Greeting golf fans and welcome to my 1971 Tour page! I created a 16-event tour for the 1971 APBA PGA Tour players. Some of the events were real Tour stops that year and others are invented. The courses used are a mix of APBA and ASG creations.
Each event will feature 8 golfers. There were 4 dominant golfers in 1971, the Big 4, Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino and Gary Player. Each of those guys will play 14 of the 16 events. The remaining 4-5 slots per event will be filled by other golfers, with the more successful golfers that year playing more events (and the more successful you are on my Tour the more events you will play as well) as well as the winners of real events playing those events.
APBA is a shot-by-shot, hole-by-hole game. It takes a while to play. Completing an actual event with a full field would be quite the undertaking. This is not that. Limiting each event to 8 golfers takes away some of the realism while retaining the excitement and allowing for one to complete the endeavor.
What I am going to do now is present the schedule. Later in the week I will post a brief summary of the 6 events that I have already completed. Then starting new week I will slowly post the daily summaries of the 7th event, The Masters, which I have also completed. After that I will post summaries as they happen. I am currently playing the 8th event, The Players Championship. This is not something that I will be updating all the time. Once I finish the Players it will probably be a while before I post again. I have a couple other games I enjoy playing (TV Pro Wrestling, SOM Basketball) and this is a game I return to here and there, to focus on for a month and play an event then leave alone for a while. But I do enjoy the game and I hope you enjoy my Tour. Comments are appreciated!
Event # 1: The D.C. Open: APBA course DC Metro = Congressional
Event # 2: Glen Campbell-Los Angeles Open: APBA course Los Angeles = Riviera. This was a real event but it was hosted at Rancho Park that year and NOT Riviera. The latter has hosted the event every year except two since 1973.
Event # 3: Bing Crosby National Pro-Am: ASG course Pebble Beach. This was a real event but in reality only two of the four days were played at Pebble. I played the entire event there.
Event # 4: Hawaiian Open: ASG course Waialae Country Club. This was a real event played at Waialae.
Event # 5: Doral-Eastern Open Invitational: ASG course Doral. This was a real event played at Doral, the “Blue Monster.”
Event # 6: Florida-Citrus Invitational: APBA course Central Florida = Bay Hill. This was a real event though it was played at Rio Pinar Country Club (Bay Hill would take over in 1979).
Event # 7: The Masters: APBA course Magnolia = Augusta National. As real as it gets, my friends.
Event # 8: The Players Championship: ASG course TPC Sawgrass. This was not a real event in 1971. It began in 1974 as the Tournament Players Championship and has been played at the Sawgrass Stadium Course since 1982.
Event # 10: U.S. Open: ASG course Oakland Hills. This was a real event but it was played at Merion, a course I do not have. Oakland Hills is an excellent substitute, having hosted 6 U.S. Opens and 3 P.G.A. Championships.
Event # 11: American Golf Classic: APBA course Rubber City = Firestone. This was a real event played at Firestone.
Event # 12: British Open: APBA course Birthplace = St. Andrews. The 1971 Open was held at Royal Birkdale but St. Andrews is a great substitute.
Event # 13: New York Open: APBA course Empire = Bethpage Black
Event # 14: PGA Championship: APBA course Badger Links = Whistling Straits. The real event was played at the then PGA National Golf Club. Whistling Straits has hosted 3 PGA Championships in the 2000s.
Event # 15: Sea Pines Heritage Classic: APBA course Yatch Club (which presumably should be Yacht Club but APBA can’t spell) = Harbour Town. Real event at real course, yay!
Event # 16: Match Play Championship: APBA course Gopher Links = Hazeltine
The 1971 PGA Tour opened at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Maryland for the D.C. Open. The field was strong, consisting of all 4 members of the Big 4, Jack Nickllus, Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino and Gary Player, as well as Johnny Miller, Dave Eichelberger, Gene Littler and George Archer. The course played to a standard par 72.
Nicklaus was the only player under par on day 1, a day which featured Blustery wind conditions. He had 5 birdies and 3 bogeys for a score of 70. He missed three putts of 6’ or less and had a three-putt from 29’, so he could have gone lower. Miller had himself to 3 under before bogeying five of the final six holes. Trevino doubled the par 5 6th after hitting his third, a sand wedge, into the water, bogeyed three of the final four holes, but still managed a 74 on the day. Eichelberger was -2 on the front but then hit a 5 wood into the water on the par 3 10th and then sent him into a freefall, as he shot a 42 on the back. Palmer was a pleasant +1 after birdying the 17th, his lone birdie on the day. He then drove into the trees, resulting in a lost ball, hit a 7 iron into the water, and tallied a triple bogey. Littler shot a solid 73. Player was two over before he holed out with a wedge from 80 yards for eagle on the 8th. He finished with a 73. Archer also hit a wedge into the water on the 6th, doubling the hole, and finished the day at +5.
