Mike Souchak facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mike Souchak
Personal information
Full name	Michael Souchak
Born	(1927-05-10)May 10, 1927 Berwick, Pennsylvania
Died	July 10, 2008(2008-07-10) (aged 81) Belleair, Florida
Height	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight	215 lb (98 kg; 15.4 st)
Nationality	United States
Spouse	Nancy Souchak
Children	3 sons, 1 daughter
Career
College	Duke University
Turned professional	1952
Former tour(s)	PGA Tour Champions Tour
Professional wins	At least 19
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour	15
Best results in Major Championships
The Masters Tournament	T4: 1955
U.S. Open	T3: 1959, 1960
The Open Championship	T8: 1956
PGA Championship	T5: 1959
Achievements and awards
Duke Sports Hall of Fame	1976

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

     Top 10      Did not play 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

• 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)

See also

• List of golfers with most PGA Tour wins