Lanny Wadkins - Part 2 (The Ryder Cup and the Majors)
The World Golf Hall of Fame member looks back on his Major Championship record including a near-miss at the Old Course and his win at the 1977 PGA Championship at Pebble Beach in a playoff with Gene Littler. He recalls fondly the time he was partnered with Arnold Palmer for 7 straight days at Disney World. Known for his superb Ryder Cup record, Lanny takes us to the crazy post-win celebration in 1983 at the home of Captain Jack Nicklaus. Find out where he would take his one career mulligan and what he would do differently at age 20, if he knew then what he knows now. We talk changes in the game, caddies, square grooves and pace of play as Lanny Wadkins wraps up his life story, “FORE the Good of the Game.”
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About
"FORE the Good of the Game” is a golf podcast featuring interviews with World Golf Hall of Fame members, winners of major championships and other people of influence in and around the game of golf. Highlighting the positive aspects of the game, we aim to create and provide an engaging and timeless repository of content that listeners can enjoy now and forever. Co-hosted by PGA Tour star Bruce Devlin, our podcast focuses on telling their life stories, in their voices. Join Bruce and Mike Gonzalez “FORE the Good of the Game.”
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Wadkins, Lanny
Golf Professional and Broadcaster
Tenacious and fiercely competitive, Lanny Wadkins has always been supremely confident in his abilities on the golf course. With a quick pace of play, Wadkins won 21 PGA TOUR events including the 1977 PGA Championship.
A native of Richmond, Virginia, Wadkins showed marvelous ability as a junior golfer. Attending Wake Forest University on an Arnold Palmer Scholarship, he proved to be one of the finest amateurs of the day. He played on the Walker Cup Teams of 1969 and 1971 and on the World Amateur Team in 1970.
In the years that the U.S. Amateur was played at all stroke play (1965 – 1972), Wadkins set the all-time record of 279 with his win by one over Tom Kite at Waverley Country Club in Portland. It was a portent of great things to come.
“It was only the most important shot of my life, Jack. There’s nobody I’d rather have hit it for.”
He joined the PGA TOUR in 1972 winning the Sahara Invitational in Las Vegas and was later voted the 1972 PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year. After two wins in 1973, his game went into a swoon as he did not win again for three years.
But in the 1977 PGA Championship at Pebble Beach, Wadkins regained his form. Beginning the final round six shots behind the leader Wadkins made two front nine eagles but was still five shots behind entering the final nine. When the leader bogeyed five of the first six holes on the back side, Jack Nicklaus bogeyed the 17th to fall out of contention. Wadkins proceeded to birdie 18 for his only birdie of the day to force a tie. The first sudden death playoff for a major championship ensu… Read More
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