The winds calmed down on Friday and good scores were possible. George Archer showed some resilience after a difficult first round, bouncing back on day 2 with 3 birdies and 1 bogey for a 70. His +3 total score would be good enough to make the cut. The same could not be said for Eichelberger, who followed up his 76 with an even worse 77. He would miss the weekend. Arnie bounced back with a 73, but back-to-back-to-back-to-back bogeys on 7 through 10 really hurt, and a +5 overall score would not be good enough to see him into the weekend. Miller shot a 73 and was +3 going into round 3. Littler three-putted twice, made a 28’ birdie, and finished with a 69, putting him at -2 overall. Trevino was +4 overall at the turn and in danger of missing the cut when he went on a tear, shooting a -4 32 on the back to put him at even par. Gary Player opened the day birdie birdie. He shot a 32 on the frontside. After birdying 11 (24’ putt), 14 (6 iron to 4’) and 16 (another 24’ putt) he had the course by the throat and was -7 for the round. Alas, he found the water with his second on the difficult 18th, took a double bogey, and settled for a score of 67. Nicklaus followed up his 70 with an even more impressive 67, tallying seven birdies and only 2 bogeys for the round.
Going into the weekend Archer was +3, Miller +3, Trevino E, Littler -2, Player -4 and Nicklaus -7
Saturday again featured calm conditions. Perhaps surprisingly, it was the first group, Miller and Archer, who combined for the best scoring. Johnny had an interesting round. He missed a 7’ par putt on the 3rd, then took his anger out on the subsequent tee shot, driving the ball 350 yards. He found the green in two on the par 5 11th and also made a 24’ “putt” from the fringe. on 12. He doubled the par 3 13th when he sent his 4 iron into the woods and his wedge over the green. He holed out from 20 yards with his wedge from the sand on 18 for birdie, giving him a 71 for the day. Archer birdied the opening hole then scrambled for pars on 2 through 5. He birdied the par 5 6th after finding the green with his second, and birdied the 8th after a 315 yard drive and wedge to 6’. George should have eagled the par 5 11th after hitting a 4 wood second to 4’, but settled for birdie. He then birdied 12 and 13, before giving one back on 17. Archer finished with an impressive 67, putting him at -2 overall.
Littler shot a solid 71. He hit 15 greens but couldn’t convert. He didn’t give himself a lot of chances at the beginning, with no birdie putt less than 24’ through seven holes. But after that his irons were more locked in and he missed four birdie chances of 8’ or less. Still, Gene would be -3 going into Sunday. Trevino’s round was wilder, with 4 bogeys and 5 birdies, but he finished with the same score as Littler, 71, leaving him at -1 overall.
The final group, Nicklaus (-7) and Player (-4) had a chance to run away with the tournament. They didn’t do it. Jack had 3 birdies and 2 bogeys on the front, but then fell apart on the second nine. He couldn’t get up and down from the bunker on 10, drove into the trees and had to play safe on 12, resulting in a double, and then found the water with a 9 iron on the last, resulting in another double bogey. Nicklaus’s 76 left him at -3 overall. Player made a 17’ birdie on 2 but then doubled the 4th after driving into the rough, having clearance issues, hitting into the sand and needing 4 shots from there, including a missed 4’ putt. He shot a 74.
So going into the final round, the leaderboard was Miller +2, Trevino -1, Archer -2, Player -2 and Littler and Nicklaus tied for the lead at -3
It was a GREAT final round. Miller was probably the only player without a shot but he gave it his best anyways. He doubled the 17th but had 5 birdies on the back alone prior to that, finishing with a 68. Archer never got anything going and shot a disappointing 76.
That left 4 golfers in contention. Trevino was the earliest out and he applied pressure with 3 birdies on the opening nine, including a 31’ make on the 8th, and no bogeys, to move him to -4 at the turn. Player bogeyed the first but birdied the 7th (27’ putt make) and 8th to put him at -3 at the turn. Nicklaus birdied 1 and 7 and bogeyed 2, but it was the par 5 6th that was the standout. He drove the ball 350 yards down the left side of the fairway. His 3 iron approach hit the green and ended up 45’ from the cup. He rolled a “66” and made the eagle putt. Jack was -6 at the turn. The story though was Gene Littler, who continued to hit greens, but today he had pinpoint accuracy. He made four birdies (4’, 8’, 7’ and 4’ putts) with one bogey on the front and was the leader at the turn at -7.
