1963-1974. First major at the 1969 PGA
| Raymond Floyd joined the professional ranks in 1963 but his start on
tour was hardly auspicious as he proceeded to miss nine halfway cuts of
the first ten events that he entered. He then quite unexpectedly won the
St. Petersburg Open Invitational later that year and in doing so became
the third youngest winner on tour at that time at just 20 years and 5
months. Floyd won the St. Paul Open Invitational in 1965 but he didn't
really mount a serious challenge in any of the majors until 1969 when he
carried off the PGA Championship by one stroke from Gary Player. Floyd
opened the tournament with a round of 69 and when he followed that up
with 66 and 67 he was in a commanding position. His final round 74 was
something of a disappointment but it mattered not as Floyd celebrated
his first triumph in a major. The North Carolinan made his Ryder Cup
debut later that year but he failed to produce his best golf and could
only muster one point from a possible four as the Americans fought out a
16-16 draw with the Great Britain team. That year of 1969 also saw Ray
victorious in the Greater Jacksonville Open and American Golf Classic
and by the end of the year the player known as 'Pretty Boy' was sitting
pretty in eighth place on the US money list with a total in excess of
£100,000. Floyd seemed to relax after that splendid year of '69 and such
was his barren spell that his next tour victory did not come until
1975. During that lean period he missed out on American triumphs in both
the 1971 and '73 Ryder Cups. (David Scranage) |
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Ray Floyd pictured playing in England on May 12th 1977. Photo G. Herringshaw. ©
1975-1982. Majors Two & Three.
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Ray Floyd returned to winning ways after six long years in the 1975
Kemper Open and later that year he was back in the American Ryder Cup
team for a 21-11 stroll against Great Britain. The following year Ray
produced some memorable golf to win the Masters by eight clear shots
from Ben Crenshaw. His score of 17 under par was mainly due to his form
on the par 5's where he chose to attack the greens with a 5-wood rather
than a long iron. His strategy certainly paid dividends and by the end
of the tournament Floyd's score on the par 5 holes was a remarkable 13
under. Floyd also tasted success that year in the World Open Golf
Championship,was just one stroke behind winner Dave Stockton in the PGA
Championsip and put up his best performance yet in the Open when
finishing in a highly creditable fourth place.
In 1977 he triumphed in
the Byron Nelson Golf Classic and Pleasant Valley Classic and the
subsequent year saw Floyd produce his best ever finish in the Open
Championship where his five under par total left him in second place
just two shots behind the great Jack Nicklaus. Ray carried off the
Greater Greensboro' Open title in 1979,the Doral-Eastern Open in 1980
and in 1981 & '82 he enjoyed a real purple patch. He triumphed on no
less than six occasions including the PGA Championship of 1982 where he
led from start to finish to beat off the challenge of compatriot Lanny
Wadkins. Floyd opened the tournament with a magnificent round of
63,which he regards as the best of his life,and went on to finish three
strokes ahead of Wadkins at eight under par. Floyd also appeared in both
the 1977 & '81 Ryder Cups victories but missed out on the 1979
event. (David Scranage)
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The photograph of U.S.A. golfer Ray Floyd was taken on 11th. September 1985.
Image G.Herringshaw. ©
1983 onwards. US Open glory in 1986
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After those wonderful couple of years in 1981 & '82 Ray seemed to
suffer another slip in form as indeed he had in the early seventies
after his fine year of 1969. In 1985 he won his first tournament since
the PGA three years earlier when lifting the Houston Open and that year
also saw him tied for second place in the Masters. His four under par
total left him level with Seve Ballesteros and just two strokes behind
winner Bernhard Langer. The following year Floyd confounded the experts
with his triumph in the U.S. Open where his last round 66 gave him a two
shot victory from Chip Beck and Lanny Wadkins. At the age of 43 he
became the oldest ever winner of the tournament and this after shooting
an opening round 75. Floyd was also victorious that year in the Walt
Disney World/Oldsmobile Classic but then had to wait until 1992 for his
next triumph which came in the Doral-Ryder Open.
In winning that
tournament he joined Sam Snead as the only player to win Tour events in
four different decades. In between times he went desperately close to
winning that elusive second Green Jacket when finishing second in both
1990 & 1992. In 1990 Floyd lost a play-off to Nick Faldo and two
years later he finished two strokes behind champion Fred Couples who
carded a 13 under par total. Ray was a member of the American Ryder Cup
teams of 1983 and '85 and in 1993 he returned to the team at the age of
51 as one of captain Tom Watson's wildcard picks. In 1989 Floyd was
afforded the honour of captaining the team but a 14-14 draw was not
sufficient to bring the cup home as Europe retained the trophy thanks to
their victory two years earlier. (David Scranage)
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