1951 PGA Championship
The 1951 PGA Championship was the 33rd PGA Championship, held June 27 to July 3 at Oakmont Country Club in Oakmont, Pennsylvania, a suburb northeast of Pittsburgh. Sam Snead won the match play championship, 7 & 6 over Walter Burkemo in the Tuesday final; the winner's share was $3,500 and the runner-up's was $1,500.[3][4]
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Dates | June 27 – July 3, 1951 |
| Location | Oakmont, Pennsylvania, U.S. 40.526°N 79.827°W |
| Course(s) | Oakmont Country Club |
| Organized by | PGA of America |
| Tour(s) | PGA Tour |
| Format | Match play - 6 rounds |
| Statistics | |
| Par | 72 |
| Length | 6,882 yards (6,293 m)[1] |
| Field | 140 players,[1] 64 to match play |
| Cut | 154 (+10), playoff |
| Prize fund | $17,700[2] |
| Winner's share | $3,500 |
| Champion | |
.svg.png){kind=small} | |
| def. Walter Burkemo, 7 & 6 | |
| Location Map | |
  Oakmont CC Location in the United States  Oakmont CC Location in Pennsylvania | |
It marked the first time the PGA Championship returned to a venue; Oakmont had hosted in 1922[2] (at the time, it had also hosted two U.S. Opens and three U.S. Amateurs). It was the third and final win for Snead in the PGA Championship, and the fifth of his seven major titles. At age 39, he was the oldest at the time to win the PGA Championship, passing his old record of two years earlier. Burkemo won the title in 1953 and was runner-up again in 1954.
Defending champion Chandler Harper lost in the first round to Jim Turnesa in a match that went to 23 holes.[5] Turnesa, the runner-up to Snead back in 1942, won the title following year in 1952, and displaced Snead as the oldest champion by a few months.
Snead's win was the last by a former champion for twenty years, until Jack Nicklaus won his second PGA Championship in 1971.
Claude Harmon, Lloyd Mangrum, and Pete Cooper tied for the lowest score in the stroke play qualifier at 142 (−2). Harmon won the $250 medalist prize on the third hole of a sudden-death playoff.[6]
The British Open in 1951 was held in the first week of July in Northern Ireland. Its mandatory two-day qualifier was held the same days as the PGA's semifinals and finals, which prevented participation in both events.[7]
Format
The match play format at the PGA Championship in 1951 called for 12 rounds (216 holes) in seven days:[2]
- Wednesday and Thursday – 36-hole stroke play qualifier, 18 holes per day;
- defending champion Chandler Harper and top 63 professionals advanced to match play
- Friday – first two rounds, 18 holes each
- Saturday – third round – 36 holes
- Sunday – quarterfinals – 36 holes
- Monday – semifinals – 36 holes
- Tuesday – final – 36 holes
Past champions in the field
| Player | Country | Year(s) won | Record | Advanced to | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sam Snead | | 1942, 1949 | 6–0 | Champion | 1 |
| Jim Ferrier | .svg.png){kind=small} | 1947 | 2–1 | Third round | T9 |
| Vic Ghezzi | | 1941 | 2–1 | Third round | T9 |
| Bob Hamilton | | 1944 | 1–1 | Second round | T17 |
| Henry Picard | | 1939 | 1–1 | Second round | T17 |
| Gene Sarazen | | 1922, 1923, 1933 | 1–1 | Second round | T17 |
| Denny Shute | | 1936, 1937 | 1–1 | Second round | T17 |
| Chandler Harper | | 1950 | 0–1 | First round | T33 |
Failed to qualify
| Player | Country | Years won | R1 | R2 | Total | To par |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paul Runyan | | 1934, 1938 | 74 | 80 | 154 | +10 |
Runyan did not advance in the six-way playoff for the one final spot in the match play field.
Source:[2]
Final results
| Place | Player | Country | Money ($) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sam Snead | | 3,500 |
| 2 | Walter Burkemo | | 1,500 |
| T3 | Charlie Bassler | | 750 |
| Ellsworth Vines | | ||
| T5 | Al Brosch | | 500 |
| Johnny Bulla | | ||
| Jack Burke, Jr. | | ||
| Reggie Myles | |
Final eight bracket
| Quarter-finals July 1 | Semi-finals July 2 | Finals July 3 | ||||||||||||
| Sam Snead | 2&1 | |||||||||||||
| Jack Burke, Jr. | ||||||||||||||
| Sam Snead | 9&8 | |||||||||||||
| Charlie Bassler | ||||||||||||||
| Charlie Bassler | 1up | |||||||||||||
| Al Brosch | ||||||||||||||
| Sam Snead | 7&6 | |||||||||||||
| Walter Burkemo | ||||||||||||||
| Walter Burkemo | 1up | |||||||||||||
| Reggie Myles | ||||||||||||||
| Walter Burkemo | 37h | |||||||||||||
| Ellsworth Vines | ||||||||||||||
| Ellsworth Vines | 1up | |||||||||||||
| Johnny Bulla | ||||||||||||||
Source:[8]
Final match scorecards
Morning
| Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Par | 5 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 |
| 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 4 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 |
| Leader | S1 | S2 | S2 | S3 | S4 | S5 | S5 | S5 | S5 | S5 | S4 | S4 | S5 | S4 | S4 | S5 | S4 | S3 |
Afternoon
| Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Par | 5 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 |
| 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 5 | Snead wins 7 & 6 | |||||
| 5 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 5 | ||||||
| Leader | S4 | S5 | S6 | S5 | S5 | S5 | S6 | S7 | S6 | S7 | S7 | S7 | ||||||
Eagle Birdie Bogey Double bogey
Source:[4]
References
- Gundelfinger, Phil, Jr. (June 27, 1951). "140 to tee off today in PGA opening round". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 1.
- "Tournament Info for: 1951 PGA Championship". PGA.com. Retrieved April 17, 2013.
- Gundelfinger, Phil, Jr. (July 4, 1951). "Snead routs Burkemo for third PGA title". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 1.
- Bartlett, Charles (July 4, 1951). "Snead takes P.G.A. title 3d time". Chicago Daily Tribune. p. 1, sec. 4.
- Gundelfinger, Phil, Jr. (June 30, 1951). "Favorites advance in PGA play". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 1.
- Gundelfinger, Phil, Jr. (June 29, 1951). "Harmon wins playoff to capture PGA medal". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 1.
- "Locke favored in British Open". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. July 2, 1951. p. 1.
- Gundelfinger, Phil, Jr. (July 2, 1951). "Snead gains semi-finals in PGA play". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 1.
External links
- PGA Media Guide 2012
- About.com – 1951 PGA Championship
- PGA.com – 1951 PGA Championship