1951 PGA Championship
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Dates | June 27 – July 3, 1951 |
| Location | Oakmont, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| 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 | |
 Sam Snead | |
| def. Walter Burkemo, 7 & 6 | |
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]
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 sixth 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.[4] 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 $250 medalist prize on the third hole of a sudden-death playoff.[5]
The British Open in 1951 was held in the first week of July in Northern Ireland. Its mandatory two-day qualifier was held the same days as the PGA's semifinals and finals, which prevented participation in both events.[6]
Format
The match play format at the PGA Championship in 1951 called for 12 rounds (216 holes) in seven days:[2]
- Wednesday and Thursday – 36-hole stroke play qualifier, 18 holes per day;
- defending champion Chandler Harper and top 63 professionals advanced to match play
- Friday – first two rounds, 18 holes each
- Saturday – third round – 36 holes
- Sunday – quarterfinals – 36 holes
- Monday – semifinals – 36 holes
- Tuesday – final – 36 holes
Past champions in the field
| Player | Country | Year(s) won | Record | Advanced to | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sam Snead |  United States |
1942, 1949 | 6–0 | Champion | 1 |
| Jim Ferrier |  Australia |
1947 | 2–1 | Third round | T9 |
| Vic Ghezzi | United States |
1941 | 2–1 | Third round | T9 |
| Bob Hamilton | United States |
1944 | 1–1 | Second round | T17 |
| Henry Picard | United States |
1939 | 1–1 | Second round | T17 |
| Gene Sarazen | United States |
1922, 1923, 1933 | 1–1 | Second round | T17 |
| Denny Shute | United States |
1936, 1937 | 1–1 | Second round | T17 |
| Chandler Harper | United States |
1950 | 0–1 | First round | T33 |
Failed to qualify
| Player | Country | Year won | R1 | R2 | Total | To par |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paul Runyan | United States |
1934, 1938 | 74 | 80 | 154 | +10 |
Runyan did not advance in the six-way playoff for the one final spot in the match play field.
Source:[2]
Final results
| Place | Player | Country | Money ($) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sam Snead | United States |
3,500 |
| 2 | Walter Burkemo | United States |
1,500 |
| T3 | Charles Bassler | United States |
750 |
| Ellsworth Vines | United States
| ||
| T5 | Al Brosch | United States |
500 |
| Johnny Bulla | United States
| ||
| Jack Burke, Jr. | United States
| ||
| Reggie Myles | United States
|
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 | |||||||||||||
| Charles Bassler | ||||||||||||||
| Charles 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:[7]
References
- ^ a b Gundelfinger, Phil, Jr. (June 27, 1951). "140 to tee off today in PGA opening round". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 1.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ a b c d "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.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Gundelfinger, Phil, Jr. (June 30, 1951). "Favorites advance in PGA play". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 1.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Gundelfinger, Phil, Jr. (June 29, 1951). "Harmon wins playoff to capture PGA medal". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 1.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "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.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
External links
- PGA Media Guide 2012
- About.com – 1951 PGA Championship
- PGA.com – 1951 PGA Championship