National Championship History
Year by Year: 1990's
| 2000's | 1990's | 1980's | 1970's | 1960's |
1999: The Great Lake Showdown
Site: Whistling Straits, Kohler, Wis.
Date: June 24-27, 1999
Course: Straits Course
Purse: $300,000
Par: 72 (7,202 yards)
Entries: 145, Cut at 150 (83 players advanced)
Jeff Freeman of Palm Desert, Calif., became the seventh player in history to win the PGA Club Professional Championship in his first attempt and was the only player to break par for 72 holes at challenging Whistling Straits. The 32nd PGA Club Professional Championship also featured the eerie, when a thick fog crept across Lake Michigan midway through the final round on Sunday. The fog suspended play and later darkness forced a fifth day of competition for 51 players. Freeman salvaged his final round and victory by chipping in for birdie from 35 feet on the 13th hole and later sank a six-foot birdie putt on the 16th hole. The victory capped a special year for the first CPC winner from California. Freeman, an assistant professional at Tamarisk Country Club in Rancho Mirage, Calif., was married just before competing in his first U.S. Open. After winning his first CPC, he competed in his PGA Championship. "No question, my wife (Gena) is my good luck charm," said Freeman. "I think I will hold on to her."
| Straits Course average | Sub-par rounds | Par rounds | Rounds over par | Round leader | Jeff Freeman | |
| Rd. 1 | 75.51 | 14 | 13 | 117 | 70 - Jeff Freeman, Frank Bensel, Brent Upper, Shawn Kelly, Chris Toulson, Rick Schuller, Greg Jones | 70 - T1st |
| Rd. 2 | 74.59 | 21 | 11 | 111 | 136 - Rick Schuller | 140 - 2nd |
| Rd. 3 | 75.61 | 7 | 8 | 68 | 212 - Jeff Freeman | 212 - 1st |
| Rd. 4 | 74.98 | 7 | 8 | 67 | 287 - Jeff Freeman | 287 - 1st |
| Totals | 75.14 | 49 | 40 | 363 |
1998: Burke sweeps to victory
Champion: Mike Burke Jr., Towaco, N.J.Site: Pinehurst (N.C.) Resort & Country Club
Date: June 25-28, 1998
Course: Pinehurst No. 8, The Centennial Course
Purse: $300,000
Par: 72 (7,027 yards)
Entries: 144, Cut at 147 (71 players advanced)
Mike Burke Jr. of Towaco, N. J. , became the first PGA Club Professional Champion to win with a broom-handled putter, sweeping his way to victory on the slick greens of Pinehurst No. 8 - The Centennial Course. Burke had a final-round 2-under-par 70 for a 72-hole total of 7-under-par 281. Burke is the son of the late Mike Burke Sr., a PGA Professional who competed in eight CPCs. "The putter felt very good in my hands today," said Burke, who tied for second in 1997.
Burke admitted his superstitious nature may have been another club in his bag. He carried a blue ribbon in his bag and the card that went with it. It was from his daughter, Shannon, who wrote, "Dad, this will bring you good luck." Carrying the ribbon and the card may have had a calming effect for Burke in the week where temperatures reached 100 degrees. "I would have carried a bowling ball is she had asked me," said Burke.
| Centennial Course average | Sub-par rounds | Par rounds | Rounds over par | Round leader | Mike Burke Jr. | |
| Rd. 1 | 75.73 | 29 | 18 | 96 | 67 - Kevin Morris | 69 - T5th |
| Rd. 2 | 74.44 | 33 | 18 | 91 | 136 - Mike Burke Jr. | 146 - 1st |
| Rd. 3 | 74.43 | 6 | 7 | 57 | 211 - Mike Burke Jr. | 211 - 1st |
| Rd. 4 | 73.77 | 13 | 8 | 49 | 281 - Mike Burke Jr. | 281 - 1st |
| Totals | 74.85 | 81 | 51 | 293 |
1997: No deja vu for Zabriski
Site: Pinehurst (N.C.) Resort & Country Club
Date: June 26-29, 1997
Course: Pinehurst No. 8, The Centennial Course
Purse: $300,000
Par: 72 (7,027 yards)
Entries: 144, Cut at 148 (70 players advanced)
On his plane flight to Pinehurst, Bruce Zabriski read the Davis Love III book, "Every Shot I Take," and arrived inspired at Pinehurst No. 8 - The Centennial Course. Zabriski rolled to a third-round course record 7-under-par 65 to build a three-stroke lead. But Zabriski had held a similar lead before, in the 1991 CPC in Miami, Fla., and saw his grip on a title slip quickly away. This time, Zabriski held on, despite a closing 75, the highest final round by an CPC winner. "That book didn't help my golf, but it inspired me to play my hardest and not give up," Zabriski said later, after saving par and the title on the 18th green with a three-foot putt. Zabriski finished a stroke ahead of three players: 1995 Champion Steve Schneiter of Sandy, Utah; Pinehurst native Jay Overton of Palm Harbor, Fla.; and Mike Burke Jr., of Towaco, N.J.