Trevino played steady to start the back, parring 10, birdying 11, then parring 12 through 15. He was -5 through 15. Player birdied 11 and 12, bogeyed the 13th after missing the green, then birdied 14 and 15 after hitting a 6 iron to 11’ on the former and a 7 iron to 3’ on the latter. He was -6 through 15 holes. Nicklaus dropped two shots after finding the water with his 2 iron on 10, then birdied 11 and 14 and bogeyed 13. He was -5 through 15. Little sent his 4 wood over the green on 10 and failed to get up and down, dropping a shot. But Gene birdied the 11th and parred the 12th through 15th holes, sinking a 10’ par putt on 15. He was -7 through 15 holes, a stroke ahead of Player and two ahead of Trevino and Nicklaus.
The 16th hole is a par 5. Trevino missed it with his 3 wood second but got his bunker shot to 15’ then made the clutch putt for birdie, moving him to -6. Player’s 3 wood second also found the sand, he played his bunker shot to 8’ but he missed the putt, remaining at -6. Jack hit another bomb (350 yards) off the tee but his 3 iron second landed in the rough and he couldn’t get up and down, so he remained at -5. Littler had to lay up after driving in the rough, but he botched his 3rd from the fairway when he missed the green with a pitching a wedge. He failed to get up and down and dropped to -6. So we had a 3-way tie for the lead after 16 holes.
Trevino hit driver, 5 iron on the 17th and was 10’ from the cup. He missed the birdie and remained at -6. Player drove into the fairway, missed the green with a 5 iron, then missed the green again with a wedge! He dropped a shot to fall to -5. Nicklaus didn’t give himself much of a chance when he drove into the deep rough, but his pitching wedge hit the green (albeit 70’ from the pin) and he two-putted for par, remaining at -5. Littler missed the green with his 5 iron approach, chipped to 8’ then missed the par putt, falling to -5. Lee Trevino headed to the 18th with a one-stroke lead on the three other challengers.
Trevino drove the ball dead down the middle on the 18th, but his 5 iron approach was average, ending up 41’ from the cup. That roar you just heard was Trevino sinking the putt, moving to -7, two strokes ahead. Now someone would need to hole out just to force a playoff. Player parred, Nicklaus birdied to move to -6 and Littler parred, leaving Lee Trevino as the winner of the D.C. Open. Trevino's final round 66 was the round of the tournament.
The Final Leaderboard with prize money
Trevino -7 ($25,000)
Nicklaus -6 ($12,500)
Littler -5 ($4,500)
Player -5 ($4,500)
Miller -2 ($1,500)
Archer +2 ($1,000)
Edited by Derek K on 11/23/2020
Event # 2 in the 1971 season was the Glen Campbell-Los Angeles Open, held at Riviera (APBA course Los Angeles). The field consisted of Gary Player, JC Snead, Arnold Palmer, David Stockton, Billy Casper, Miller Barber, Lee Trevino and Bob Lunn. Conditions for Thursday were Firm with a Moderate Wind. Good scores were out there.
The opening hole is a par 5. All but one player scored a red number on it. Snead parred it as well as most of the holes on the front, bogeying the 7th. He bogeyed two more on the back but birdied three holes and finished with an even par 71. Barber doubled bogeyed the 2nd after an unplayable lie in the trees then bogeyed 7, 8 and 9 after missing the green and failing to get up and down on each. He has a couple of birdies on the back to finish at 73. Lunn was even par through 16 after 5 birdies and 5 bogeys but then finished bogey bogey for a 73 of his own. Player was 3 under through 8 but then bogeyed 9 and doubled 12 after having to take a penalty for a lost ball. He finished with a 71.
Dave Stockton eagled the 1st after hitting his 4 wood second to 4’. He gave both shots back on the 2nd when he drove into the trees then played too aggressively and ricocheted backwards with his second. Be birdied from 51’ off the fringe on 5, kicked in another birdie after knocking a wedge to 3’ on 6 and converted after nestling a 5 iron shot to 3’ on the par 3 7. Be birded two more holes, bogeyed two and made a couple of par saving 10’ putts on 8 and 9. He finished with a 68.
