Al Geiberger
Age: 87
Allen Lee Geiberger, Sr. (born September 1, 1937) is an American former professional golfer.
Professional career
Geiberger won 11 tournaments on the PGA Tour, one of which was 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 (−13) 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 7,193-yard (6,577 m) 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 (+2) on the front nine put him at 241 (−11) for 63 holes. He regained the lead with a 32 (−4) on the back nine to finish at 273 (−15), 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 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Par | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 |
Score | 3 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 |
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. He turned pro in 1959 and joined the PGA Tour in 1960. His first PGA Tour win was the 1962 Ontario Open.
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 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. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | To par | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Oct 21, 1962 | Ontario Open Invitational | 69-67-70-70=276 | −8 | 1 stroke | Gardner Dickinson, Bob Goalby Tommy Jacobs, Chuck Rotar John Ruedi |
2 | Nov 3, 1963 | Almaden Open Invitational | 69-67-67-74=277 | −11 | 1 stroke | Dutch Harrison, Dick Lotz |
3 | Aug 29, 1965 | American Golf Classic | 70-69-69-72=280 | E | 4 strokes | Arnold Palmer |
4 | Jul 24, 1966 | PGA Championship | 68-72-68-72=280 | E | 4 strokes | Dudley Wysong |
5 | Oct 6, 1974 | Sahara Invitational | 70-68-66-69=273 | −11 | 3 strokes | Wally Armstrong, Jerry Heard Dave Hill, Mike Hill |
6 | Apr 27, 1975 | MONY Tournament of Champions | 67-67-70-73=277 | −11 | Playoff | Gary Player |
7 | Aug 24, 1975 | Tournament Players Championship | 66-68-67-69=270 | −10 | 3 strokes | Dave Stockton |
8 | Apr 4, 1976 | Greater Greensboro Open | 70-65-65-68=268 | −16 | 2 strokes | Lee Trevino |
9 | Jun 27, 1976 | Western Open | 71-71-73-73=288 | +4 | 1 stroke | Joe Porter |
10 | Jun 12, 1977 | Danny Thomas Memphis Classic | 72-59-72-70=273 | −15 | 2 strokes | Jerry McGee, Gary Player |
11 | May 20, 1979 | Colonial National Invitation | 68-69-64-73=274 | −6 | 1 stroke | Don January, Gene Littler |
PGA Tour playoff record (1-1)
No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1967 | Carling World Open | Billy Casper | Lost to par on first extra hole |
2 | 1975 | MONY Tournament of Champions | Gary Player | Won with birdie on first extra hole |
Major championship is shown in bold.
Other wins (7)
- 1961 Utah Open
- 1962 Caracas Open, Almaden Open Invitational
- 1973 ABC Japan vs USA Golf Matches (Japan Golf Tour)
- 1979 Spalding Invitational
- 1982 Frontier Airlines Open
- 1985 Colorado Open
Senior PGA Tour wins (10)
No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | To par | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Oct 4, 1987 | Vantage Championship | 72-67-67=206 | −4 | 2 strokes | Dave Hill |
2 | Oct 18, 1987 | Seniors International Golf Championship | 70-68-71=209 | −4 | Playoff | Jim Ferree |
3 | Oct 25, 1987 | Las Vegas Senior Classic | 68-73-62=203 | −13 | 4 strokes | Chi-Chi Rodríguez |
4 | Mar 20, 1988 | The Pointe/Del E. Webb Arizona Classic | 63-69-67=199 | −17 | 1 stroke | Orville Moody |
5 | Aug 20, 1989 | GTE Northwest Classic | 68-68-68=204 | −12 | 3 strokes | Frank Beard |
6 | Jul 7, 1991 | Kroger Senior Classic | 66-69-68=203 | −10 | 1 stroke | Larry Laoretti |
7 | Jan 12, 1992 | Infiniti Senior Tournament of Champions | 71-67-71-73=282 | −6 | 3 strokes | Bruce Crampton, Chi-Chi Rodríguez |
8 | Jan 10, 1993 | Infiniti Senior Tournament of Champions | 70-70-69-71=280 | −8 | 2 strokes | Jim Dent |
9 | Mar 7, 1993 | GTE West Classic | 67-65-66=198 | −12 | 2 strokes | Isao Aoki, George Archer |
10 | Feb 11, 1996 | Greater Naples IntelliNet Challenge | 68-63-71=202 | −14 | 1 stroke | Isao Aoki |
Senior PGA Tour playoff record (1-1)
No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1987 | Seniors International Golf Championship | Jim Ferree | Won with birdie on second extra hole |
2 | 1999 | Toshiba 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)
- 1989 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf (with Harold Henning)
- 2008 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf - Demaret Division (with Jimmy Powell)
Major championships
Wins (1)
Year | Championship | 54 holes | Winning score | Margin | Runner-up |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1966 | PGA Championship | 4 shot lead | E (68-72-68-72=280) | 4 strokes | Dudley Wysong |
Results timeline
Tournament | 1961 | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | DNP | CUT | DNP | T13 | T24 | T44 | T36 | T30 | T13 |
U.S. Open | T12 | CUT | CUT | T14 | T4 | T30 | T28 | T9 | T2 |
The Open Championship | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
PGA Championship | DNP | DNP | T5 | T19 | 19 | 1 | T5 | T8 | T35 |
Tournament | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | T45 | T24 | T12 | T37 | T31 | CUT | T15 | CUT | T42 | DNP |
U.S. Open | CUT | T55 | T21 | T13 | T18 | T38 | T2 | T10 | T53 | T19 |
The Open Championship | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | T13 | CUT | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
PGA Championship | T16 | T30 | CUT | T18 | 8 | T33 | CUT | T6 | CUT | T65 |
Tournament | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | CUT | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
U.S. Open | CUT | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
The Open Championship | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
PGA Championship | DNP | T67 | CUT | CUT | CUT | T74 | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
Tournament | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
U.S. Open | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
The Open Championship | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
PGA Championship | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | CUT |
DNP = Did not play
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10
Summary
Tournament | Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top-5 | Top-10 | Top-25 | Events | Cuts made |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 17 | 13 |
U.S. Open | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 11 | 20 | 16 |
The Open Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
PGA Championship | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 10 | 23 | 16 |
Totals | 1 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 11 | 28 | 62 | 46 |
- Most consecutive cuts made - 20 (1963 PGA - 1970 Masters)
- Longest streak of top-10s - 2 (twice)