DAVID Graham joined one of golf’s most exclusive roll calls in June when he was named the honouree of the Jack Nicklaus Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village.
The annual induction, which recognises legendary contributors to the game, has previously honoured fellow Australians Peter Thomson (1998) and Greg Norman (2017).
“This is one of the greatest honours I have ever received,” said Graham, 80, who was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2015.
“I’m just tickled to death as a past winner of the Memorial (1980) and a proud member of Muirfield Village Golf Club to have been selected by the Captains Club. It’s even more rewarding knowing the decision came from such a distinguished committee. This is a really special honour, especially given my close relationship with Jack Nicklaus.”
A native of Melbourne, Graham was a tenacious competitor and one of the finest ball-strikers of his era. He secured eight PGA TOUR victories, including two majors: the 1979 PGA Championship and the 1981 US Open. Both triumphs came on demanding, historic courses that fulfilled his ambition of becoming a world-class player.
David Graham is congratulated by Jack Nicklaus on being named an honouree of the Memorial Tournament.
“Without a doubt David was one of the toughest competitors on the TOUR when I was playing,” said two-time Memorial winner Tom Watson, a Captains Club member. “He was a strong man; he was strong mentally.”
In the 1979 PGA Championship at Oakland Hills, Graham stormed back from four strokes behind with a final-round 5-under 65 to tie Ben Crenshaw at 8-under 272. He then claimed the Wanamaker Trophy with an eight-foot birdie putt on the third playoff hole, becoming just the second Australian-born player to win the event after Jim Ferrier in 1947.
Two years later at the U.S. Open at Merion, Graham again produced a memorable final-round charge. Trailing George Burns by three strokes, he fired a 3-under 67 in a performance still regarded as a ball-striking masterclass.
Sandwiched between those majors was his emotional 1980 Memorial victory.
A devoted admirer of Nicklaus who had already joined Muirfield Village, Graham opened with a 73 but rallied with rounds of 67-70-70. He birdied three of the last four holes—including a 30-foot downhill putt on the 18th—to edge Watson by one stroke.
Just two days after turning 34, Graham posted a record 8-under 280, breaking the tournament mark Nicklaus had set in 1977.
David Graham, with Memorial Tournament host Jack Nicklaus.
“David has been a great friend for a very long time,” Nicklaus said. “We have played a lot of golf together and worked alongside each other outside the ropes. David worked with MacGregor, the clubs I played for decades and the company I owned for a while, and he actually helped me make clubs.
“He was a very good player when he came to the United States, but he really learned how to win once he got here. He is a really good man and an excellent choice by the Captains Club.”
Born Anthony David Graham on May 23, 1946, he was introduced to golf at a local nine-hole course in Melbourne. He fell in love with the game, quit school at 13 to pursue it full-time, and switched from left-handed to right-handed play at the urging of his mentor, George Naismith.
Graham turned professional at 16, worked club jobs while sharpening his game, and enjoyed early success in Asia, winning the Singapore Open (1969), Thailand Open, Yomiuri International, and French Open (1970). He also teamed with Bruce Devlin to win the World Cup in Argentina.
Graham moved to the United States, earned his PGA TOUR card in 1971, and claimed his first TOUR title at the 1972 Cleveland Open in a playoff over Devlin.
A two-time major championship winner, David Graham was one of the leading players of his time.
Credited with 36 professional wins across six continents, he added five victories on the PGA TOUR Champions before retiring in 2004 following congestive heart failure.
He captained the International Team in the inaugural 1994 Presidents Cup, served on the Masters Tournament’s Cup and Tee Committee, and has designed several golf courses, primarily in the U.S.
Among his many honours are the Order of Australia (1992), induction into the Australian Sports Hall of Fame, the Australian Golf Hall of Fame, and the World Golf Hall of Fame.
Graham and his wife Maureen live in Dallas, Texas. They have two sons, Andrew and Michael, three grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.
David Graham remains the only Australian to win two different major championships.
The post David Graham joins a prestigious honour roll first appeared on Inside Golf. Australia's Most-Read Golf Magazine as named by Australian Golfers - FREE.
Article Link: https://www.insidegolf.com.au/news/pga-tour/david-graham-joins-a-prestigious-honour-roll/