Since 1970, Hazeltine National Golf Club, a private club located in Chaska, Minnesota, has hosted seven major championships - two U.S. Opens, two U.S. Womens Opens, one U.S. Senior Open, one U.S. Amateur Championship, and one PGA Championship.
This week, Hazeltine will once again be the host of one of golf's major championships - the 91st PGA Championship. Let's look back at the most memorable moments of the seven previous major championships that have been held at Hazeltine.
1966 U.S. Women's Open - In 1966, Sandra Spuzich not only captured her first major championship at the U.S. Women's Open, but her first LPGA Tour title as well. By defeating legendary LPGA Tour members Carol Mann (by one stroke) and Mickey Wright (by two strokes), Spuzich became an overnight sensation in the world of women's golf. While she did not win another major championship after her U.S. Women's Open crown, she did capture six more LPGA Tour titles to prove that her initial victory was not a fluke.
1970 U.S. Open - In 1970 Tony Jacklin was one of the best golfers in the world after capturing the Open Championship a year earlier. During a championship remembered for harsh course and weather conditions, Jacklin lapped the field at Hazeltine - defeating runner-up Dave Hill by seven shots. Jacklin still remains the only European golfer to have won the U.S. Open in the post-World War II era. To this day, Jacklin's performance at Hazeltine is remembered as one of the finest performances in U.S. Open history.
1977 U.S. Women's Open - 1977 was Hollis Stacy's breakthrough season as she won three LPGA Tour tournaments, including the U.S. Women's Open, hosted at Hazeltine. Stacy would go on to have one of the most distinguished careers in LPGA Tour history - 18 LPGA Tour wins, including four major championships. Three of Stacy's four major championship victories were in the U.S. Women's Open, as she would win a consecutive U.S. Women's Open in 1978, followed by another victory in 1984.
1983 U.S. Senior Open - By 1983 Billy Casper had little to prove to the golfing world. As a winner of 51 PGA TOUR titles, including three major championships, Casper's status as one of the game's best was sure to remain for years to come. However, with his victory in the U.S. Senior Open at Hazeltine in 1983, Casper once again captured major championship glory - his first "major championship" since the 1970 Masters. With multiple tournament victories around the world, Casper's 1983 U.S. Senior Open may not be his most memorable win, but his performance at Hazeltine has yet to be forgotten by all who witnessed it that week.
1991 U.S. Open - In 1991 Payne Stewart and Scott Simpson had one commonality - they had both won one major championship. During the 18-hole playoff for the 1991 U.S. Open, both Payne and Scott were prepared to become multiple-major champions. Prior to the U.S. Open, Stewart had missed most of the 1991 PGA TOUR season due to injury. In the meantime, Simpson, the 1987 U.S. Open champion, was hoping to continue his consistency in the national championship. In the end, Payne won the playoff and captured the championship. Even though he died eight years later in a tragic airplane accident, months after winning his second U.S. Open and third major championship, Payne is still one of the most well-known golfers in the world. He will surely be in the minds and hearts of fans and PGA Tour professionals alike this week.
2002 PGA Championship - In 2002 Rich Beem had two of the greatest weeks of his golfing career, back-to-back, with victories in The International and the PGA Championship at Hazeltine. With his first and, so far, only major championship victory, Beem became a household name, especially after defeating Tiger Woods by one shot. Beem received due respect from his fellow PGA TOUR professionals for defeating Tiger during the final stretch of a major championship, however, his much remembered "victory dance" also led to joking in PGA TOUR locker rooms. While Beem has yet to capture another TOUR victory, he will surely always remember the week in which he defeated Tiger at Hazeltine.
2006 U.S. Amateur Championship - With his U.S. Amateur Championship title, Richie Ramsay became the first British golfer to win the championship since 1911. Ramsay is currently playing on the European Tour, searching for the same level of play that helped me win the most coveted trophy in amateur golf at Hazeltine Golf Club.
This week, Hazeltine Golf Club will once again crown another major champion. With golfers like Stewart Cink and Tiger Woods playing brilliantly as of late, it seems that this year's PGA Championship will surely provide another dramatic week of championship golf for fans around the world.
(Ryan Moore after capturing the 2009 Wyndham Championship)
