1949 PGA Championship

1949 PGA Championship

Tournament information
Dates	May 25–31, 1949
Location	Richmond, Virginia, U.S.
Course(s)	Hermitage Country Club
Organized by	PGA of America
Tour(s)	PGA Tour
Format	Match play - 6 rounds
Statistics
Par	71
Length	6,677 yards (6,105 m)[1]
Field	64 to match play
Cut	149 (+8), playoff
Prize fund	$17,700[2]
Winner's share	$3,500
Champion
Sam Snead
def. Johnny Palmer, 3 & 2

Richmond

Location in the United States

Hermitage 
Country Club

Location in Virginia

The 1949 PGA Championship was the 31st PGA Championship, held May 25–31 in Virginia at Hermitage Country Club, northwest of Richmond. Native Virginian Sam Snead won the match play championship, 3 & 2 over Johnny Palmer in the Tuesday final; the winner's share was $3,500 and the runner-up's was $1,500.^[3][4]

It was the second of Snead's three wins in the PGA Championship, and the fourth of his seven major titles. At age 37, Snead was the oldest to win the PGA Championship;^[5] he won again two years later in 1951.

The medalist in the stroke play qualifier was unsung Ray Hill of Louisiana,^[6] who advanced to the quarterfinals.

Snead won the Masters in April; this was the first time the Masters champion had won the PGA Championship in the same calendar year. This has only been accomplished four times, most recently 43 years ago: Snead was followed by Jack Burke, Jr. in 1956 and Jack Nicklaus in 1963 and 1975. Snead's double was in the spring, Burke and Nicklaus completed theirs in the summer.

Defending champion Ben Hogan did not play in any of the majors during the 1949 season, following a near-fatal automobile accident in west Texas in early February.^[7][8] In 1948, he won two majors, led the tour in money and wins (ten), and was player of the year; he had won two events in January 1949 (Pebble Beach, Long Beach),^[9] with a playoff runner-up in a third (Phoenix).^[10] Although Hogan returned to the tour in 1950 on a limited basis and won six more majors (nine total), he did not enter the PGA Championship again until age 48 in 1960, its third year as a stroke play event.

Format

The match play format at the PGA Championship in 1949 called for 12 rounds (216 holes) in seven days:^[2]

• Wednesday and Thursday – 36-hole stroke play qualifier, 18 holes per day;
  • the top 64 professionals advanced to match play
    • defending champion Ben Hogan did not enter, out for the season with injuries from an automobile accident
• Friday – first two rounds, 18 holes each
• Saturday – third round – 36 holes
• Sunday – quarterfinals – 36 holes
• Monday – semifinals – 36 holes
• Tuesday – final – 36 holes

Past champions in the field

Player	Country	Year(s) won	Record	Advanced to	Finish
Sam Snead	United States	1942	6–0	Champion	1
Jim Ferrier	Australia	1947	4–1	Semifinals	T3
Bob Hamilton	United States	1944	1–1	Second round	T17
Gene Sarazen	United States	1922, 1923, 1933	0–1	First round	T33
Denny Shute	United States	1936, 1937	0–1	First round	T33

Failed to qualify

Player	Country	Year won	R1	R2	Total	To par
Vic Ghezzi	United States	1941	76	74	150	+8

Source:^[6]

Final results

Tuesday, May 31, 1949

Place	Player	Country	Money ($)
1	Sam Snead	United States	3,500
2	Johnny Palmer	United States	1,500
T3	Jim Ferrier	Australia  United States	750
	Lloyd Mangrum	United States
T5	Jimmy Demaret	United States	500
	Clayton Heafner	United States
	Ray Hill	United States
	Henry Williams, Jr.	United States

Final eight bracket

Final match scorecards

Morning

Hole	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18
Par	4	4	4	3	4	4	4	4	5	5	4	4	3	4	4	4	4	3
Snead	4	4	4	3	4	3	4	5	4	4	4	4	3	4	4	5	3	3
Palmer	4	3	4	2	4	4	4	4	4	^	5	4	3	3	4	4	^	4
Leader	–	P1	P1	P2	P2	P1	P1	P2	P2	P1	–	–	–	P1	P1	P2	P1	–

^ = picked up ball (hole concession)

Afternoon

Hole	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18
Par	4	4	4	3	4	4	4	4	5	5	4	4	3	4	4	4	4	3
Snead	4	4	4	2	4	3	3	4	6	4	4	4	2	4	4	4	Snead wins 3 & 2
Palmer	4	4	4	3	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	3	4	4	4
Leader	–	–	–	S1	S1	S2	S3	S3	S2	S2	S2	S2	S3	S3	S3	S3

Source:^[4]

References

External links

• PGA Media Guide 2012
• About.com – 1949 PGA Championship
• PGA of America – 1949 PGA Championship

Coordinates: 37°38′49″N 77°42′18″W / 37.647°N 77.705°W / 37.647; -77.705