| Dates | February 26 – March 1, 1976 |
|---|---|
| Location | Lauderhill, Florida, U.S. |
| Course | Inverrary Country Club East Course[1] |
| Tour | PGA Tour |
| Par | 72 |
| Yardage | 7,128 yards (6,518 m)[2] |
| Field | 143 players, 81 after cut |
| Cut | 145 (+1) |
| Purse | $300,000 |
| Winners share | $60,000 |
| Champion | Jack Nicklaus |
| Score | 269 (−19) |
| Coordinates | 26.173°N 80.236°W |
| Previous | 1975 |
| Next | 1977 |
The 1976 Tournament Players Championship was a golf tournament in Florida on the PGA Tour, held February 26 to March 1 at Inverrary Country Club in Lauderhill, northwest of Fort Lauderdale. This was the third Tournament Players Championship;[3] Jack Nicklaus won his second title, three strokes ahead of runner-up J. C. Snead,[2][4] similar to his 1974 win.
Saturday was washed out by a thunderstorm; the third round was on Sunday and the final round on Monday.[5][6]
Defending champion Al Geiberger finished fifteen strokes back, in a tie for 24th place.
The first two editions had been played in late summer, after the major championships; this year's began in late February. This was the final year the Tournament Players Championship name was attached to an established PGA Tour event.[1]
Venue
This was the only Tournament Players Championship held in south Florida; the first was in Georgia and the second in Texas. It relocated to northeast Florida at Ponte Vedra Beach in 1977, where it became a standalone event for the first time. The Cognizant Classic in the Palm Beaches, which is currently played in the Palm Beach area since 2003, was originally hosted by Inverrary from 1972 through 1983. The tournament recognises the 1976 Players Championship winner as a winner of their tournament, as from 1974-76, an established tournament was given the title with special qualifications.
Round summaries
First round
Thursday, February 26, 1976
Friday, February 27, 1976
| Place | Player | Score | To par |
|---|---|---|---|
| T1 | Fred Marti | 66 | −6 |
| Jack Nicklaus | |||
| T3 | Barry Jaeckel | 67 | −5 |
| Don January | |||
| J. C. Snead | |||
| Tom Watson | |||
| T7 | George Burns | 68 | −4 |
| Dale Douglass | |||
| Bob Gilder | |||
| John Mahaffey | |||
| Ed Sneed |
Source:[7]
Second round
Friday, February 27, 1976
| Place | Player | Score | To par |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Don January | 67-68=135 | −9 |
| T2 | Jack Nicklaus | 66-70=136 | −8 |
| J. C. Snead | 67-69=136 | ||
| T4 | Jim Masserio | 69-68=137 | −7 |
| Tom Watson | 67-70=137 | ||
| T6 | Butch Baird | 71-67=138 | −6 |
| George Burns | 71-67=138 | ||
| Dale Douglass | 68-70=138 | ||
| Mark Hayes | 71-67=138 | ||
| Hale Irwin | 70-68=138 |
Source:[8]
Third round
Saturday, February 28, 1976
Sunday, February 29, 1976
| Place | Player | Score | To par |
|---|---|---|---|
| T1 | Jack Nicklaus | 66-70-68=204 | −12 |
| J. C. Snead | 67-69-68=204 | ||
| T3 | Roger Maltbie | 70-70-65=205 | −11 |
| Mark Hayes | 71-67-67=205 | ||
| 5 | Tom Watson | 67-70-70=207 | −9 |
| T6 | Hale Irwin | 70-68-70=208 | −8 |
| Don January | 67-68-73=208 | ||
| 8 | Jim Masserio | 69-68-72=209 | −7 |
| T9 | Butch Baird | 71-67-72=210 | −6 |
| Bob Payne | 69-70-71=210 |
Source:[9]
Final round
Monday, March 1, 1976
| Place | Player | Score | To par | Money ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jack Nicklaus | 66-70-68-65=269 | −19 | 60,000 |
| 2 | J. C. Snead | 67-69-68-68=272 | −16 | 34,200 |
| T3 | Roger Maltbie | 70-70-65-71=276 | −12 | 17,700 |
| Jim Masserio | 69-68-72-67=276 | |||
| 5 | Mark Hayes | 71-67-67-72=277 | −11 | 12,300 |
| 6 | Lee Elder | 69-72-70-67=278 | −10 | 10,800 |
| T7 | Butch Baird | 71-67-72-70=280 | −8 | 9,225 |
| Don January | 67-68-73-72=280 | |||
| T9 | David Graham | 70-71-71-69=281 | −7 | 7,500 |
| Gary Player | 73-70-71-67=281 | |||
| Tom Watson | 67-70-70-74=281 |
Source:[2]
References
- ^ Martz, Ron (February 26, 1976). "Golf pros create true tourney of champions". St. Petersburg Times. p. 9C.
- ^ "Nicklaus' seven-under 65 plenty adequate for title". Spokesman-Review. Associated Press. March 2, 1976. p. 15.
- ^ Biggers, Don (June 23, 1974). "Move over 'big four,' here comes another". Rome News-Tribune. p. 1C.
- ^ "Jack quiets cynics, wins TPC golf". Chicago Tribune. Associated Press. March 2, 1976. p. 1, sec. 4.
- ^ "Showers postpone TPC". Chicago Tribune. UPI. February 29, 1976. p. 9, sec. 3.
- ^ "Thunderstorm puts TPC back a day". Eugene Register-Guard. Associated Press. February 29, 1976. p. 8C.
- ^ "Marti, Nicklaus share top spot". Eugene Register-Guard. Associated Press. February 27, 1976. p. 4C.
- ^ "January captures Players golf lead". Eugene Register-Guard. Associated Press. February 28, 1976. p. 3B.
- ^ "A replay of 1974 Players". Eugene Register-Guard. Associated Press. March 1, 1976. p. 2C.