After birdying the 1st, Trevino missed the green on the 2nd and 3rd and failed to get up and down on either. A birdie on the long par 3 4th moved him back to even par. He used a 6 iron to get to 7’ on both the par 6th and par 4 7th, but converted only on the latter. Birdies on 10 and 11 moved him to -3 where he remained as he parred the remaining holes, finishing with a 68.
Billy Casper shot an impressive 67, with five birdies and only one bogey in his round. He was accurate off the tee, hitting 11 of 14 fairways. He also made a nice 28’ birdie putt on the 4th and chipped in for birdie from 20 yards on the 12th.
Palmer had the round of the day. After birdying 1, he hit a 4 iron to 9’ and converted on 2. He saved par with a 23’ putt on 3, bogeyed the 5th after driving into the trees and having to play safe, bounced back with a 9’ birdie make on the par 3 6th, and got himself to 3 under after knocking a wedge to 5’ on the 9th. He then parred the first five holes on the back before birdying three of the final four holes after hitting 8 irons to 10’ and 7’ and a 6 iron to 8’. Arnie finished with a 6 under 65.
For round two, the course continued to play Firm but the wind was now Calm. In order to make the cut, a player would need to be under par.
Bob Lunn was +2 to start the day. He birdied the 1st, parred the 2nd through the 8th, missing a great 4’ birdie opportunity on the 8th, then bogeyed the 9th after having clearance issues on his second. He got himself back to +1 after birdying the par 5 11th but bogeys on 15 and 16 left him above the cutline, He shot a 72.
JC Snead was even par to start the day. He had to feel like a he lost a shot when he parred the easy par 5 opening hole, then definitely gave away two strokes when he doubled the 2nd after driving into the trees, having to lap up, then three-putting from 25’. He got himself back to even par after an excellent 4 wood to 4’ on the par 3 4th and an 8’ birdie make on the 7th. He moved back to +1 after missing the green and an 8’ par putt on the 8th. A wayward drive into the trees on the par 5 11th resulted in another bogey. Pinpoint iron play, a 9 iron approach to 4’ on the 12th and a 7 iron to 7’ on the 13th, had him back to even par. He bogeyed the 15th , birdied the 16th then bogeyed the 17th. He would finish with a +1 72, +1 overall and would miss the cut.
Miller Barber began the day at two over and needed a good round. Through 15 he had 4 birdies and 4 bogeys and was at +2. He hit a 7 iron to 8’ on the par 3 16th and made the putt. He hit his 3 wood second into the greenside bunker on the par 5 17th but got up and down to bring up to even par. His drive was in the fairway on the 18th and his 6 iron was true, ending up 9’ from the cup. Barber lined up the putt and holed it! He shot a 68, with birdies on the final three holes, and would make the cut at -1.
Gary Player had the round of the day, a 4 under 67 with three birdies and one bogey on the front and again on the back. His bogey on the front came on the par 4 5th when he drove into the trees and was forced to play safe. He bounced right back with a 6 iron to 5’ and conversion on the par 3 6th. On the back he hit a wedge to 2’ on the 12th then a 6 iron to 3’ on the following holes, before missing the green on the par 3 14th and failing to get up and down from the sand. He was -4 going into the weekend.
Dave Stockton had himself to -7 after his opening round 68 and birdies on 1, 3, 4 and 6 in round 2. He bogeyed the 7th, birdied the 8th and bogeyed the 9th, then bogeyed two holes on the back and parred the rest. He finished with a 70 and was -4, a decent position but disappointing after his hot start to the round.
Lee Trevino followed up his 68 in the 1st round with another 68. He birdied the par 5 1st after hitting the green in two and two-putting from 43’. He knocked his 6 iron to 5’ on the par 3 6th and converted then got even closer with his 7 iron approach on the 7th, tapping in from 3’. He missed the green on the 9th and missed a 6’ par putt. He followed that up with a three-putt bogey from 15’ on 10. But birdies on the par 5 11th and par 3 14th (sank a 28’ putt) put him in position for the weekend.
Billy Casper was all over the place on the front nine after posting a 1st round 67. He went birdie, bogye, birdie, bogey, birdie before parring 6 and 7. Then came the 8th when he holed out from 145 yards with his 8 iron, giving him the rare eagle 2. He bogeyed 12 and was two under on his round and -6 overall at the turn. He gave some shots back on the back, shooting a 38. He finished with an even par 71, which left him at -4 overall.
