Hey, Spring … Where Are You?

Now is the winter of my restlessness.

Normally in March, I have already played six or so rounds and my mind is in how-can-I-improve-my-swing mode. Not this year in Kansas City. There have been only a couple of playable days since Jan. 1 and I couldn’t play on any of those days. I am going to go ahead and admit that I have a case of the Wintertime Blues, which has resulted in being prodded into watching Downton Abbey for the first time by wife and daughter, Ruth, and becoming a collector of nice-to-know golf minutiae. 

So rather than challenge your knowledge of the aristocratic Crawley family and their domestic servants in the post-Edwardian era, I am going with my favorite go-to subject, golf.  A golf trivia test is certainly not a substitute for playing a round, but it’s the best I can offer you this week.

1| Who has the most Masters victories?

1. A) Jimmy Demaret B) Arnold Palmer C) Jack Nicklaus D) Tiger Woods

2| Who has the most PGA Tour wins without ever winning a Major?

1. A) Harry Cooper (1904 – 2000) B) Harold "Jug" McSpaden (1908 – 1996) C) Doug Sanders (born 1933) D) Bruce Lietzke (1951- 2018).

3| Jack Nicklaus has 18 Major professional victories. Tiger Woods is second with 14. Nicklaus also finished second 19 time in Majors. Which golfer has the second most runner-up finishes?

1. A) Sam Snead B) Arnold Palmer C) Tom Watson D) Greg Norman E) Phil Mickelson 

4| Name the four left-handed golfers to win a Major.

5| Which golfer below did NOT achieved a "Modern Career Grand Slam," winning the Masters, U.S. Open, British Open, and PGA Championship at least once during their playing careers?

1. A) Gene Sarazen B) Ben Hogan C) Arnold Palmer D) Gary Player. 

6| Who was the 2017-2018 PGA Tour leading money winner (Official tournament money + the FedEx Cup bonus money)?

A) Justin Thomas B) Justin Rose C) Brooks Koepka D) Jason Day E) Bryson DeChambeau  

7| Which golfer has the most PGA Tour victories after turning 40?

A) Julius Boros B) Gene Littler C) Sam Snead D) Vijay Singh E) Dutch Harrison.

8| Which PGA Tour golfer has the longest cuts-made streak?

1. A) Ben Hogan B) Billy Casper C) Bryon Nelson D) Tiger Woods E) Jack Nicklaus

9| Which golfer has the most consecutive seasons with a win?

1. A) Lee Trevino (29 career PGA Tour victories) B) Arnold Palmer (62) C) Tiger Woods (80) D) Billy Casper (51) E) Jack Nicklaus (73)  F) Dustin Johnson (20)

10| Which golf course has been the host to the most U.S. Opens?

1. A) Baltusrol GC (NJ) B) Oakmont CC (PA) C) Oakland Hill CC (MI) D) Pebble Beach Golf Links (CA) E) Merion GC (PA) F) Bethpage Black Couse (NY)

ANSWERS

1| Jack Nicklaus with six Masters wins between1963 and 1986. Arnold Palmer and Tiger Woods have each won four. Jimmy Demaret, Gary Player, Sam Snead, Nick Faldo and Phil Mickelson have three green jackets.

2 | English-American Harry Cooper with 31 PGA Tour victories. Doug Sanders had 20; Harold "Jug" McSpaden with 17;  Bruce Lietzke with 13 wins.

3| Phil Mickelson with 11 runner-up finishes – Masters: 2015; U.S. Open: 1999, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2009 & 2013; The (British) Open Championship: 2011 & 2016; PGA 2001 & 2014. Snead had 8 second-place finishes; Palmer 10; Watson and Norman 8. Tiger Woods has finished in 2^nd place 6 times. 

4| They are: New Zealander Sir Bob Charles won The (British) Open Championship at Royal Lytham & St Annes in 1963. Canadian Mike Weir won the 2003 Masters, defeating American Len Mattiace in a sudden-death playoff. Phil Mickelson has five Majors (2004, ’06 & ‘10 Masters; 2005 PGA; 2013 (British) Open. Bubba Watson won the 2012 and 2014 Masters. Six of the eight Major victories by left-handed golfers have come at the Masters.

5| Arnold Palmer won seven Majors (4 Masters, 1 U.S. Open & 2 British Opens), but never the PGA, having finished Tied for 2^nd three times (1964, 1968 & 1970). Only five men have “the modern career grand slam”: Gene Sarazen (7 Majors); Ben Hogan (9); Gary Player (9); Jack Nicklaus (18); Tiger Woods (14). In 1930, Bobby Jones became the only man ever to win all four Majors in a single year. At that time, the four Majors were the British Amateur, British Open, U.S. Open and U.S. Amateur.

6| Here is the 2017-2018 PGA Tour season final money list (Official money + FedEx Cup bonus money).

7| Vijay Singh holds the record with 22 victories after turning 40. He was 41 when he won the 2004 PGA. Sam Snead is second with 17. Kenny Perry is third with 11.Julius Boros has 10. Steve Stricker with nine. Gene Littler and Dutch Harrison both had seven.

8| Tiger Woods, 142 consecutive cuts made. The run went from the 1998 Buick Invitational at Torrey Pines to the 2005 Wachovia Championship. Byron Nelson made 113 consecutive cuts from the 1941 Bing Crosby National Pro-Am to the 1948 Colonial National Invitation. Jack Nicklaus is third with 105 cuts made. Hale Irwin is fourth with 86.

9| Jack Nicklaus (1962 -78) and Arnold Palmer (1955 – 71) both had 17-year winning streaks. Billy Casper (1956 – 71) was next with 16. Lee Trevino (1968 – 81) and Tiger Woods (1996 – 2009) are tied with 14. After last week’s victory in the WGC-Mexico Championship, Dustin Johnson (2008 to 2019) has a streak of 12. 

10| Oakmont CC, 9 times (1927, ‘35, ‘53, ‘62, ‘73, ‘83, ‘94, 2007 & ’16). Baltusrol GC, 7 times (1903, ‘15, ‘36, ‘54, ‘67, ’80 & ’93). Oakland Hills CC, 6 times (1924, ‘37, ‘51, ‘61, ’85 & ’96). Merion GC, 5 times (1934, ‘50, ‘71, ’81 & 2013). Olympic Club, 5 times (1955, ‘66, ‘87, ’98 & ’12). Pebble Beach, 5 times (1972, ‘82, ‘92, 2000 & ’10). This year, Pebble Beach will be the host.

Spring Is Coming – Sooner or later!