This story first appeared in the Spring 2025 edition of Northern Ohio Golfer Magazine, the official print publication of the Northern Ohio Golf Association. NOGA members who provide a mailing address in their GHIN account receive a copy mailed to their home twice per year. Not yet a NOGA member? JOIN NOW >
Jack Nicklaus, the Golden Bear, roared into golf history on August 10, 1975, when he clinched the PGA Championship at Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio. Fifty years later, golf fans still talk about his epic home-state triumph. It was his fourth of five PGA Championship titles, further cementing his legacy as one of the game’s all-time greats. But this win wasn’t just another notch on his belt—it was a masterclass in grit, precision, and a little bit of Firestone magic.
The South Course, a beastly 7,400-yard layout, was no picnic that week. With narrow fairways, punishing rough, and greens slicker than a 1975 disco dancer’s hair, it demanded perfection. Nicklaus delivered. He finished at 276, just four under par, beating out Bruce Crampton by two strokes in a duel that captivated fans. The final round was vintage Nicklaus: cool under pressure, wielding his driver like a hammer and putting with the finesse of a surgeon.
The week wasn’t without drama. Nicklaus started strong with a 68, but a second-round 71 left him tangled in a pack of contenders. Saturday’s 67—an absolute clinic—vaulted him into the lead, setting up a Sunday showdown. Crampton, a wiry Australian with 14 PGA Tour wins, wasn’t going down without a fight. He matched Nicklaus blow for blow, but the Bear’s back-nine brilliance on Sunday sealed the deal. A birdie on 16 and a steely par save on 18 sent the Ohio crowd home happy. “I wanted this one bad,” Nicklaus said later, grinning. “Playing so close to home, you feel the weight of every shot.”
This wasn’t just a technical triumph; it was Nicklaus at his charismatic peak. At 35, he was in the sweet spot of his career—14 professional majors in the bag, with four more to come. Blond hair glinting in the August sun, his trademark squint sizing up every shot. Nicklaus’ wife, Barbara, also an Ohioan, was there, too, beaming as Jack hoisted the Wanamaker Trophy.
Off the course, he was all charm, cracking jokes with reporters about the Ohio humidity and his kids’ Little League games. On the course, he was a killer. Tom Weiskopf, who finished third, quipped, “Jack doesn’t just beat you—he dissects you.”
The 1975 PGA added to Nicklaus’s legend, a home state victory on a world-famous course that resonated beyond the leaderboard. Fifty years on, it’s a reminder of why he’s golf’s GOAT: talent, tenacity, and a knack for shining brightest in golf’s major championships.
