Quick Facts
Virgo
Biography
Allen Lee Geiberger Sr. (born September 1, 1937) is an American former professional golfer.
Professional career
Geiberger turned pro in 1959 and joined the PGA Tour in 1960. Geiberger won 11 tournaments on the PGA Tour, the first being the 1962 Ontario Open and the biggest being the 1966 PGA Championship, a major title. He won the Tournament Players Championship in 1975, and played on the Ryder Cup teams in 1967 and 1975. Geiberger also won 10 times on the Senior PGA Tour, now called the Champions Tour.
Mr. 59
During the second round of the Danny Thomas Memphis Classic in 1977, Geiberger became the first player in history to post a score of 59 (−13) in a PGA Tour-sanctioned event. Starting on the tenth tee of the Colonial Country Club in Cordova, Tennessee, he shot a bogey-free round of six pars, 11 birdies, and an eagle on the 7,193-yard (6,577 m) layout. He sank a forty-foot (12 m) putt for birdie on his opening hole, and ended the round with a birdie from eight feet (2.4 m); the lone eagle was a holed-out wedge shot.
Geiberger won the tournament, though not handily. He shot even-par 72 in the first and third rounds, and was two strokes down to Gary Player on Sunday after a 38 (+2) on the front nine put him at 241 (−11) for 63 holes. He regained the lead with a 32 (−4) on the back nine to finish at 273 (−15), two strokes ahead of Player and Jerry McGee.
Scorecard: Friday, June 10, 1977
| Hole | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Par | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 |
| Score | 3 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 |
| To par | −1 | −1 | −2 | −2 | −2 | −3 | −4 | −5 | −6 | −8 | −9 | −10 | −10 | −10 | −11 | −12 | −12 | −13 |
- Source:
Personal life
Geiberger was born in Red Bluff, California, the son of Ray and Mabel Geiberger. His first big tournament win was the 1954 National Jaycee Championship. He graduated from Santa Barbara High School, attended Menlo College and graduated from the University of Southern California in 1959.
Geiberger has six children. His son Brent Geiberger is also a professional golfer who won two PGA Tour events. Another son, John, was the coach of the Pepperdine University golf team from 1996-2012, and won the NCAA Championship in 1997. Geiberger's father was one of the victims of the Tenerife airport disaster in 1977.
Geiberger had surgery in 1980 to remove his colon due to inflammatory bowel disease and has an ileostomy.
Professional wins (30)
PGA Tour wins (11)
| Legend |
| Major championships (1) |
| Players Championships (1) |
| Other PGA Tour (9) |
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | To par | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oct 21, 1962 | Ontario Open Invitational | 69-67-70-70=276 | −8 | 1 stroke | Gardner Dickinson, Bob Goalby, Tommy Jacobs, Chuck Rotar, John Ruedi |
| 2 | Nov 3, 1963 | Almaden Open Invitational | 69-67-67-74=277 | −11 | 1 stroke | Dutch Harrison, Dick Lotz |
| 3 | Aug 29, 1965 | American Golf Classic | 70-69-69-72=280 | E | 4 strokes | Arnold Palmer |
| 4 | Jul 24, 1966 | PGA Championship | 68-72-68-72=280 | E | 4 strokes | Dudley Wysong |
| 5 | Oct 6, 1974 | Sahara Invitational | 70-68-66-69=273 | −11 | 3 strokes | Wally Armstrong, Jerry Heard, Dave Hill, Mike Hill |
| 6 | Apr 27, 1975 | MONY Tournament of Champions | 67-67-70-73=277 | −11 | Playoff | Gary Player |
| 7 | Aug 24, 1975 | Tournament Players Championship | 66-68-67-69=270 | −10 | 3 strokes | Dave Stockton |
| 8 | Apr 4, 1976 | Greater Greensboro Open | 70-65-65-68=268 | −16 | 2 strokes | Lee Trevino |
| 9 | Jun 27, 1976 | Western Open | 71-71-73-73=288 | +4 | 1 stroke | Joe Porter |
| 10 | Jun 12, 1977 | Danny Thomas Memphis Classic | 72-59-72-70=273 | −15 | 2 strokes | Jerry McGee, Gary Player |
| 11 | May 20, 1979 | Colonial National Invitation | 68-69-64-73=274 | −6 | 1 stroke | Don January, Gene Littler |
PGA Tour playoff record (1–1)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1967 | Carling World Open | Billy Casper | Lost to par on first extra hole |
| 2 | 1975 | MONY Tournament of Champions | Gary Player | Won with birdie on first extra hole |
PGA of Japan Tour wins (1)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | To par | Margin of victory | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nov 25, 1973 | ABC Japan vs USA Golf Matches | 72-70-76=218 | +2 | 2 strokes | Takashi Murakami |
