1959 PGA Championship

The 1959 PGA Championship was the 41st PGA Championship played from July 30 to August 2 at Minneapolis Golf Club in St. Louis Park, Minnesota, a suburb west of Minneapolis.

1959 PGA Championship
Tournament information
DatesJuly 30 – August 2, 1959
LocationSt. Louis Park, Minnesota
Course(s)Minneapolis Golf Club
Organized byPGA of America
Tour(s)PGA Tour
FormatStroke play
Statistics
Par70
Length6,850 yards (6,264 m)
Field174 players,
100 after 1st cut
64 after 2nd cut
Cut150 (+10) (1st cut)
221 (+11) (2nd cut)
Prize fund$51,175[1]
Winner's share$8,250
Champion
Bob Rosburg
277 (−3)

Six strokes back at the start of the final round, Bob Rosburg shot a 66 (−4) to win his only major championship at 277 (−3), one stroke ahead of runners-up Jerry Barber and Doug Sanders.[2][3][4] Rosburg had managed only five birdies in the first three rounds,[5] but had five in the first nine on Sunday to go out in 30, then a record.[2] Barber shot a 65 on Friday and was the 36-hole and 54-hole leader at 205 (−5), with Sanders a stroke back.[6] Barber won the title two years later, in a Monday playoff in 1961. Tied for fourteenth at 286 (+6) was Arnold Palmer.[3]

This was the second year of stroke play at the PGA Championship, a match play event through 1957. Daily admission was three dollars on Thursday and Friday, and five dollars per day on the weekend.[7] The winner's share was increased fifty per cent to $8,250; two years earlier, it was $8,000 for the final match play competition.

The Open Championship was played several weeks earlier in Scotland at Muirfield; only four Americans (two amateurs) were in the field and none made the cut.

Past champions in the field
Minneapolis 
Golf Club
Location in the United States
Minneapolis 
Golf Club
Location in Minnesota

Made both cuts
PlayerCountryYear(s) wonR1R2R3R4TotalTo parFinish
Dow Finsterwald United States195871687170280E4
Sam Snead United States1942, 1949, 195171736870282+2T8
Doug Ford United States195571737170285+5T11
Jack Burke, Jr. United States195670737272287+7T17
Walter Burkemo United States195369727373287+7T17
Chick Harbert United States195473717174289+9T28
Lionel Hebert United States195771697575290+10T31
Jim Ferrier Australia
 United States		194773717276292+12T38
Jim Turnesa United States195273727473292+12T38
Denny Shute United States1936, 193775737075293+13T44

Missed the second cut
PlayerCountryYear(s) wonR1R2R3TotalTo par
Gene Sarazen United States1922, 1923, 19337374WD147+7
Chandler Harper United States19507377WD150+10

Round summaries

First round

Thursday, July 30, 1959

PlacePlayerCountryScoreTo par
T1Jerry Barber United States69−1
Jackson Bradley United States
Walter Burkemo United States
Billy Casper United States
Dick Hart United States
Chuck Klein United States
Mike Krak United States
Gene Littler United States
Mike Souchak United States
T10Jack Burke Jr. United States70E
Buster Cupit United States
Don Fairfield United States
Al Feminelli United States
Billy Maxwell United States
Herman Scharlau United States
Don Shock United States
Ken Venturi United States
Art Wall Jr. United States

Source:[8][9]

Second round

Friday, July 31, 1959

PlacePlayerCountryScoreTo par
1Jerry Barber United States69-65=134−6
2Mike Souchak United States69-67=136−4
3Doug Sanders United States72-66=138−2
T4Dow Finsterwald United States71-68=139−1
Gene Littler United States69-70=139
T6Billy Casper United States69-71=140E
Lionel Hebert United States71-69=140
Cary Middlecoff United States72-68=140
T9Walter Burkemo United States69-71=141+1
Fred Hawkins United States72-69=141
Bob Goalby United States72-69=141

Source:[10]

Third round

Saturday, August 1, 1959

PlacePlayerCountryScoreTo par
1Jerry Barber United States69-65-71=205−5
2Doug Sanders United States72-66-68=206−4
3Mike Souchak United States69-67-71=207−3
T4Dow Finsterwald United States71-68-71=210E
Cary Middlecoff United States72-68-70=210
T6Jay Hebert United States72-70-69=211+1
Gene Littler United States69-70-72=211
Bob Rosburg United States71-72-68=211
T9Tommy Jacobs United States73-71-68=212+2
Sam Snead United States71-73-68=212
Ken Venturi United States70-72-70=212

Source:[5][11]

Final round

Sunday, August 2, 1959

PlacePlayerCountryScoreTo parMoney ($)
1Bob Rosburg United States71-72-68-66=277−38,250
T2Jerry Barber United States69-65-71-73=278−23,563
Doug Sanders United States72-66-68-72=278
4Dow Finsterwald United States71-68-71-70=280E2,500
T5Bob Goalby United States72-69-72-68=281+12,000
Mike Souchak United States69-67-71-74=281
Ken Venturi United States70-72-70-69=281
T8Cary Middlecoff United States72-68-70-72=282+21,600
Sam Snead United States71-73-68-70=282
10Gene Littler United States69-70-72-73=284+41,450

Source:[2][3]

Scorecard

Final round

Hole123456789101112131415161718
Par445343444344445344
Rosburg+1E−1−1−2−2−2−3−4−4−4−3−3−3−3−3−3−3
Barber−5−5−5−5−5−5−5−4−4−4−4−3−3−3−4−4−3−2
Sanders−4−4−4−3−2−2−2−2−3−3−3−2−2−2−2−2−1−2

Cumulative tournament scores, relative to par

Birdie Bogey Double bogey

Source:[3]

References
  1. "Tournament Info for: 1959 PGA Championship". PGA.com. Retrieved December 29, 2012.
  2. Bartlett, Charles (August 3, 1959). "Rosburg wins P.G.A. title with 277". Chicago Daily Tribune. p. 1, part 4.
  3. "Rosburg Rallies to Win PGA". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. August 3, 1959. pp. 18, 21.
  4. Brown, Gwilym (August 10, 1959). "Drama at Minneapolis in wind and rain". Sports Illustrated. p. 42.
  5. Bartlett, Charles (August 2, 1959). "Barber keeps P.G.A. lead by stroke with 205". Chicago Sunday Tribune. p. 1, part 2.
  6. "Barber keeps lead". Eugene Register-Guard. Oregon. Associated Press. August 2, 1959. p. 1C.
  7. Bartlett, Charles (July 30, 1959). "Old timer laments match play passing as 41st PGA meet opens". Chicago Daily Tribune. p. 3, part 6.
  8. "Nine players tied for PGA lead with 69s". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. July 31, 1959. p. 17.
  9. "PGA tournament scoreboard". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. July 31, 1959. p. 18.
  10. "Jerry Barber grabs PGA lead with 134". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. August 1, 1959. p. 11.
  11. "Barber keeps lead on great final shot". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. August 2, 1959. p. 1, sports.
Preceded by
1959 Open Championship		 Major Championships Succeeded by
1960 Masters

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