For other uses, see Lou Graham (disambiguation).
Lou Graham
FullnameLouis Krebs Graham
Birth dateJanuary 7, 1938
Birth placeNashville, Tennessee, U.S.
Death dateMay 11, 2026 (aged 88)
Height6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight175 lb (79 kg; 12.5 st)
CollegeMemphis State University
Yearpro1964
ExtourPGA Tour
Senior PGA Tour
Prowins7
Pgawins6
Otherwins1
MastersT6: 1977
UsopenWon: 1975
OpenT47: 1975
PgaT6: 1977

Louis Krebs Graham (January 7, 1938 – May 11, 2026) was an American professional golfer. He won six PGA Tour tournaments including the 1975 U.S. Open.[1]

Early life

In 1938, Graham was born in Nashville, Tennessee. He started playing golf when he was seven years old. He attended Nashville's Father Ryan High School.

Graham attended Memphis State University. He played on the golf team for three years.

Later, Graham was drafted into the U.S. Army. While in the Army, Graham served as a member of the Old Guard—Company E of the Third U.S. Infantry Regiment—the ceremonial Honor Guard that guards the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery. During his Army career, he made the Army golf team that won the Inter-Service championship in 1961.

Professional career

In September 1964, Graham joined the PGA Tour. His first win was at the 1967 Minnesota Golf Classic at Hazeltine National Golf Club during his third full year on the tour. In 1972, Graham won again at the Liggett Myers Open, followed by the U.S. Open in 1975. Graham had only three wins in fifteen years, and then in 1979, he won three more times in the space of eleven weeks. For this achievement, he won Golf Digest's 1979 Comeback of the Year award.[2]

Graham played on three Ryder Cup teams (1973, 1975, 1977), and was a member of the victorious 1975 World Cup Team. He was inducted as a charter member of the Tennessee Golf Hall of Fame in 1992. During his career, he won over $1.4 million on the PGA Tour and over $600,000 in Senior Tour career earnings.[2]

His greatest success in major championships came at the U.S. Open. He won in 1975 at the Medinah Country Club in Medinah, Illinois beating John Mahaffey by two strokes in a playoff. In 1977, he finished second – losing by one stroke to Hubert Green at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He also had a previous T-3 finish at the Open in 1974.[3] On the Senior PGA Tour, his best finish was a T-3 at the AT&T Championship in 1990.

Death

Graham died on May 11, 2026, at the age of 88.[1]

Awards and honors

Professional wins (7)

PGA Tour wins (6)

Legend
Major championships (1)
Other PGA Tour (5)
No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin of
victory		Runner(s)-up
1Jul 30, 1967Minnesota Golf Classic−2 (76-68-70-72=286)1 strokeBobby Verwey
2Aug 27, 1972Liggett & Myers Open−3 (71-74-70-70=285)PlayoffDavid Graham, Hale Irwin,
Larry Ziegler
3Jun 23, 1975U.S. Open+3 (74-72-68-73=287)PlayoffJohn Mahaffey
4Jul 22, 1979IVB-Philadelphia Golf Classic−11 (68-70-71-64=273)PlayoffBobby Wadkins
5Sep 9, 1979American Optical Classic−9 (68-67-71-69=275)1 strokeBen Crenshaw
6Oct 7, 1979San Antonio Texas Open−12 (69-64-69-66=268)1 strokeEddie Pearce, Bill Rogers,
Doug Tewell

PGA Tour playoff record (3–1)

No.YearTournamentOpponent(s)Result
11971Greater Hartford OpenGeorge Archer, J. C. SneadArcher won with birdie on first extra hole
21972Liggett & Myers OpenDavid Graham, Hale Irwin,
Larry Ziegler		Won with birdie on third extra hole
D. Graham and Ziegler eliminated by par on first hole
31975U.S. OpenJohn MahaffeyWon 18-hole playoff;
Graham: E (71),
Mahaffey: +2 (73)
41979IVB-Philadelphia Golf ClassicBobby WadkinsWon with birdie on first extra hole

Source:[5]

Other wins (1)

No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin of
victory		Runners-up
1Dec 7, 1975World Cup
(with Johnny Miller)		−22 (134-142-140-138=554)10 strokes− Hsieh Min-Nan and Kuo Chie-Hsiung

Major championships

Wins (1)

YearChampionship54 holesWinning scoreMarginRunner-up
1975U.S. Open4 shot deficit+3 (74-72-68-73=287)Playoff1John Mahaffey

1Defeated Mahaffey in an 18-hole playoff – Graham 71 (E), Mahaffey 73 (+2).

Results timeline

Tournament1963196419651966196719681969
Masters TournamentCUT
U.S. OpenCUTCUT23CUTT28
The Open Championship
PGA ChampionshipT8CUT
Tournament1970197119721973197419751976197719781979
Masters TournamentCUTT17CUTT40T12T6CUTT23
U.S. OpenT46T37T19CUTT31T282T35T25
The Open ChampionshipT47
PGA ChampionshipT22CUTT33T30T48T54T22T6CUTT10
Tournament198019811982198319841985
Masters TournamentT26
U.S. OpenT51CUTT39T50CUTCUT
The Open Championship
PGA ChampionshipCUTCUTT42

CUT = missed the halfway cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place.

Summary

TournamentWins2nd3rdTop-5Top-10Top-25EventsCuts made
Masters Tournament000014106
U.S. Open1113362114
The Open Championship00000011
PGA Championship0000351510
Totals11137154731
  • Most consecutive cuts made – 11 (1974 U.S. Open – 1977 U.S. Open)
  • Longest streak of top-10s – 3 (1977 Masters – 1977 PGA)

Results in The Players Championship

Tournament197419751976197719781979198019811982198319841985
The Players Championship5T29T56T612T43T6072T70WDCUTCUT

CUT = missed the halfway cut
WD = withdrew
"T" indicates a tie for a place

U.S. national team appearances

Professional

References

  1. ^ Ross, Helen (May 12, 2026). "Lou Graham, six time PGA Tour winner, dies at age 88". PGA Tour.
  2. ^ "Lou Graham - Tennessee Golf Hall of Fame". Tennessee Golf Association. Archived from the original on 2012-02-15. Retrieved 2006-05-12.
  3. ^ "Lou Graham". Golf Major Championships
  4. ^ "Tennessee Golf Hall of Fame Inductees". Tennessee Golf Hall of Fame. Retrieved May 11, 2025.
  5. ^ "Lou Graham". PGA Tour. Retrieved 2025-11-13.