Other wins (6)
- 1961 Utah Open
- 1962 Caracas Open, Almaden Open Invitational
- 1979 Spalding Invitational
- 1982 Frontier Airlines Open
- 1985 Colorado Open
Senior PGA Tour wins (10)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | To par | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oct 4, 1987 | Vantage Championship | 72-67-67=206 | −4 | 2 strokes | Dave Hill |
| 2 | Oct 18, 1987 | Seniors International Golf Championship | 70-68-71=209 | −4 | Playoff | Jim Ferree |
| 3 | Oct 25, 1987 | Las Vegas Senior Classic | 68-73-62=203 | −13 | 4 strokes | Chi-Chi Rodríguez |
| 4 | Mar 20, 1988 | Pointe/Del E. Webb Arizona Classic | 63-69-67=199 | −17 | 1 stroke | Orville Moody |
| 5 | Aug 20, 1989 | GTE Northwest Classic | 68-68-68=204 | −12 | 3 strokes | Frank Beard |
| 6 | Jul 7, 1991 | Kroger Senior Classic | 66-69-68=203 | −10 | 1 stroke | Larry Laoretti |
| 7 | Jan 12, 1992 | Infiniti Senior Tournament of Champions | 71-67-71-73=282 | −6 | 3 strokes | Bruce Crampton, Chi-Chi Rodríguez |
| 8 | Jan 10, 1993 | Infiniti Senior Tournament of Champions (2) | 70-70-69-71=280 | −8 | 2 strokes | Jim Dent |
| 9 | Mar 7, 1993 | GTE West Classic | 67-65-66=198 | −12 | 2 strokes | Isao Aoki, George Archer |
| 10 | Feb 11, 1996 | Greater Naples IntelliNet Challenge | 68-63-71=202 | −14 | 1 stroke | Isao Aoki |
Senior PGA Tour playoff record (1-1)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1987 | Seniors International Golf Championship | Jim Ferree | Won with birdie on second extra hole |
| 2 | 1999 | Toshiba Senior Classic | Allen Doyle, John Jacobs, Gary McCord | McCord won with birdie on fifth extra hole Doyle and Geiberger eliminated by eagle on first hole |
Other senior wins (2)
- 1989 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf (with Harold Henning)
- 2008 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf - Demaret Division (with Jimmy Powell)
Major championships
Wins (1)
| Year | Championship | 54 holes | Winning score | Margin | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 | PGA Championship | 4 shot lead | E (68-72-68-72=280) | 4 strokes | Dudley Wysong |
Results timeline
| Tournament | 1961 | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | CUT | T13 | T24 | T44 | T36 | T30 | T13 | ||
| U.S. Open | T12 | CUT | CUT | T14 | T4 | T30 | T28 | T9 | T2 |
| The Open Championship | |||||||||
| PGA Championship | T5 | T19 | 19 | 1 | T5 | T8 | T35 |
| Tournament | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | T45 | T24 | T12 | T37 | T31 | CUT | T15 | CUT | T42 | |
| U.S. Open | CUT | T55 | T21 | T13 | T18 | T38 | T2 | T10 | T53 | T19 |
| The Open Championship | T13 | CUT | ||||||||
| PGA Championship | T16 | T30 | CUT | T18 | 8 | T33 | CUT | T6 | CUT | T65 |
| Tournament | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | CUT | |||||||||
| U.S. Open | CUT | |||||||||
| The Open Championship | ||||||||||
| PGA Championship | T67 | CUT | CUT | CUT | T74 |
| Tournament | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | |||||||||
| U.S. Open | |||||||||
| The Open Championship | |||||||||
| PGA Championship | CUT |
CUT = missed the halfway cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place.
Summary
| Tournament | Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top-5 | Top-10 | Top-25 | Events | Cuts made |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 17 | 13 |
| U.S. Open | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 11 | 20 | 16 |
| The Open Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| PGA Championship | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 10 | 23 | 16 |
| Totals | 1 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 11 | 28 | 62 | 46 |
- Most consecutive cuts made – 20 (1963 PGA – 1970 Masters)
- Longest streak of top-10s – 2 (twice)
The Players Championship
Wins (1)
| Year | Championship | 54 holes | Winning score | Margin | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Tournament Players Championship | 3 shot lead | −10 (66-68-67-69=270) | 3 strokes | Dave Stockton |
Results timeline
| Tournament | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Players Championship | T24 | 1 | T24 | CUT | T67 | T56 | CUT |
CUT = missed the halfway cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place.