Entertainment
PGA TOUR winner Phil Hancock dies at age 71
How tough was Phil Hancock’s approach shot on the sixth hole during the final round of the 1980 Hall of Fame Classic? Playing partner Howard Twitty equated Hancock’s 4-iron at Pinehurst No. 2 as “trying to land a 747 on an aircraft carrier.”
Hancock pulled off the shot, impressing both the gallery and Twitty, leaving his ball 6 feet from the cup on the mounded, difficult green. His approach that led to a birdie was pivotal, as were three more birdies he made in succession, at Nos. 8, 9 and 10. That run of good play allowed Hancock to secure a one-shot victory over Scott Simpson. It was Hancock’s lone PGA TOUR victory.
What might have been even more impressive than him conquering the No. 2 Course was who Hancock beat that week. Entered in the North Carolina tournament were defending champion Tom Watson and 10 other future World Golf Hall of Fame members. Yet in the end, it was Hancock walking away with the hardware.
It turned out to be the professional career highlight for Hancock, who died Dec. 12, 11 months after doctors diagnosed him with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). He was 71.
Following his Hall of Fame Classic victory, Hancock looked at the list of the tournament’s past champions, which included Jack Nicklaus, Hale Irwin, Johnny Miller, Raymond Floyd and Watson, and said, “I guess I’m the only poor man ever to win this event. I have broken a tradition.”
Hancock was hardly poor, but his victory, worth $45,000, ended up being his career-best payday.
It turned out to be the professional career highlight for Hancock, who died Dec. 12, 11 months after doctors diagnosed him with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). He was 71.
Following his Hall of Fame Classic victory, Hancock looked at the list of the tournament’s past champions, which included Jack Nicklaus, Hale Irwin, Johnny Miller, Raymond Floyd and Watson, and said, “I guess I’m the only poor man ever to win this event. I have broken a tradition.”
Hancock was hardly poor, but his victory, worth $45,000, ended up being his career-best payday.
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