Next on the Tee: John Mahaffey recalls winning ’78 PGA Championship at Oakmont Country Club
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On this episode of Next on the Tee, host Chris Mascaro is joined by two legends of the game, John Cook and John Mahaffey; plus one of the great players in Western Pennsylvania history, Bob Friend Jr.; and Top 100 instructor and Pittsburgh native Eric Johnson.
Cook discusses his epic victory at the 1983 Canadian Open when he defeated Johnny Miller on the sixth playoff hole. He mentions how, in his second season on Tour, he held up to the pressure of trying to win arguably the fifth biggest event on Tour at the time, over a legend like Miller. He also talks about the great things his father Jim did to advance PGA Tour purses, plus his course design work.
Mahaffey recalls winning the 1978 PGA Championship at Oakmont and what it was like for him to get that win after having lost two previous U.S. Opens. He would double down on that PGA victory by winning the next week at the American Optical Classic over the only optometrist on Tour, Dr. Gil Morgan. He also shares his memories of being part of the victorious 1979 Ryder Cup team and why it’s the most scared he’s ever been.
Friend Jr. was a grinder on Tour for more than 20 years. He’s also one of the best players in Western Pennsylvania golf history. He won the 1984 and ’85 Western Pennsylvania Amateur championships. He backed that up by winning the ’85 Pennsylvania State Amateur championship. Hear about all three of those victories plus insight into some of the other great area courses he enjoys, including his own club, Oakmont Country Club.
Johnson has been named a Top 100 instructor for more than a decade. He spent 17 years at Oakmont Country Club, several of which were as the director of instruction. He’s now at Yellowstone Golf Club in Big Sky, Mont., and talks about Yellowstone and some other great Montana courses. He recently took a trip to Southern California where he played Monterey Peninsula, Pebble Beach, Cypress Point and Spanish Bay, and followed that up with a visit to Pine Valley. Hear about all of that plus get a tip for how to play better as the temperatures go down and the turf gets harder.
Listen: Next on the Tee with Chris Mascaro
