1931 PGA Championship
| 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 | $1,000 |
| Champion | |
 Tom Creavy | |
| def. Denny Shute, 2 & 1 | |
Rumford
Location in the United States
Wannamoisett
Country Club
Country Club
Location in Rhode Island
The 1931 PGA Championship was the 14th PGA Championship, held September 14–19 at Wannamoisett Country Club in Rumford, Rhode Island, northeast of Providence. Then a match play championship, Tom Creavy, age 20, defeated Gene Sarazen 5 & 3 in the semifinals[4] and Denny Shute 2 & 1 in the finals.[3][5][6][7]
This was the first year the defending champion was exempt from qualifying; Tommy Armour lost in the quarterfinals to Shute, 3 & 1.[8] Sarazen was the medalist in the qualifying with 145 (+5).[9][10]
Through 2016, Sarazen remains the youngest winner of a modern major title at age 20 (in 1922) and Creavy was just 2 months older.[11][12] Finalist Shute won consecutive titles in 1936 and 1937.
Format
The match play format at the PGA Championship in 1931 called for 12 rounds (216 holes) in six days:[3]
- Monday – 36-hole stroke play qualifier
- defending champion Tommy Armour and top 31 professionals advanced to match play
- Tuesday – first round – 36 holes
- Wednesday – second round – 36 holes
- Thursday – quarterfinals – 36 holes
- Friday – semifinals – 36 holes
- Saturday – final – 36 holes
Past champions in the field
| Player | Country | Year(s) won | Record | Advanced to | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gene Sarazen | United States |
1922, 1923 | 3–1 | Semifinals | T3 |
| Tommy Armour |  Scotland United States |
1930 | 2–1 | Quarterfinals | T5 |
| Leo Diegel | United States |
1928, 1929 | 0–1 | First round | T17 |
| Walter Hagen | United States |
1921, 1924, 1925, 1926, 1927 |
0–1 | First round | T17 |
Final results
Saturday, September 19, 1931
| Place | Player | Country | Money ($) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tom Creavy | United States |
1,000 |
| 2 | Denny Shute | United States |
500 |
| T3 | Billy Burke | United States |
250 |
| Gene Sarazen | United States
| ||
| T5 | Tommy Armour | Scotland United States |
200 |
| Abe Espinosa | United States
| ||
| Horton Smith | United States
| ||
| Cyril Walker |  England United States
|
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 |
| Creavy |
4 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| Shute |
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 |
| Creavy |
4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 6 | 5 | |
| Shute |
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.
- ^ a b c "Tournament Info for: 1931 PGA Championship". PGA of America. Archived from the original on October 23, 2006. Retrieved May 6, 2013.
- ^ "Shute faces Creavy today". Youngstown Vindicator. Associated Press. September 19, 1931. p. 7. Retrieved May 7, 2013.
- ^ a b "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.
- ^ a b 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. Archived from the original on September 14, 2011. Retrieved May 6, 2013.
- ^ Diaz, Jaime (August 28, 2000). "Notebook: Paul Creavy". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved May 6, 2013.
External links
- PGA Media Guide 2012
- PGA.com – 1931 PGA Championship