2022 January Memorabilia Auction - Closing Date 02/06/2022
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 2/6/2022
Champion Hal Sutton's 1983 PGA Championship at Riviera Country Club Mirror Wannamaker Trophy Tray
"Hal Sutton Put A Death Grip on The PGA Championship to Stop a Classic Jack Nicklaus Charge" Dan Jenkins wrote in Sports Illustrated's August 15, 1983 issue to headline 2nd-year pro Hal Sutton's remarkable major championship win recap. "Sutton knew he needed a four to beat Nicklaus. All he did was burn a driver into the fairway, crack a five-iron 14 feet from the cup, then take a routine two putts, the last one about four inches long (on the 18th of the final round). 'I've got a pretty good average on four-inchers,' Sutton said afterward." Sutton's trusty 5-iron used to put the ball close and secure the tournament is included in this set, along with the other 2-9 irons that propelled him to victory that week and claim 'Player of the Year' honors for 1983. The 24-year-old Sutton's career defining major championship started with a blazing first round 6-under 65 en route to his wire-to-wire to win at Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles, California. From The Riviera Club to The Hal Sutton Collection to now to the winning bidder's preferred presentation location, this decorative tray with a mirror back contains the Wanamaker trophy staggered by the PGA of America logo and the easily recognizable green Riviera "R." The aforementioned runner-up was a hard-charging Jack Nicklaus, who shot 66 in the final round to Sutton’s 71. Sutton was presented with a $100,000 check that week – at the time it was the first six-figure winner’s share in any major. '1983 PGA Championship - The Riviera Country Club - August 1-7, 1983." Capitalizing on this acquisition opportunity is necessary for collection advancement, a tangible reminder of the week Hal Sutton held off Nicklaus to win the 1983 PGA Championship at Riviera. A signed letter of provenance from Hal Sutton will come with this lot.
18 3/8" x 13 3/8"
The Hal Sutton Collection
Hal Sutton's golf game flourished while growing up in his hometown of Shreveport, Louisiana. In fact the highly touted amateur golfer chose to stay closeby after high school and went to local Centenary College. It wouldn't take much time for the All American to put his school and town on the national golfing map when he received 'Golf Magazine's 1980 College Player of the Year' after 14 victories and lifting the small liberal arts school to 9th in the Nation. Unsurprisingly Hal Sutton would find great success at the professional level, notching 14 PGA Tour victories between 1982 and 2001. The 1983 season was a one for Sutton, earning PGA Tour Player of the Year honors as the leading money winner and the new accolade of 'major champion.' Sports Illustrated's golf writer Dan Jenkins' emphatically recapped his 1983 PGA Championship triumph with "There's a New Bear on the Loose - Hal Sutton Put a Death Grip on the PGA Championship To Stop a Classic Jack Nicklaus Charge." This came only months after his The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass win. Representing his country became a common role Sutton found himself in, as a 4-time Ryder Cup player in 1985, 1987, 1999, and 2002, before being chosen as the Ryder Cup Captain in 2004. He was a victorious Walker Cup team member in 1979 and 1981. <br><br>After playing two decades on the tour Hal began to shift his attention to philanthropy, with that soon becoming a main focus. This didn't go unnoticed in the golfing community and Sutton was the 2007 Payne Stewart Award recipient. He would raise more than $2 million with fellow Louisiana natives David Toms and Kelly Gibson for Hurricane Katrina and Rita victims. The Golf Auction has been very appreciative of the opportunity to offer some of Hal's Collection, including his 1998 TOUR Championship Calamity Jane Trophy, Gold Plated Scotty Cameron Putter for 2000 Players Win and all four of his 2000 Players Championship winning scorecards when it was "The Right Club."
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