Mike Souchak
# Mike Souchak

Michael Souchak (May 10, 1927 – July 10, 2008) was an American professional golfer who won fifteen events on the PGA Tour in the 1950s and 1960s, and played for the Ryder Cup teams in 1959 and 1961.

## Early years

Born and raised in Berwick, Pennsylvania, Souchak served two years as a gunner in the U.S. Navy. He then attended Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, and played both golf and football for the Blue Devils, as an end and placekicker. He was inducted into the Duke Sports Hall of Fame in 1976.

## Tour record-setter

In his first win at the 1955 Texas Open, Souchak set and tied several records. In the first round, he tied the tour's 18-hole record with a 60. This record was finally broken in 1977 by Al Geiberger's 59, and then lowered by Jim Furyk's 58 in 2016. This first round also included a record-breaking 27 on the back nine holes, a record that was tied by Andy North in 1975, Billy Mayfair in 2001 and Robert Gamez in 2004, and broken by Corey Pavin in 2006. He then finished with a 72-hole record of 257 (27-under-par). This record stood until 2001, when Mark Calcavecchia shot 256 at the Phoenix Open, and lowered two years later by Tommy Armour III (254) at the Texas Open. Justin Thomas lowered the mark to 253 in 2017 at the Sony Open in Hawaii.

Souchak's fifteen PGA Tour wins came between 1955 and 1964, with his best year in 1956 (four victories). He won three tour titles in 1959, and was on an early cover of Sports Illustrated in January 1956, for its preview of the Bing Crosby Pro-Am.

## Near misses in majors

Souchak had eleven top-10 finishes at major championships, including third-place finishes at the U.S. Open in 1959 and 1960. Souchak led after 36 holes in 1960 with a new record score of 135, which was 7-under-par. But he struggled on the final hole of the third round (which was played on the same day as the fourth round,) making a triple bogey, and couldn't regain his composure. Arnold Palmer, who had been seven strokes behind entering the final round, shot 65 to win the championship.

Souchak played on the Senior PGA Tour (now called the PGA Tour Champions) from its inception in 1980 until 1990. His best finish was second place in his very first tournament, the Atlantic City Senior International in 1980.

Souchak moved from North Carolina to Florida in 1970 and became the first head pro at the Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club in Palm Harbor, and resided in Belleair with his wife Nancy. He had four children: sons Mike, Frank, and Chris Souchak and daughter Patti Taylor, as well as five grandchildren. He ran Golf Car Systems, a preventive maintenance firm, with his partner Bill Dodd until his death from complications of a heart attack in 2008.

## Professional wins (19)

### PGA Tour wins (15)

| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | To par | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Feb 20, 1955 | Texas Open | 60-68-64-65=257 | −27 | 7 strokes | Fred Haas |
| 2 | Feb 27, 1955 | Houston Open | 70-71-67-65=273 | −15 | 2 strokes | Jerry Barber |
| 3 | Jan 22, 1956 | Agua Caliente Open | 65-71-74-71=281 | −7 | 2 strokes | Tommy Bolt |
| 4 | Apr 1, 1956 | Azalea Open Invitational | 70-70-65-68=273 | −15 | 1 stroke | Dick Mayer |
| 5 | May 6, 1956 | Colonial National Invitation | 74-72-65-69=280 | E | 1 stroke | Tommy Bolt |
| 6 | Aug 26, 1956 | St. Paul Open | 70-69-70-62=271 | −17 | 1 stroke | Sam Snead |
| 7 | Aug 17, 1958 | St. Paul Open Invitational (2) | 66-64-68-65=263 | −25 | 4 strokes | Julius Boros, Sam Snead |
| 8 | Apr 26, 1959 | Tournament of Champions | 66-70-68-77=281 | −7 | 2 strokes | Art Wall Jr. |
| 9 | Jul 12, 1959 | Western Open | 67-67-73-65=272 | −8 | 1 stroke | Arnold Palmer |
| 10 | Aug 16, 1959 | Motor City Open | 69-63-67-69=268 | −16 | 9 strokes | Billy Casper, Doug Ford |
| 11 | Jan 31, 1960 | San Diego Open Invitational | 67-68-67-67=269 | −19 | 1 stroke | Johnny Pott |
| 12 | Jul 4, 1960 | Buick Open Invitational | 71-68-74-69=282 | −6 | 1 stroke | Gay Brewer, Art Wall Jr. |
| 13 | Apr 16, 1961 | Greater Greensboro Open | 70-68-69-69=276 | −8 | 7 strokes | Sam Snead |
| 14 | Apr 19, 1964 | Houston Classic (2) | 71-69-68-70=278 | −6 | 1 stroke | Jack Nicklaus |
| 15 | May 24, 1964 | Memphis Open Invitational | 69-65-67-69=270 | −10 | 1 stroke | Billy Casper, Tommy Jacobs |

PGA Tour playoff record (0–3)

| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 1955 | Thunderbird Invitational | Fred Haas, Shelley Mayfield | Mayfield won with birdie on second extra hole after 18-hole playoff; Mayfield: −3 (69), Souchak: −3 (69), Haas: −2 (70) |
| 2 | 1957 | Thunderbird Invitational | Jimmy Demaret, Ken Venturi | Demaret won 18-hole playoff; Demaret: −4 (67), Souchak: + 4 (75), Venturi: +5 (76) |
| 3 | 1963 | Hot Springs Open Invitational | Dave Hill | Lost to par on second extra hole |

### Other wins (4)

This list is probably incomplete

* 1955 Havana Invitational
* 1959 Carolinas PGA Championship
* 1967 Michigan Open
* 1968 Michigan PGA Championship

## Results in major championships

| Tournament | 1953 | 1954 | 1955 | 1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959 |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Masters Tournament | | | T4 | T17 | CUT | T14 | T25 |
| U.S. Open | CUT | CUT | T10 | T29 | CUT | CUT | T3 |
| The Open Championship | | | | T8 | | | |
| PGA Championship | | | | | R16 | T8 | T5 |
| Tournament | 1960 | 1961 | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 |
| Masters Tournament | T16 | T28 | T5 | T11 | T9 | T35 | T33 | | | |
| U.S. Open | T3 | T4 | T14 | T32 | | CUT | CUT | | | T42 |
| The Open Championship | | | | | | | | | | |
| PGA Championship | T12 | T45 | T39 | T23 | T13 | T15 | CUT | T20 | CUT | T59 |
| Tournament | 1971 | 1972 | 1976 |
| Masters Tournament | | | |
| U.S. Open | CUT | | CUT |
| The Open Championship | | | CUT |
| PGA Championship | | T29 | |

CUT = missed the half-way cut "T" indicates a tie for a place R16, QF, SF = Round in which player lost in PGA Championship match play

### Summary

| Tournament | Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top-5 | Top-10 | Top-25 | Events | Cuts made |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Masters Tournament | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 12 | 11 |
| U.S. Open | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 16 | 8 |
| The Open Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| PGA Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 14 | 12 |
| Totals | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 11 | 22 | 44 | 32 |

* Most consecutive cuts made – 19 (1958 PGA – 1965 Masters)
* Longest streak of top-10s – 2 (twice)

## U.S. national team appearances

* Ryder Cup: 1959 (winners), 1961 (winners)
* Hopkins Trophy: 1956 (winners)
