 Finishing hole at Riviera Country Club | |
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Dates | August 4–7, 1983 |
| Location | Los Angeles, California 34°03′00″N 118°30′04″W / 34.05°N 118.501°W |
| Course(s) | Riviera Country Club |
| Organized by | PGA of America |
| Tour(s) | PGA Tour |
| Statistics | |
| Par | 71 |
| Length | 6,946 yards (6,351 m) |
| Field | 150 players, 87 after cut[1] |
| Cut | 147 (+5) |
| Prize fund | $600,000 |
| Winner's share | $100,000 |
| Champion | |
 Hal Sutton | |
| 274 (−10) | |
| Location map | |
  Riviera Country Club Location in the United States  Riviera Country Club Location in California | |
The 1983 PGA Championship was the 65th PGA Championship, held August 4–7 at Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles, California. Hal Sutton led wire-to-wire to win his only major title, one stroke ahead of runner-up Jack Nicklaus, a five-time champion.[2] Nicklaus shot a final round 66 (−5) for his 19th and final runner-up finish in a major championship.[3] Sutton was under scrutiny as he entered the weekend; two weeks earlier in Virginia, he had a six-shot lead after 54 holes, shot a final round 77, and finished third.[4]
It was the second major at Riviera, following the U.S. Open in 1948, won by Ben Hogan. The PGA Championship returned to the course in 1995, and it hosts a regular event on the PGA Tour, originally known as the Los Angeles Open.
Only the third PGA Championship in California, it was preceded by 1929 in Los Angeles at Hillcrest and 1977 at Pebble Beach. The 1962 event was originally awarded to Brentwood in L.A., but was moved to Philadelphia at Aronimink.[5][6]
This was the first major championship to award a six-figure winner's share, $100,000, increasing from the $65,000 of the previous year. The first five-figure winner's share in a major was the 1958 Masters and the 2001 Masters was the first to break seven figures.
- ^ "Tournament Info for: 1983 PGA Championship". PGA.com. Archived from the original on October 23, 2006. Retrieved August 4, 2012.
- ^ Parascenzo, Marino (August 8, 1983). "Out of Bear's reach, Sutton wins PGA". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 21.
- ^ Jenkins, Dan (August 15, 1983). "There's a new bear on the loose". Sports Illustrated: 16.
- ^ "Peete wins from 6 back". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. July 25, 1983. p. 13.
- ^ "PGA opens its doors to Negroes, world golfers". Florence Times. Alabama. Associated Press. November 10, 1961. p. 4, section 2.
- ^ "PGA group abolishes 'Caucasian'". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Florida. Associated Press. November 10, 1961. p. 22.