| Centennial Course average | Sub-par rounds | Par rounds | Rounds over par | Round leader | Bruce Zabriski | |
| Rd. 1 | 75.56 | 15 | 12 | 117 | 70 - Bob Boyd, Steve Brady, Jay Overton, John Paesani, Sammy Rachels, Bruce Zabriski | 70 - T1st |
| Rd. 2 | 74.08 | 27 | 22 | 95 | 137 - Jay Overton | 141 - T2nd |
| Rd. 3 | 73.80 | 16 | 9 | 45 | 206 - Bruce Zabriski | 206 - 1st |
| Rd. 4 | 74.42 | 12 | 8 | 49 | 281 - Bruce Zabriski, John Mazza, Bob Sowards | 281 - 1st |
| Totals | 74.59 | 70 | 51 | 306 |
1996: Darrell's putting gamble
Champion: Darrell Kestner, E. Norwich, N.Y.Site: PGA West, La Quinta, Calif
Date: Sept. 26-29, 1996
Course: Jack Nicklaus Private; Par: 72 (6,854 yards)
Course: Arnold Palmer Private; Par: 72 (6,791 yards)
Course: Tom Weiskopf Private; Par: 72 (7,244 yards)
Purse: $400,000
Entries: 360, Cut at 213 (103 players advanced)
Frustrated by the way he was putting and unsure if he had enough skill to make the cut, Darrell Kestner of East Norwich, N.Y., decided to change his putting stroke, in the middle of the first round of the 29th PGA Club Professional Championship at PGA West in La Quinta, Calif. Kestner had never used his new cross-handed putting style in competition or practice. But it was the prescription to healing his woes on the green. Kestner, who began the PGA CPC with a 73, came back with rounds of 64, 67 and 67. He finished by mak- ing a curling 40-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole of the Arnold Palmer Private Course. Kestner's CPC record 17-under-par 271 total for 72 holes was a stroke better than Dan Bateman of Huntington Beach, Calif. who missed a five-foot birdie putt on the 18th green.
| Scoring averages | Jack Nicklaus Private | Arnold Palmer Private | Tom Weiskopf Private | Round leader | Darrell Kestner |
| Rd. 1 | 72.6 | 73.8 | 73.1 | 65 - Tad Holloway, Jeff Lankford | 73 - T165th |
| Rd. 2 | 72.50 | 72.55 | 73.0 | 133 - Rick Lewallen | 137 - T16th |
| Rd. 3 | 72.16 | 72.95 | 72.57 | 200 - Brad Sherfy | 204 - T6th |
| Rd. 4 | 72.12 | 271 - Darrell Kestner | 271 - 1st | ||
| Totals | 72.44 | 72.87 | 72.93 |
1995: Schneiter's rally in the desert
Champion: Steve Schneiter, Sandy, UtahSite: La Quinta & Rancho Mirage, Calif.
Date:Oct. 5-8, 1995
Course: Jack Nicklaus Private; Par: 72 (6,933 yards)
Course: Dinah Shore Tourn.; Par: 72 (6,923 yards)
Course: La Quinta Mountain; Par: 72 (6,681 yards)
Purse: $400,000
Entries: 360, Cut at 218 (92 players advanced)
Steve Schneiter picked up the telephone, called his wife, Lori, and immediately asked if she was sitting down. "Hey, I won!" Schneiter said without raising his voice. "Yeah, that's right. No, I'm not kidding." Schneiter capped an impressive four-stroke rally a day before his 32nd birthday with a final-round 68 on the La Quinta Mountain Course. The former Brigham Young University All-American sank a two-foot birdie putt on the 18th green to edge Bob Ford of Oakmont, Pa., and John DeForest of Accord, N.Y., who missed a playoff berth by three-putting from 40 feet. Ford birdied the 17th and 18th holes after making bunker recovery shots. The 28th PGA Club Professional Championship featured double eagles by two players and a hole-in-one by 1993 Champion Jeff Roth of Flint, Mich.
| Scoring averages | Jack Nicklaus Private | LaQuinta Mountain | Dinah Shore Tournament | Round leader | Steve Schneiter |
| Rd. 1 | 74.9 | 74.7 | 74.3 | 66 - Tommy Sanderson | 71 - T32nd |
| Rd. 2 | 74.0 | 73.9 | 74.8 | 137 - Rick Acton, Perry Arthur, Ron Philo Jr. | 142 - T23rd |
| Rd. 3 | 74.4 | 73.8 | 74.2 | 206 - Dino Lucchesi | 210 - T7th |
| Rd. 4 | 72.9 | 278 - Steve Scheiter | 278 - 1st | ||
| Totals | 74.470 | 73.94 | 74.478 |
1994: Sammy drives to a title
Champion: Sammy Rachels, Defuniak Springs, Fla.Site: Osage Beach, Lake Ozark, Mo.
