Al Geiberger


Allen Lee Geiberger Sr. is an American former professional golfer.

Professional career

Geiberger turned pro in 1959 and joined the PGA Tour in 1960. Geiberger won 11 tournaments on the PGA Tour, the first being the 1962 Ontario Open and the biggest being the 1966 PGA Championship, a major title. He won the Tournament Players Championship in 1975, and played on the Ryder Cup teams in 1967 and 1975. Geiberger also won 10 times on the Senior PGA Tour, now called the Champions Tour.

Mr. 59

During the second round of the Danny Thomas Memphis Classic in 1977, Geiberger became the first player in history to post a score of 59 in a PGA Tour-sanctioned event. Starting on the 10th tee of the Colonial Country Club in Cordova, Tennessee, he shot a bogey-free round of six pars, 11 birdies, and an eagle on the layout. Geiberger won the tournament, though not handily. He shot even-par 72 in the first and third rounds and was two strokes down to Gary Player on Sunday after a 38 on the front nine put him at 241 for 63 holes. He regained the lead with a 32 on the back nine to finish at 273, two strokes ahead of Player and Jerry McGee.
Scorecard: Friday, June 10, 1977
Hole 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Par443443545543434544
Score342442434332433443
To par−1−1−2−2−2−3−4−5−6−8−9−10−10−10−11−12−12−13

Personal life

Geiberger was born in Red Bluff, California, the son of Ray and Mabel Geiberger. His first big tournament win was the 1954 National Jaycee Championship. He graduated from Santa Barbara High School, attended Menlo College and graduated from the University of Southern California in 1959.
Geiberger has six children. His son Brent Geiberger is also a professional golfer who won two PGA Tour events. Another son, John, is the coach of the Pepperdine University golf team, winners of the NCAA Championship in 1997. Geiberger's father was one of the victims of the Tenerife airport disaster in 1977.
Geiberger had surgery in 1980 to remove his colon due to inflammatory bowel disease and has an ileostomy.

Professional wins (30)

PGA Tour wins (11)

No.DateTournamentWinning scoreTo parMargin of
victory
Runner-up
1Oct 21, 1962Ontario Open Invitational69-67-70-70=276−81 stroke Gardner Dickinson, Bob Goalby,
Tommy Jacobs, Chuck Rotar,
John Ruedi
2Nov 3, 1963Almaden Open Invitational69-67-67-74=277−111 stroke Dutch Harrison, Dick Lotz
3Aug 29, 1965American Golf Classic70-69-69-72=280E4 strokes Arnold Palmer
4Jul 24, 1966PGA Championship68-72-68-72=280E4 strokes Dudley Wysong
5Oct 6, 1974Sahara Invitational70-68-66-69=273−113 strokes Wally Armstrong, Jerry Heard,
Dave Hill, Mike Hill
6Apr 27, 1975MONY Tournament of Champions67-67-70-73=277−11Playoff Gary Player
7Aug 24, 1975Tournament Players Championship66-68-67-69=270−103 strokes Dave Stockton
8Apr 4, 1976Greater Greensboro Open70-65-65-68=268−162 strokes Lee Trevino
9Jun 27, 1976Western Open71-71-73-73=288+41 stroke Joe Porter
10Jun 12, 1977Danny Thomas Memphis Classic72-59-72-70=273−152 strokes Jerry McGee, Gary Player
11May 20, 1979Colonial National Invitation68-69-64-73=274−61 stroke Don January, Gene Littler

PGA Tour playoff record
No.YearTournamentOpponentResult
11967Carling World Open Billy CasperLost to par on first extra hole
21975MONY Tournament of Champions Gary PlayerWon with birdie on first extra hole

Japan Golf Tour wins (1)

Other wins (6)

Senior PGA Tour playoff record
No.YearTournamentOpponentResult
11987Seniors International Golf Championship Jim FerreeWon with birdie on second extra hole
21999Toshiba Senior Classic Allen Doyle, John Jacobs,
Gary McCord
McCord won with birdie on fifth extra hole
Doyle and Geiberger eliminated with eagle on first hole

Other senior wins (2)

Wins (1)

Results timeline

CUT = missed the halfway cut

"T" indicates a tie for a place.

Summary

Wins (1)

Results timeline

CUT = missed the halfway cut

"T" indicates a tie for a place.