1931 PGA Championship
The 1931 PGA Championship was the 14th PGA Championship, held September 14–19 at Wannamoisett Country Club in Rumford, Rhode Island, northeast of Providence. Then a match play championship, Tom Creavy, age 20, defeated Gene Sarazen 5 & 3 in the semifinals[4] and Denny Shute 2 & 1 in the finals.[3][5][6][7]
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Dates | September 14–19, 1931 |
| Location | Rumford, Rhode Island |
| Course(s) | Wannamoisett Country Club |
| Organized by | PGA of America |
| Tour(s) | PGA Tour |
| Format | Match play - 5 rounds |
| Statistics | |
| Par | 70 [1][2] |
| Field | 32 to match play |
| Cut | 153 (+13), playoff |
| Prize fund | $7,200[3] |
| Winner's share | $1,000 |
| Champion | |
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| def. Denny Shute, 2 & 1 | |
Rumford
Location in the United States
Wannamoisett
Country Club
Country Club
Location in Rhode Island
This was the first year the defending champion was exempt from qualifying; Tommy Armour lost in the quarterfinals to Shute, 3 & 1.[8] Sarazen was the medalist in the qualifying with 145 (+5).[9][10]
Through 2016, Sarazen remains the youngest winner of a modern major title at age 20 (in 1922) and Creavy was just 2 months older.[11][12] Finalist Shute won consecutive titles in 1936 and 1937.
Format
The match play format at the PGA Championship in 1931 called for 12 rounds (216 holes) in six days:[3]
- Monday – 36-hole stroke play qualifier
- defending champion Tommy Armour and top 31 professionals advanced to match play
- Tuesday – first round – 36 holes
- Wednesday – second round – 36 holes
- Thursday – quarterfinals – 36 holes
- Friday – semifinals – 36 holes
- Saturday – final – 36 holes
Past champions in the field
| Player | Country | Year(s) won | Record | Advanced to | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gene Sarazen | | 1922, 1923 | 3–1 | Semifinals | T3 |
| Tommy Armour |  | 1930 | 2–1 | Quarterfinals | T5 |
| Leo Diegel | | 1928, 1929 | 0–1 | First round | T17 |
| Walter Hagen | | 1921, 1924, 1925, 1926, 1927 | 0–1 | First round | T17 |
Final results
Saturday, September 19, 1931
| Place | Player | Country | Money ($) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tom Creavy | | 1,000 |
| 2 | Denny Shute | | 500 |
| T3 | Billy Burke | | 250 |
| Gene Sarazen | | ||
| T5 | Tommy Armour | | 200 |
| Abe Espinosa | | ||
| Horton Smith | | ||
| Cyril Walker |  |
Final eight bracket
| Quarter-finals September 17 | Semi-finals September 18 | Finals September 19 | ||||||||||||
| Tom Creavy | 3&1 | |||||||||||||
| Cyril Walker | ||||||||||||||
| Tom Creavy | 5&3 | |||||||||||||
| Gene Sarazen | ||||||||||||||
| Gene Sarazen | 5&4 | |||||||||||||
| Horton Smith | ||||||||||||||
| Tom Creavy | 2&1 | |||||||||||||
| Denny Shute | ||||||||||||||
| Denny Shute | 3&1 | |||||||||||||
| Tommy Armour | ||||||||||||||
| Denny Shute | 1up | |||||||||||||
| Billy Burke | ||||||||||||||
| Billy Burke | 5&3 | |||||||||||||
| Abe Espinosa | ||||||||||||||
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 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 |
| 4 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| Leader | – | – | C1 | C1 | C1 | C2 | C2 | C1 | C2 | C2 | C3 | C2 | C1 | C1 | C2 | C2 | C2 | C2 |
Afternoon
| Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Par | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 |
| 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 6 | 5 | |
| 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 6 | |
| Leader | C2 | C1 | C1 | C1 | C1 | C2 | C1 | C1 | C1 | C2 | C3 | C4 | C3 | C3 | C2 | C1 | C2 |
References
- "97 pros begin play today in national meet". Chicago Daily Tribune. Associated Press. September 14, 1931. p. 21.
- "Sarazen P.G.A. tourney medalist with 145". Milwaukee Sentinel. September 15, 1931. p. 13. Retrieved May 7, 2013.
- "Tournament Info for: 1931 PGA Championship". PGA of America. Retrieved May 6, 2013.
- "Shute faces Creavy today". Youngstown Vindicator. Associated Press. September 19, 1931. p. 7. Retrieved May 7, 2013.
- "Creavy whips Shute, 2 and 1, for pro golf title". Chicago Sunday Tribune. September 20, 1931. p. 1, sec. 2.
- "Creavy brings new style to paid brigade". Pittsburgh Post Gazette. United News. September 22, 1931. p. 12. Retrieved May 7, 2013.
- King, Bill (September 20, 1931). "Tom Creavy, 20-year-old Albany pro, downs Denny Shute for P.G.A. title". Youngstown Vindicator. (Ohio). Associated Press. p. C-2. Retrieved May 7, 2013.
- "Sarazen plays Creavy, Burke meets Shute in P.G.A. semi-finals". Miami News. Associated Press. September 18, 1931. p. 13. Retrieved May 7, 2013.
- "Sarazen takes PGA medal with 145 total". Chicago Daily Tribune. September 15, 1931. p. 17.
- "Gene Sarazen cards 145 to lead pros in qualifying round at Providence". Youngstown Vindicator. (Ohio). Associated Press. September 15, 1931. p. 10.
- Fields, Bill (August 10, 2011). "A forgotten champion's PGA triumph". Golf Digest. Retrieved May 6, 2013.
- Diaz, Jaime (August 28, 2000). "Notebook: Paul Creavy". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved May 6, 2013.
External links
- PGA Media Guide 2012
- About.com – 1931 PGA Championship
- PGA.com – 1931 PGA Championship
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