1968 PGA Championship


The 1968 PGA Championship was the 50th PGA Championship played July 18–21 at Pecan Valley Golf Club in San Antonio, Texas. Julius Boros, age 48, won the third of his three major titles, one stroke ahead of runners-up Bob Charles and Arnold Palmer. Through 2019, Boros remains the oldest winner of a major championship. The tournament was played in very hot conditions. Palmer had an putt to tie on the 72nd green, but it missed on the high side of the hole. It was the second of his three runner-up finishes at the only major he never won; he also tied for second in 1964 and 1970.
This was the final major before the formation of the Tournament Players Division, later renamed the PGA Tour. The tour pros broke away from the PGA of America in August and formed an independent tour, the American Professional Golfers, Inc.. A compromise was reached in December which brought the tournament players back to the PGA in a separate division with its own policy board and commissioner.
In his seventh PGA Championship, Jack Nicklaus missed his first cut in the event by a stroke; five of his six previous finishes were in the top three, with a victory in 1963 in Dallas. He made the next nine cuts at the PGA Championship and won four more times.
This PGA Championship was played immediately after the Open Championship in Scotland, the fifth time during the 1960s which the final two majors were played in consecutive weeks. This PGA Championship was also the last held in July ; it moved to August in 1969.

Past champions in the field

Made the cut

Missed the cut

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Round summaries

First round

Thursday, July 18, 1968
PlacePlayerCountryScoreTo par
1Marty Fleckman66−4
2Frank Beard68−2
T3Don Bies69−1
T3Mason Rudolph69−1
T3Lee Trevino69−1
T6Miller Barber70E
T6Frank Boynton70E
T6Charles Coody70E
T6Al Geiberger70E
T6Laurie Hammer70E
T6Johnny Pott70E
T6Dan Sikes70E

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Second round

Friday, July 19, 1968
PlacePlayerCountryScoreTo par
T1Frank Beard68-70=138−2
T1Marty Fleckman66-72=138−2
3Doug Sanders72-67=139−1
T4George Archer71-69=140E
T4Miller Barber70-70=140E
T4Arnold Palmer71-69=140E
T4Johnny Pott70-70=140E
T4Lee Trevino69-71=140E
T9Don Bies69-73=142+2
T9Julius Boros71-71=142+2
T9Bob Charles72-70=142+2
T9Dan Sikes70-72=142+2

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Third round

Saturday, July 20, 1968
PlacePlayerCountryScoreTo par
T1Frank Beard68-70-72=210E
T1Marty Fleckman66-72-72=210E
T3Miller Barber70-70-72=212+2
T3Julius Boros71-71-70=212+2
T3Bob Charles72-70-70=212+2
T3Arnold Palmer71-69-72=212+2
T3Dick Rhyan72-72-68=212+2
T3Doug Sanders72-67-73=212+2
T3Lee Trevino69-71-72=212+2
10Lou Graham73-70-70=213+3

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Final round

Sunday, July 21, 1968
PlacePlayerCountryScoreTo parMoney
1Julius Boros71-71-70-69=281+125,000
T2Bob Charles72-70-70-70=282+212,500
T2Arnold Palmer71-69-72-70=282+212,500
T4George Archer71-69-74-69=283+37,500
T4Marty Fleckman66-72-72-73=283+37,500
T6Frank Beard68-70-72-74=284+45,750
T6Billy Casper74-70-70-70=284+45,750
T8Miller Barber70-70-72-73=285+53,406
T8Frank Boynton70-73-72-70=285+53,406
T8Charles Coody70-77-70-68=285+53,406
T8Al Geiberger70-73-71-71=285+53,406
T8Bob Goalby73-72-70-70=285+53,406
T8Lou Graham73-70-70-72=285+53,406
T8Doug Sanders72-67-73-73=285+53,406
T8Dan Sikes70-72-73-70=285+53,406
T8Kermit Zarley72-75-68-70=285+53,406

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