Lou Graham

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.

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.

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. 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.

Professional wins (7) PGA Tour wins (6) Legend Major championships (1) Other PGA Tour (5)

PGA Tour playoff record (3–1) Source:

Other wins (1)

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

Results timeline

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

Summary 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

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

U.S. national team appearances Professional Ryder Cup: 1973 (winners), 1975 (winners), 1977 (winners) World Cup: 1975 (winners)