Arnold Palmer was the 1st round leader after an excellent 65. He never got on a run on Friday, birdying 4 holes and bogeying 4 holes. He shot an even par 71 and was -6 going into the weekend.
Missing the cut were Lunn (+3) and Snead (+1). Those playing the weekend were Barber at -1, Player, Stockton and Casper all at -4, and Trevino and Palmer tied for the lead at -6.
The course played Firm with Calm wind on Saturday. A few players took advantage of the conditions and scored low.
Miller Barber had a fine round, highlighted by an eagle three on the par 5 11th after hitting his 3 wood from 255 yards to 6’. His lone bogey came on the 18th. Barber shot a 5 under 66 and moved to -6 overall.
Gary Player had the round of the day, an 8 under 63. He shot a 31 on the front side, including an amazing eagle two on the par 4 5th, when he holed out with a 7 iron from 155 yards (rolled on his average, on pin, then rolled double 6). His only bogey came on the 14th but he proceeded to birdie 15, 16, 17 and 18, sinking a 13’ putt and three putts from 11’! Player ended round 3 at -12.
Billy Casper had a difficult round, despite birdying the opening two holes. He then bogeyed 5, 6, 8, 12 and 15, without a single subpar hole, before birdying the 18th. Casper shot a two over 73, putting him at -2 overall.
Dave Stockton shot 33 on the front but came home in 38, leaving him at even par for the round and -4 for the tournament.
Arnold Palmer entered the ay tied for the lead, birdied the 2nd and 3rd and looked to be on his way, but he had three bogeys and only one more birdie before birdying three of the final four holes. He shot a 68 and ended Saturday at -9.
Lee Trevino was hot out of the gate birdying three of the opening four holes. He birdied the 8th after hitting a wedge to 2’, had his lone bogey on the 9th, then hit wedges to single digits on 10, 11 and 12 and birdied each. A 7 iron to 1’ on the 15th was pretty awesome. Lee shot a 7 under 64 and would enter Sunday with a one stroke lead.
Going into the final round the leaderboard was Casper -2, Stockton -4, Barber -6, Palmer -9, Player -12, Trevino -13.
Conditions were difficult for the final round with a Soft course and Blustery winds. Going low would be difficult.
Let’s look quickly at the non-contenders. Three birdies and three bogeys for Casper, who shot an even par 71 and finished at -2. Stockton had the round of the day, a 67 with five birdies and one bogey, and finished at -8. Barber made four birdies and three bogeys, shooting 70 and finishing at -7.
Palmer was even for the day at the turn after birdying the opening two holes but bogeying the 6th and 8th. He hit a wedge to 2’ from the rough on the short par 4 10th but then followed it up with a double bogey on 11 after having an unplayable lie off the tee. Arnie had three birdies coming home and finished with a 2 under 69 and -11 overall. Would it be enough?
The final group was Player (-12) and Trevino (-13). They had a tit for tat start as each man birdied the 1st, bogeyed the 2nd (Lee missed a 4’ par putt) and birdied the 3rd. Trevino knocked his 4 wood to 8’ on the par 3 4th but missed the birdie putt and Player missed the green but got up and down. Each found the trees off the tee on the 5th and bogeyed. Pars followed on the 6th. This was getting weird. Each drove into the trees again on the 7th but Trevino was able to salvage a par while Player bogeyed, opening up a two stroke lead. Each missed the green on the par 4 8th but Player was able to get up and down while Trevino was not, cutting Lee’s lead back to one shot. Each went driver/7 iron on the par 4 9th and each converted for birdie, Trevino from 3’ and Player from 9’. At the turn it was Trevino at -13 and Player at -12.
The pivotal hole was the par 4 10th. Each man drove into the rough but while Trevino hit his wedge to 12’ and converted for a birdie three, Player’s wedge ended up in the greenside bunker and he failed to hole his 7’ par putt, resulting in a two-shot swing and three-shot lead for Trevino. Player cut the lead to two when he sank a 13’ birdie putt on the par 5 11th while Trevino missed a 7’ birdie opportunity. But a bogey on the par 3 15th put Player three shots back again and the tournament was all but over. Player finished with a 72 (-11 total) and Trevino a 71 (-3) after bogeying the final hole. Your winner, again, Lee Trevino!
The Final Leaderboard with prize money
Trevino -13 ($22,000)
Player -11 ($10,500)
Palmer -11 ($10,500)
Stockton -8 ($5,000)
Barber -7 ($3,000)
Casper -2 ($2,000)
