Mike Souchak won 15 tour events in a career that lasted over a decade. He was an accomplished college football player and shot the lowest score ever in PGA history for 72 holes at the 1955 Texas Open. That record stood for over four decades. RIP.
DURHAM, N.C. (AP)--Former PGA Tour professional and Duke Sports Hall of Fame member Mike Souchak has died.
The school said the 81-year-old died Thursday in Belleair, Fla.
Souchak won 15 events on the PGA Tour from 1955-66 and had 11 top-10 finishes in major championships. He finished third at the U.S. Open in 1959 and 1960, and played on the winning U.S. Ryder Cup teams in '59 and '61.
He set a tour record for four-round low score at the 1955 Texas Open, opening with a 60 and finishing a 257. That record stood until Mark Calcavecchia's 256 at the 2001 Phoenix Open.
At Duke, Souchak lettered three seasons in football and four in golf, helping the Blue Devils win two Southern Conference golf titles.
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Comments (1)
Love hearing the stories of... (Below threshold)1. Posted by Tote Golf Pro | July 13, 2008 8:41 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Love hearing the stories of these old timers. Such history...
Along with players such as Gene Littler, Dow Finsterwald and Bob Rosburg, Souchak was considered one of the new guard of tour pros in the mid 1950s. It was a Wake Forest grad named Arnold Palmer who emerged as the superstar of the group, but they were all legends in my book.
Souchak had 11 top tens in majors, and was the 54-hole leader at the 1960 U.S. Open at Cherry Hills, the only national title won by Arnold Palmer. Apparently he was good enough to win one.
RIP
1. Posted by Tote Golf Pro | July 13, 2008 8:41 AM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on July 13, 2008 08:41