Shoal Creek Country Club is one of the best courses in Alabama (Golf Digest ranked it No. 1 on its list of the best courses in the state for 2021-22) and has hosted several prominent events, beginning with the 1984 PGA Championship. American Lee Trevino scored under 70 in each of the four rounds to win the tournament with a final score of 15-under-par, four strokes ahead of American Lanny Wadkins and South African Gary Player, a nine-time major champion. Trevino’s sixth and final victory at a major championship marked his first tournament win of any kind in three years.
The field for the 1984 PGA Championship featured 148 golfers, including legends like Fred Couples, Tom Watson, Nick Faldo, and Jack Nicklaus. Still, the spotlight was on Trevino, Wadkins, and Player for much of the tournament, especially in the fourth round as the golfers played together in a threesome. Each of the three golfers was already PGA Championship winners, while Player and Trevino were nearing the end of their career on the PGA Tour. Player 48 was only a little over a year away from qualifying for the Senior PGA Tour and was never in contention at subsequent events. Trevino, meanwhile, never won another PGA Tour event.
Wadkins gained an early edge over Trevino and Player by tying Mike Reid and 1982 PGA Championship winner Raymond Floyd with a low round score of 68 in the tournament’s first round. Trevino shot 69 in the first round. Player responded in the second round by shooting 63, which, at the time, was the lowest single-round score in PGA Championship history. It was especially surprising given that, before the tournament, Player had been struggling with his putter and recorded eight rounds at 75 or above. After the second round, Trevino, Player, and Wadkins were tied for the tournament lead.
However, Trevino began pulling away in the third round and finished with a score of 67. Player and Wadkins shot 69 and 68, respectively, in the third round. Trevino padded his lead during Sunday’s final round. He shot 69 in round four, whereas Player and Wadkins scored over 70. He won $125,000 for his first-place finish, while Player and Wadkins earned $62,500. American Calvin Peete and Spaniard Seve Ballesteros finished fourth and fifth, respectively. Larry Mize, Russ Cochran, and Victor Regalado were among the top 10 finishers.
Putting wasn’t just an issue for Player entering the tournament. Trevino had also been struggling on the green, which was one of the main reasons he purchased a new putter weeks prior on a trip to the Netherlands. His putting was particularly impressive during the third round when he shot 67. During Sunday’s final round, Trevino made an 18-foot birdie on the 18th hole to secure a 69 and become the first PGA Championship winner in history to shoot in the 60s in all four rounds (69-68-67-69). He accomplished the same feat at the 1968 U.S. Open but has since said his victory at the 1984 PGA Championship is the most memorable career.
Shoal Creek has since hosted the 1986 U.S. Amateur Championship, 1990 PGA Championship, and 1994 Jerry Pate’s National Intercollegiate.
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