| 1969 PGA Championship | |
Raymond Floyd began to fulfill his promise at the 1969 PGA Championship, which is also noted as a tournament at which the social turmoil of the 1960s broke into the well-cacooned world of professional golf.
One of golf's greatest, Gary Player, hailed from a country, South Africa, that at that time employed a policy of enforced racial segregation and discrimination known as apartheid. Player's history with apartheid is complicated, but by this point in his career he was working, mostly quietly, to improve the situation in his homeland.
The golfer Player lost to was Floyd, who barely held off Player in the final round. Floyd, after shooting three rounds in the 60s, took a 5-stroke lead into the final round, then shot 74 to Player's 70. The final margin of victory was one stroke.
Floyd first won on the PGA Tour in 1963, and much later in his career he was one of the most-respected players on tour, with a reputation for steely-eyed precision and toughness. In 1969, however, his reputation was that of a party boy who hadn't lived up to his potential.
His win here was Floyd's first major championship title and his fifth win on the PGA Tour. He didn't win again until 1975, so that reputation didn't change overnight as a result of this victory. But Floyd did begin the process of shirking that reputation here.
1969 PGA Championship Scores
Results from the 1969 PGA Championship golf tournament played at the par-71 South Course at NCR Country Club in Dayton, Ohio:
| Raymond Floyd | 69-66-67-74--276 | $35,000 |
| Gary Player | 71-65-71-70--277 | $20,000 |
| Bert Greene | 71-68-68-71--278 | $12,400 |
| Jimmy Wright | 71-68-69-71--279 | $8,300 |
| Miller Barber | 73-75-64-68--280 | $6,725 |
| Larry Ziegler | 69-71-70-70--280 | $6,725 |
| Charles Coody | 69-71-72-69--281 | $5,143 |
| Orville Moody | 70-68-71-72--281 | $5,143 |
| Terry Wilcox | 72-71-72-66--281 | $5,143 |
| Frank Beard | 70-75-68-69--282 | $4,375 |
| Don Bies | 74-64-71-74--283 | $3,543 |
| Bunky Henry | 69-68-70-76--283 | $3,543 |
| Larry Mowry | 69-71-69-74--283 | $3,543 |
| Jack Nicklaus | 70-68-74-71--283 | $3,543 |
| Chi Chi Rodriguez | 72-72-71-69--284 | $2,712 |
| Bruce Crampton | 70-70-72-72--284 | $2,712 |
| Dave Hill | 74-75-67-68--284 | $2,712 |
| Don January | 75-70-70-69--284 | $2,712 |
| Howie Johnson | 73-68-72-72--285 | $2,137 |
| Johnny Pott | 69-75-71-70--285 | $2,137 |
| Ron Cerrudo | 74-66-70-76--286 | $1,718 |
| Bobby Cole | 72-74-71-69--286 | $1,718 |
| Bob Lunn | 69-74-73-70--286 | $1,718 |
| Tom Shaw | 69-75-73-69--286 | $1,718 |
| Julius Boros | 72-74-70-71--287 | $1,300 |
| Gay Brewer | 74-71-76-66--287 | $1,300 |
| Bob Dickson | 74-72-70-71--287 | $1,300 |
| Tony Jacklin | 73-70-73-71--287 | $1,300 |
| George Knudson | 70-75-67-75--287 | $1,300 |
| Fred Marti | 73-70-71-73--287 | $1,300 |
| Dan Sikes | 71-74-69-73--287 | $1,300 |
| Butch Baird | 71-71-75-71--288 | $1,055 |
| Bruce Devlin | 70-78-69-71--288 | $1,055 |
| Al Mengert | 74-72-72-70--288 | $1,055 |
| Billy Casper | 72-74-70-73--289 | $890 |
| Bob Charles | 75-73-72-69--289 | $890 |
| Al Geiberger | 69-72-77-71--289 | $890 |
| Mac McLendon | 73-68-75-73--289 | $890 |
| Steve Reid | 72-75-71-71--289 | $890 |
| Dave Stockton | 75-67-71-76--289 | $890 |
| Pete Brown | 77-72-70-71--290 | $686 |
| Gardner Dickinson | 72-70-72-76--290 | $686 |
| Dick Hart | 73-73-72-72--290 | $686 |
| Harold Henning | 74-73-70-74--291 | $512 |
| Larry Hinson | 75-74-70-72--291 | $512 |
| Bobby Nichols | 74-71-75-71--291 | $512 |
| Tom Weiskopf | 70-76-70-75--291 | $512 |
| Bobby Brue | 73-71-74-74--292 | $289 |
| Dale Douglass | 73-76-72-71--292 | $289 |
| Gene Littler | 73-76-71-72--292 | $289 |
| Dick Lotz | 75-73-69-75--292 | $289 |
| Dave Marr | 78-68-71-75--292 | $289 |
| Bobby Mitchell | 73-71-75-73--292 | $289 |
| Phil Rodgers | 70-72-75-75--292 | $289 |
| Lee Trevino | 73-71-72-76--292 | $289 |
| Dudley Wysong | 72-76-73-71--292 | $289 |
| Tommy Aaron | 70-72-79-72--293 | $241 |
| Jacky Cupit | 70-73-75-75--293 | $241 |
| Howell Fraser | 72-76-71-75--294 | $241 |
| Pat Schwab | 75-72-73-74--294 | $241 |
| Mike Souchak | 75-73-74-72--294 | $241 |
| Kermit Zarley | 75-74-69-76--294 | $241 |
| Dick Crawford | 73-72-75-76--296 | $241 |
| Jay Hebert | 75-74-73-74--296 | $241 |
| Davis Love Jr. | 73-71-76-76--296 | $241 |
| Billy Maxwell | 76-73-75-72--296 | $241 |
| Bob Murphy | 74-71-75-76--296 | $241 |
| Sam Snead | 75-72-71-78--296 | $241 |
| George Archer | 75-74-71-77--297 | $241 |
| Jack Burke Jr. | 74-75-74-74--297 | $241 |
| Stan Dudas | 76-70-76-75--297 | $241 |
| Jack McGowan | 76-73-72-76--297 | $241 |
| Ed Kroll | 72-70-79-77--298 | $241 |
| Bob Stanton | 77-72-73-76--298 | $241 |
| Stan Thirsk | 73-75-75-75--298 | $241 |
| John Cook | 77-69-73-80--299 | $241 |
| Dow Finsterwald | 75-73-75-76--299 | $241 |
| Jim Turnesa | 74-74-77-74--299 | $241 |
| Eddie Merrins | 75-70-77-80--302 | $241 |
1968 PGA Championship | 1970 PGA Championship
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