WThe 1972 Masters Tournament was the 36th Masters Tournament, held April 6–9 at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia.
WThe 1972 NCAA University Division Golf Championship was the 34th annual NCAA-sanctioned golf tournament to determine the individual and team national champions of men's collegiate golf in the United States.
WThe 1972 NCAA Men's Volleyball Tournament was the third annual tournament to determine the national champion of NCAA men's college volleyball. The tournament was played at Irving Gymnasium at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. Like the previous year, the format of this championship consisted of a preliminary, four-team round robin to determine seeding for a subsequent single-elimination tournament.
WThe 1972 NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship was the fourth annual NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship to determine the national champion of NCAA men's college water polo. Tournament matches were played at the Armond H. Seidler Natatorium in Albuquerque, New Mexico during December 1972.
WThe 1972 NCAA Skiing Championships were contested in Winter Park, Colorado at the nineteenth annual NCAA-sanctioned ski tournament to determine the individual and team national champions of men's collegiate alpine, cross country skiing, and ski jumping in the United States.
WThe United States competed at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, West Germany. 400 competitors, 316 men and 84 women, took part in 185 events in 21 sports.
WThe United States competed at the 1972 Winter Olympics in Sapporo, Japan.
WThe 1972 PGA Championship was the 54th PGA Championship, played August 3–6 at Oakland Hills Country Club in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, a suburb northwest of Detroit. Gary Player won his second PGA Championship with a total of 281 (+1), two strokes ahead of runners-up Tommy Aaron and Jim Jamieson. It was the sixth of Player's nine major titles, but his first in over four years.
WThe United States sent a delegation to compete at the 1972 Summer Paralympics in Heidelberg, West Germany. Its athletes finished second to the host nation West Germany in the gold medal count and first in the overall medal count.
WThe Men's 1972 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships took place between June 16-18 at Husky Stadium on the campus of University of Washington in Seattle, Washington. It is the only time this championship has been held in the state of Washington. The Women's Championships took place at Citizens Field in Canton, Ohio. The meet was organized by the Amateur Athletic Union.
WThe Men's 1972 United States Olympic Trials for track and field were held from June 29 to July 9 at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, organized by the AAU. This was the first trials with no preliminary events; athletes merely had to meet the qualification standard in their event. This was also the last time the Women's Olympic Trials were held separately, and the ten-day competition in Eugene was held over eleven days.
WThe 1972 U.S. Open was the 72nd U.S. Open, held June 15–18 at Pebble Beach Golf Links in Pebble Beach, California. Jack Nicklaus, age 32, captured his third U.S. Open title, three strokes ahead of runner-up Bruce Crampton. This was the first of six major championships held to date at Pebble Beach: five U.S. Opens and the PGA Championship in 1977.