1972 PGA Championship: Gary Player wins at Oakland Hills Country Club (South Course)
Gary Player won the 1972 PGA Championship at Oakland Hills Country Club (South Course) in Bloomfield Township, Michigan with 281 (+1), by 2 strokes over Tommy Aaron and Jim Jamieson.
Updated October 23, 2026
See 1972 in Wanamaker Avenue, the PGA Championship room, or every year on the PGA Championship winners list.
- Dates
- August 3, 1972 to August 6, 1972
- Course
- Oakland Hills Country Club (South Course), Bloomfield Township, Michigan
- Edition
- 54th PGA Championship
- Format
- stroke play
- Par
- 70 · 7,054 yards
- Field
- 138
- Made the cut
- 79 (cut at 150)
- Purse
- $224,087 · winner's share $45,000
- Champion
- Gary Player · age 36 · South Africa · born Johannesburg, Gauteng (then Transvaal), South Africa
- Champion's title
- 2nd PGA Championship
- Winning score
- 71-71-67-72 = 281 (+1) · won by 2 strokes
- Runners-up
- Tommy Aaron, Jim Jamieson
- 54-hole leader
- Gary Player (209)
- Low club professional
- Sam Snead (284)
Winner and runners-up
| Pos. | Player | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | Total | To par |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gary Player | 71 | 71 | 67 | 72 | 281 | +1 |
| T2 | Tommy Aaron | 71 | 71 | 70 | 71 | 283 | +3 |
| T2 | Jim Jamieson | 69 | 72 | 72 | 70 | 283 | +3 |
What happened at the 1972 PGA Championship
After bogeys at 14 and 15, Gary Player hit a 9-iron from wet rough at the 16th over a willow tree and a pond to four feet and made the birdie.
Sam Snead tied for fourth at age 60, while Gene Sarazen (70) and Denny Shute withdrew during the first round of their final PGA appearances.
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).