1964 PGA Championship: Bobby Nichols wins at Columbus Country Club
Bobby Nichols won the 1964 PGA Championship at Columbus Country Club in Columbus, Ohio with 271 (−9), by 3 strokes over Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer.
Updated October 23, 2026
See 1964 in Wanamaker Avenue, the PGA Championship room, or every year on the PGA Championship winners list.
- Dates
- July 16, 1964 to July 19, 1964
- Course
- Columbus Country Club, Columbus, Ohio
- Edition
- 46th PGA Championship
- Format
- stroke play
- Par
- 70 · 6,851 yards
- Field
- 162
- Made the cut
- 91 (cut at 150)
- Purse
- $100,000 · winner's share $18,000
- Champion
- Bobby Nichols · age 28 · United States · born Louisville, Kentucky
- Champion's title
- 1st PGA Championship
- Winning score
- 64-71-69-67 = 271 (−9) · won by 3 strokes
- Runners-up
- Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer
- 54-hole leader
- Bobby Nichols (204)
Winner and runners-up
| Pos. | Player | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | Total | To par |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bobby Nichols | 64 | 71 | 69 | 67 | 271 | −9 |
| T2 | Jack Nicklaus | 67 | 73 | 70 | 64 | 274 | −6 |
| T2 | Arnold Palmer | 68 | 68 | 69 | 69 | 274 | −6 |
What happened at the 1964 PGA Championship
Bobby Nichols opened with 64, the first 64 in PGA Championship history, and led wire-to-wire to a 271 that stood as the tournament record for 30 years.
Arnold Palmer became the first golfer to shoot all four rounds in the 60s at a major (68-68-69-69) and still finished three behind, tied with Nicklaus, who closed with 64.
How this was built
Every value is shown as recorded in GNN's PGA Championship data. A value no source confirmed is left out; nothing is estimated. Where sources disagree, the organizer's own record is used.
Data: pga.json (the PGA Championship room's data: Tables 1A–1H).