1980 until 1990. His best finish was second place in his very first tournament, the Atlantic City Senior International in 1980.
Personal life
[edit]Souchak was married to the former Nancy Tilley (1928–2012).[10] He had four children: sons Mike, Frank, and Chris Souchak and daughter Patti Taylor, as well as five grandchildren. He ran Golf Car Systems, a preventive maintenance firm,[4] with his business partner Bill Dodd until his death from complications of a heart attack in 2008.
Awards and honors
[edit]Souchak was inducted into the Duke Sports Hall of Fame in 1976.[11]
Professional wins (19)
[edit]PGA Tour wins (15)
[edit]| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | To par | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Feb 20, 1955 | Texas Open | 60-68-64-65=257 | −27 | 7 strokes |  Fred Haas
|
| 2 | Feb 27, 1955 | Houston Open | 70-71-67-65=273 | −15 | 2 strokes | Jerry Barber
|
| 3 | Jan 22, 1956 | Agua Caliente Open | 65-71-74-71=281 | −7 | 2 strokes | Tommy Bolt
|
| 4 | Apr 1, 1956 | Azalea Open Invitational | 70-70-65-68=273 | −15 | 1 stroke | Dick Mayer
|
| 5 | May 6, 1956 | Colonial National Invitation | 74-72-65-69=280 | E | 1 stroke | Tommy Bolt
|
| 6 | Aug 26, 1956 | St. Paul Open | 70-69-70-62=271 | −17 | 1 stroke | Sam Snead
|
| 7 | Aug 17, 1958 | St. Paul Open Invitational (2) | 66-64-68-65=263 | −25 | 4 strokes | Julius Boros, Sam Snead
|
| 8 | Apr 26, 1959 | Tournament of Champions | 66-70-68-77=281 | −7 | 2 strokes | Art Wall Jr.
|
| 9 | Jul 12, 1959 | Western Open | 67-67-73-65=272 | −8 | 1 stroke | Arnold Palmer
|
| 10 | Aug 16, 1959 | Motor City Open | 69-63-67-69=268 | −16 | 9 strokes | Billy Casper, Doug Ford
|
| 11 | Jan 31, 1960 | San Diego Open Invitational | 67-68-67-67=269 | −19 | 1 stroke | Johnny Pott
|
| 12 | Jul 4, 1960 | Buick Open Invitational | 71-68-74-69=282 | −6 | 1 stroke | Gay Brewer, Art Wall Jr.
|
| 13 | Apr 16, 1961 | Greater Greensboro Open | 70-68-69-69=276 | −8 | 7 strokes | Sam Snead
|
| 14 | Apr 19, 1964 | Houston Classic (2) | 71-69-68-70=278 | −6 | 1 stroke | Jack Nicklaus
|
| 15 | May 24, 1964 | Memphis Open Invitational | 69-65-67-69=270 | −10 | 1 stroke | Billy Casper, Tommy Jacobs
|
PGA Tour playoff record (0–3)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1955 | Thunderbird Invitational | Fred Haas, Shelley Mayfield
|
Mayfield won with birdie on second extra hole after 18-hole playoff; Mayfield: −3 (69), Souchak: −3 (69), Haas: −2 (70) |
| 2 | 1957 | Thunderbird Invitational | Jimmy Demaret, Ken Venturi
|
Demaret won 18-hole playoff; Demaret: −4 (67), Souchak: + 4 (75), Venturi: +5 (76) |
| 3 | 1963 | Hot Springs Open Invitational | Dave Hill
|
Lost to par on second extra hole |
Other wins (4)
[edit]This list is probably incomplete
- 1955 Havana Invitational[12]
- 1959 Carolinas PGA Championship
- 1967 Michigan Open
- 1968 Michigan PGA Championship
Results in major championships
[edit]| Tournament | 1953 | 1954 | 1955 | 1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | T4 | T17 | CUT | T14 | T25 | ||
| U.S. Open | CUT | CUT | T10 | T29 | CUT | CUT | T3 |
| The Open Championship | T8 | ||||||
| PGA Championship | R16 | T8 | T5 |
| Tournament | 1960 | 1961 | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | T16 | T28 | T5 | T11 | T9 | T35 | T33 | |||
| U.S. Open | T3 | T4 | T14 | T32 | CUT | CUT | T42 | |||
| The Open Championship | ||||||||||
| PGA Championship | T12 | T45 | T39 | T23 | T13 | T15 | CUT | T20 | CUT | T59 |
| Tournament | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | |||||||
| U.S. Open | CUT | CUT | |||||
| The Open Championship | CUT | ||||||
| PGA Championship | T29 |
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
R16, QF, SF = Round in which player lost in PGA Championship match play
Summary
[edit]| Tournament | Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top-5 | Top-10 | Top-25 | Events | Cuts made |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 12 | 11 |
| U.S. Open | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 16 | 8 |
| The Open Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| PGA Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 14 | 12 |
| Totals | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 11 | 22 | 44 | 32 |
- Most consecutive cuts made – 19 (1958 PGA – 1965 Masters)
- Longest streak of top-10s – 2 (twice)
U.S. national team appearances
[edit]- Ryder Cup: 1959 (winners), 1961 (winners)
- Hopkins Trophy: 1956 (winners)
References
[edit]- ^ a b Grimsley, Will (June 18, 1976). "Realist Mike Souchak doesn't miss big time". Schenectady Gazette. New York). Associated Press. p. 31.
- ^ a b Goldstein, Richard (July 13, 2008). "Mike Souchak dies at 81". The Day. New London, Connecticut. (New York Times). p. C6.
- ^ Fields, Bill (July 10, 2008). "Mike Souchak, 1927–2008". Golf Digest. Retrieved August 9, 2016.
- ^ a b O'Keefe, John (September 23, 2002). "Mike Souchak, golfer". Sports Illustrated. p. 10.
- ^ "Souchak's 257 cops Texas Open". St. Petersburg Times. Florida. Associated Press. February 21, 1955. p. 18.
- ^ "Mike Souchak registers record-shattering 257 to win Texas Open by 7 strokes". Youngstown Vindicator. Ohio. Associated Press. February 21, 1955. p. 13.
- ^ "Calcavecchia sets record in victory". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. January 29, 2001. p. D6.
- ^ "The Crosby tournament". Sports Illustrated. January 16, 1956. p. 12.
- ^ "Longtime PGA Tour scoring record-holder Souchak dies at 81". PGA Tour. July 10, 2008. Retrieved December 10, 2013.
- ^ https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/legacyremembers/nancy-souchak-obituary?id=30526161
- ^ "Duke Sports Hall of Fame". Retrieved December 10, 2013.
- ^ "Souchak wins Havana Invitational tourney". The Pantagraph. Bloomington, Illinois. December 5, 1955. p. 11. Retrieved March 20, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
External links
[edit]- Mike Souchak at the PGA Tour official site
- Duke University Athletics – Mike Souchak
- Mike Souchak at Find a Grave
Mike Souchak in the Ryder Cup | |||||||||||||||||
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