Date: Oct. 6-9, 1994
Course: The Oaks Course; Par: 71
Course: Jones Course; Par: 71
Course: North Port National GC; Par: 72
Purse: $400,000
Entries: 360, Cut at 222 (97 players advanced)
Having undergone four back operations, Sammy Rachels of DeFuniak Springs, Fla., was barely able to walk more than a few holes without the aid of a golf car. Unable to travel by plane due to his back, Rachels and his wife, Pia, drove the family van from Florida's Panhandle to the Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri for the 27th PGA Club Professional Championship. Rachels hung on through three days of rain and play suspensions to force a playoff with 1992 CPC Champion Ron McDougal of Purchase, N.Y., and Darrell Kestner of East Norwich, N.Y. McDougal bowed out with a bogey on the first extra hole and Rachels two-putted for par on the second extra hole to defeat Kestner, who was hobbled in the final round after spraining his left ankle on the ninth hole.
| Scoring averages | North Port (par 72) | Jones (par 71) | Oaks (par 71) | Round leader | Sammy Rachels |
| Rd. 1 | 76.47 | 75.45 | 76.06 | 66 - Gary Groh | 68 - T3rd |
| Rd. 2 | 74.98 | 74.45 | 75.28 | 137 - Ron McDougal | 140 - T3rd |
| Rd. 3 | 76.55 | 75.62 | 76.60 | 211 - Sammy Rachels, Frank Dobbs | 211 - T1st |
| Rd. 4 | 74.25 | 284 - Sammy Rachels, Ron McDougal, Darrell Kestner | 284 - T1st | ||
| Totals | 76.01 | 75.17 | 75.60 |
1993: A PGA CPC marathon
Champion: Jeffrey Roth, Flint, Mich.Site: PGA National Resort & Spa, Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
Date: Oct. 7-10, 1993
Course: Champion; Par: 72 (6,758 yards)
Course: Haig; Par: 72 (6,704 yards)
Course: Squire; Par: 72 (6,478 yards)
Purse: $400,000
Entries: 360, Cut at 216 (108 players advanced)
Jeff Roth of Flint, Mich., had endured a pair of heartbreaking final-hole defeats in the 1992 Michigan Open and Michigan PGA Championship. And, the 36-year-old PGA Professional believed his game was in working order when he arrived at PGA National Golf Club. Rain and lightning forced suspension of play five times during the first three days. But Roth shook off the delays and sank a 15- foot birdie putt on the sixth hole of the final round at the Champion Course to snap a tie with defending Champion Ron McDougal. Though he held a six-stroke lead through 14 holes, a limited amount of daylight remained in the marathon round. Roth bogeyed the 14th, 15th and 18th holes for a 72, a two-stroke victory over John Lee of Naples, Fla. , and a 13-under-par 275 total.
| Scoring averages | Squire (par 72) | Haig (par 72) | Champion (par 72) | Round leader | Jeffrey Roth |
| Rd. 1 | 73.74 | 73.28 | 73.96 | 65 - Joe Sciortino, John Lee | 68 - T10th |
| Rd. 2 | 73.80 | 73.01 | 74.14 | 134 - Ron McDougal | 137 - (69) T9th |
| Rd. 3 | 73.30 | 73.83 | 73.80 | 203 - Jeffrey Roth | 203 - (66) 1st |
| Rd. 4 | 72.92 | 275 - Jeffrey Roth | 275 - (72) 1st | ||
| Totals | 73.613 | 73.373 | 73.705 |
1992: McDougal wire-to-wire
Champion: Ron McDougal, Purchase, N.Y.Site: PGA West, La Quinta Hotel & Golf Resort, Mission Hills Country Club, La Quinta, Calif.
