1977 PGA Championship: Lanny Wadkins wins at Pebble Beach Golf Links
Lanny Wadkins won the 1977 PGA Championship at Pebble Beach Golf Links in Pebble Beach, California with 282 (−6), beating Gene Littler in a playoff.
Updated October 23, 2026
See 1977 in Wanamaker Avenue, the PGA Championship room, or every year on the PGA Championship winners list.
- Dates
- August 11, 1977 to August 14, 1977
- Course
- Pebble Beach Golf Links, Pebble Beach, California
- Edition
- 59th PGA Championship
- Format
- stroke play
- Par
- 72 · 6,804 yards
- Field
- 138
- Made the cut
- 71 (cut at 151)
- Purse
- $250,000 · winner's share $45,000
- Champion
- Lanny Wadkins · age 27 · United States · born Richmond, Virginia
- Champion's title
- 1st PGA Championship
- Winning score
- 69-71-72-70 = 282 (−6)
- Runner-up
- Gene Littler
- 54-hole leader
- Gene Littler (206) · Lanny Wadkins was 6 strokes back
- Playoff
- sudden death; beat Gene Littler; Wadkins 4-4-4; Littler 4-4-unknown; 3rd extra hole (hole number unknown)
- Low club professional
- Bob Duden (301)
Winner and runner-up
| Pos. | Player | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | Total | To par |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lanny Wadkins | 69 | 71 | 72 | 70 | 282 | −6 |
| 2 | Gene Littler | 67 | 69 | 70 | 76 | 282 | −6 |
What happened at the 1977 PGA Championship
Lanny Wadkins beat Gene Littler with a par on the third extra hole in the first sudden-death playoff in a men's major, after Littler squandered a six-shot final-round lead.
Several players, including Floyd, Irwin, Player, Weiskopf and Watson, had club grooves ruled nonconforming, and Watson tied for sixth with borrowed clubs.
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).