PGA
National Golf Club, the host of the first PGA Tour (Approved Tournament Players)
Qualifying School in 1965, was home to what history deems the best of the
Q-Schools in 1971.
Of
the record 357 players who started in regional tournaments across the country,
only 75 made it to PGA National. That class included three former U.S. Amateur
champions, the last two U.S. Public Links titleholders, two former NCAA
champions, a co-holder of the World Cup team title and the current British
Amateur champ.
Trying
to qualify for the professional golf tour that fall was Lanny Wadkins, who was
the 1970 U.S. Amateur champion and a member of the 1969 and 1971 U.S. Walker
Cup teams. Steve Melnyk, then the British Amateur titleholder; John Mahaffey of
Texas, the 1970 NCAA champion; Allen Miller and Bruce Fleisher, both Walker Cup
players; and Tom Watson of Kansas City who had just graduated from Stanford
University with a degree in psychology. The most experienced player at PGA
National was David Graham, already an international star, having won the 1971
World Cup.
And,
there was the surprise Q-School winner -- Bob Zender, a Purdue University
graduate who came into the tournament as the vice president in private wealth
manager for Morgan Stanley. Zender was the No. 3-ranked amateur in the country.
He won the 1971 Sunnehann Amateur, and cruised to a third Illinois Amateur
title by 10 strokes.
Zender
didn’t play one round over par on his way to a 7-under-par 425 total. He
handled PGA National’s par-5s in 9-under, the par-3s in 1-under, and went to
the 32nd hole before posting his first bogey. He finished with 18 birdies and
11 bogeys.
At
the graduation ceremony Saturday night at PGA National, Zender told the other
22 rookies, “let’s show them that this is the best class.”
The
Tour paid no prize money, but Zender earned $1,000, donated by a clothing
company.
But
what made that year so special?
For
one thing, that year’s crop was mostly composed of all young, bright and
well-educated players. The average age was twenty-four. Sixty-six had attended
college and had played on college golf teams. Thirty-five had already
graduated.
That
year was special, too, because it was the first time six rounds of golf were
played in the final event. Two extra rounds had been added to make it a greater
test of golf.
The
Q-School also had a “class stand-out.” Trying to qualify that week was the
famous baseball star Ken Harrelson, the Hawk, who had quit baseball in
midseason because, as he said, “nothing could be worse than playing for the
Cleveland Indians.” The Hawk had qualified regionally at Tanglewood Golf Club
in Winston-Salem, shooting 288 and making the cut by two shots.
Among
the qualifiers were Lanny Wadkins, the 1970 U.S. Amateur champion and a member
of the 1969 and 1971 U.S. Walker Cup teams; Steve Melnyk, the current British
Amateur titleholder; David Graham of Australia, already an international star,
who had just won the 1971 World Cup; John Mahaffey of Texas, the 1970 NCAA
champion; and Allen Miller and Bruce Fleisher, both Walker Cup players, as well
as Tom Watson.
The
1971 class, averaged age of 24, was well-educated. Of the 75 players enrolled,
66 had attended college and played on college golf teams. Thirty-five had
already graduated from college.
This
1971 tournament was extended to six rounds instead of four. Then-PGA TOUR
Commissioner Joe Dey deemed that the two extra rounds were added to make it a
greater test of golfing ability. It was an endurance test.
The
tournament began on Monday in the rain, the first day of rain in months for
Florida. It was a rain the pros were not disappointed to see, as it would help
to slow the hard, fast greens of the championship East Course.
Twenty-three
players shot 444 or better and earned their cards. The class more than lived up
to the “pep talk” of Zender by producing golfers winning 12 major championships
and 81 PGA TOUR titles.
“The PGA Tour qualifying
class of 1971 was forecasted to be the best ever by the press and even more
important by the best players in the world. After 50 years the evidence is in
the results,” said Zender in recalling that special week.
The 23 Qualifiers from the 1971 PGA TOUR Qualifying
School
1
Bob Zender, Skokie, Ill. |
70-71-72-72-71-69--425 |
(Winner of the 1971 Sunnehanna Amateur) |
T-2
Sam Adams, Boone, N.C. |
69-74-76-70-70-69--428 |
|
T-2
Lanny Wadkins, Winston-Salem, N.C. |
70-69-71-72-75-71--428 |
(Winner of the 1970 U.S. Amateur) |
4
Steve Melnyk, Jacksonville, Fla |
73-73-70-71-72-71--430 |
(Winner
of the 1969 U.S. Amateur) |
5
Tom Watson, Kansas City, Mo. |
71-71-73-72-71-75--433
|
|
6
Allen Miller, Pensacola, Fla. |
72-75-72-73-67-76--435
|
(Winner of the 1970 Canadian
Amateur) |
7
John Mahaffey, Houston, Texas |
73-71-73-72-73-74--436 |
(Winner
of the 1970 NCAA Championship)
|
8
Bruce Fleisher, Miami, Fla.
|
72-77-70-70-79-70--438
|
|
9
Jim Barber, Clearwater, Fla.
|
74-73-71-75-73-73--439
|
|
10
David Graham, Sydney, Australia
|
77-71-74-70-70-78--440
|
(Winner of the 1970 French Open)
|
T-11
Gary Groh, Jackson, Mich.
|
73-70-70-73-78-77--441
|
|
T-11
Forrest Fezler, San Jose, Calif.
|
76-72-68-75-75-75--441
|
(Winner of the 1969 Calif. State
Amateur)
|
T-13
Leonard Thompson, Myrtle Beach, S.C.
|
76-73-76-73-71-73--442
|
(Winner of the 1969 Sunnehanna Amateur)
|
T-13
David Glenz, Coquille, Ore.
|
75-74-80-72-72-69--442
|
|
T-15 Bill Ziobro, Cresskill, N.J.
T-15 Mike Spang, Portland,
Ore.
|
76-72-75-74-72-74--443
75-69-72-74-77-76--443
|
|
T-17 Rogelio Gonzalez, Medellin,
Colombia
T-17 John Gentile, Fairfield, Conn
T-17 David Haberle, Edina, Minn.
T-17 Raymond Arinno, Sacramento,
Calif
T-17 George Thorpe, Detroit, Mich.
T-17 Greg Powers, Nashville, Tenn.
T-17 Wayne Peddy, Monroe,
La.
|
76-74-72-73-71-78--444
73-72-73-75-75-76--444
74-73-74-75-73-75--444
73-75-75-73-74-74--444
68-76-74-73-79-74--444
73-76-74-73-77-71--444
69-76-74-78-76-71--444
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