Date: Oct. 1-4, 1992
Course: PGA West (Jack Nicklaus Resort); Par: 72 (6,928 yards)
Course: La Quinta (Mountain); Par: 72 (6,704 yards)
Course: Mission Hills (Old); Par: 72 (6,954 yards)
Purse: $400,000
Entries: 356, Cut at 219 (100 players advanced)
Ron McDougal of Purchase, N.Y., a disappointed runner-up one year earlier, left no doubt that he could handle the pressure of finishing The PGA Club Professional Championship in style in 1992 at PGA West's Nicklaus Private Course. McDougal closed with a final-round 69, giving him four straight sub-70 rounds and a 15-under-par 273 total and a three-stroke victory over Sammy Rachels of DeFuniak Springs, Fla. The 29-year-old McDougal ran in a pair of birdie putts in his opening four holes and never was seriously challenged after that.
| Scoring averages | Resort (par 72) | Mountain (par 72) | Old (par 72) | Round leader | Ron McDougal |
| Rd. 1 | 74.541 | 74.916 | 75.108 | 67 - Ron McDougal | 67 - 1st |
| Rd. 2 | 75.041 | 75.226 | 76.647 | 136 - Ron McDougal | 136 - (69) 1st |
| Rd. 3 | 73.764 | 74.899 | 74.779 | 204 - Ron McDougal | 204 - (68) 1st |
| Rd. 4 | 72.310 | 273 - (69) 1st | |||
| Totals | 73.914 | 75.013 | 75.511 |
1991: Larry Gilbert earns third crown at soggy Doral
Champion: Larry Gilbert, Lexinton, Ky.Site: Doral Resort & Country Club, Miami, Fla.
Date: Oct. 3-6, 1991
Course: Blue; Par: 72 (6,900 yards)
Course: Gold; Par: 72 (5,482 yards)
Course: Silver; Par: 72 (6,613 yards)
Purse: $400,000
Entries: 355, Cut at 211 (92 players advanced)
Eighteen inches of rain pelted Doral Resort & Country Club two weeks before the 1991 PGA Club Professional Championship and a few more inches fell just before the opening round. The standing water in three fairways forced PGA officials to make severe course changes, including adjusting one of the three resort courses to a par 66. This provided for many low scores, including a third-round 59 by Bruce Zabriski, then of Southampton, N.Y. But neither Zabriski or 358 other PGA Professionals could catch Larry Gilbert of Lexington, Ky. Giving himself a pep talk, Gilbert marched through the soggy fairways to a 14-under-par 267 total and a one-stroke victory over Gene Fieger of Bryn Mawr, Pa., and Ron McDougal of Purchase, N.Y. Gilbert's third title made him the winningest PGA Club Professional Champion. Before heading to the Senior PGA Tour, Gilbert set 10 CPC records and shared another.
| Scoring averages | Blue (par 72) | Gold (par 66) | Silver (par 71) | Round leader | Larry Gilbert |
| Rd. 1 | 74.675 | 67.563 | 72.711 | 60 - Louis Bartoletti | 67 - T50th |
| Rd. 2 | 74.898 | 67.983 | 72.261 | 129 - Jon Chaffee, Gene Fieger, Mike San Filippo, Ron McDougal | 132 - (65) T10th |
| Rd. 3 | 74.891 | 68.102 | 72.991 | 196 - Bruce Zabriski | 199 - (67) T3rd |
| Rd. 4 | 74.821 | 267 - Larry Gilbert | 267 - (68) 1st | ||
| Totals | 74.806 | 67.882 | 72.674 |
1990: Getting the Upper hand
Champion: Brett Upper, Clearwater, Fla.Site: PGA West, La Quinta Hotel & Golf Resort, Mission Hills Country Club, La Quinta, Calif.
Date: Oct. 4-7, 1990
Course: PGA West Stadium; Par: 72 (6,854 yards)
Course: La Quinta (Mountain); Par: 72 (6,713 yards)
Course: Mission Hills (Old); Par: 72 (6,954 yards)
Purse: $400,000
Entries: 356, Cut at 219 (100 players advanced)
A former six-year Tour regular, Brett Upper of Clearwater, Fla., couldn't have started his final round more disastrously in his PGA Club Professional Championship debut at PGA West's Stadium Course. Upper began triple bogey-bogey before his putter was discovered somewhere in his bag and began to pay dividends. Upper birdied the third hole from 40 feet. Playing partner and leader Gibby Gilbert then began to unravel. He dunked his tee shot on the par-3 sixth hole into the water and double-bogeyed. Gilbert then double bogeyed the ninth after needing three strokes to clear a green side grass bunker. Upper then moved into a tie for first at the 11th with a 12-foot birdie putt and took the lead for good at the 14th.
| Average of courses | Rounds of 70 & under | Rounds under par | Round leader | Brett Upper | |
| Rd. 1 | 75.1 | 34 | 53 | 66 - Lee Rinker | 69 - T9th |
| Rd. 2 | 74.7 | 41 | 68 | 136 - Gibby Gilbert | 138 - (69) 4th |
| Rd. 3 | 74.67 | 46 | 87 | 203 - Gibby Gilbert | 204 - (66) 2nd |
| Rd. 4 | 74.2 | 10 | 22 | 275 - Brett Upper | 275 - (71) 1st |
| Totals | 74.76 | 131 | 219 |