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1940 PGA Championship

Coordinates: 40°17′53″N 76°37′48″W / 40.298°N 76.63°W / 40.298; -76.63
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1940 PGA Championship
Tournament information
DatesAugust 26 –
September 2, 1940
LocationHershey, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Course(s)Hershey Country Club
Organized byPGA of America
Tour(s)PGA Tour
FormatMatch play - 6 rounds
Statistics
Par73
Length7,017 yards (6,416 m)[1]
Field120 players,[1]
64 to match play
Cut154 (+8), playoff
Prize fund$11,050[2]
Winner's share$1,100
Champion
United States Byron Nelson
def. Sam Snead, 1 up
← 1939
1941 →
Hershey  is located in the United States
Hershey 
Hershey 
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Location in the United States
Hershey  is located in Pennsylvania
Hershey 
Hershey 
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Location in Pennsylvania

The 1940 PGA Championship was the 23rd PGA Championship, held August 26 to September 2 at Hershey Country Club in Hershey, Pennsylvania, east of Harrisburg. Then a match play championship, Byron Nelson won his first PGA Championship, defeating Sam Snead 1 up in the 36-hole final.[3] It was the third of Nelson's five major titles; he won the PGA Championship again in 1945. From 1939 to 1945, Nelson made five of the six finals, missing only in 1942 (not held in 1943).

Defending champion and host professional Henry Picard lost in the third round to Gene Sarazen. Also out in the third round was five-time champion Walter Hagen, age 47, in his last PGA Championship match. He gained his last win in the second round over Vic Ghezzi, the champion the following year in 1941. Hagen ended his career with a 40–10 (.800) match record in the event. He played one last time at age 49 in the qualifier in 1942, but did not advance to match play.

Heavy rains on Saturday stopped play halfway through the semifinals[4] which were completed on Sunday; the final round was pushed back to Monday, which was Labor Day.

Dick Metz was the medalist in the stroke play qualifier at 140 (−6);[5] he lost 2 & 1 in the third round to Nelson. Two-time champion Denny Shute qualified at 151, but was rushed to a local hospital for an emergency appendectomy that night.[6]

Format

The match play format at the PGA Championship in 1940 called for 12 rounds (216 holes) in seven days:[2]

  • Monday and Tuesday – 36-hole stroke play qualifier, 18 holes per day;
    • defending champion and top 63 professionals advanced to match play
  • Wednesday – first two rounds, 18 holes each
  • Thursday – third round – 36 holes
  • Friday – quarterfinals – 36 holes
  • Saturday – semifinals – 36 holes (finished on Sunday)
  • Sunday – final – 36 holes (played on Monday)

Past champions in the field

Player Country Year(s) won Record Advanced to Finish
Paul Runyan  United States 1934, 1938 3–1 Quarterfinals T5
Gene Sarazen  United States 1922, 1923, 1933 3–1 Quarterfinals T5
Walter Hagen  United States 1921, 1924,
1925, 1926, 1927		 2–1 Third round T9
Henry Picard  United States 1939 2–1 Third round T9
Johnny Revolta  United States 1935 0–1 First round T33
Denny Shute  United States 1936, 1937 Withdrew after qualifying

Failed to qualify

Player Country Year(s) won R1 R2 Total To par
Leo Diegel  United States 1928, 1929 78 77 155 +9
Jim Barnes  England 1916, 1919 157 +11
Tom Creavy  United States 1931 158 +12

Source:[2][5]

Final results

Monday, September 2, 1940

Place Player Country Money ($)
1 Byron Nelson  United States 1,100
2 Sam Snead  United States 600
T3 Ralph Guldahl  United States 350
Jug McSpaden  United States
T5 Ben Hogan  United States 250
Eddie Kirk  United States
Paul Runyan  United States
Gene Sarazen  United States

Source:[7]

Final eight bracket

Quarter-finals
August 30 		Semi-finals
August 31 – September 1 		Finals
September 2
         
Byron Nelson 6&5
Eddie Kirk
Byron Nelson 1up
Ralph Guldahl
Ralph Guldahl 3&2
Ben Hogan
Byron Nelson 1up
Sam Snead
Sam Snead 1up
Gene Sarazen
Sam Snead 5&4
Jug McSpaden
Jug McSpaden 8&6
Paul Runyan

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 4 5 4 3 5 4 4 3 5 4 5 5 3 4 4 4 3
United States Nelson 4 4 5 4 3 4 4 4 3 5 3 5 4 3 5 4 4 3
United States Snead 4 4 5 4 3 5 4 4 4 5 4 5 4 3 4 4 4 3
Leader – – – – – N1 N1 N1 N2 N2 N3 N3 N3 N3 N2 N2 N2 N2

Afternoon

Hole  1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9  10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18
Par 4 4 5 4 3 5 4 4 3 5 4 5 5 3 4 4 4 3
United States Nelson 4 4 4 4 3 4 4 4 5 5 4 5 4 3 4 3 3 3
United States Snead 3 4 5 4 3 4 3 5 2 5 4 4 4 2 4 4 4 3
Leader N1 N1 N2 N2 N2 N2 N1 N2 N1 N1 N1 – – S1 S1 – N1 N1

References

  1. ^ a b "Dough on the Line in PGA Golf Meet Now". The Telegraph-Herald. Dubuque, Iowa. United Press. August 28, 1940. p. 11. Retrieved April 25, 2013.
  2. ^ a b c "Tournament Info for: 1940 PGA Championship". PGA of America. Retrieved April 24, 2013.
  3. ^ a b Bartlett, Charles (September 3, 1940). "Nelson defeats Snead 1 up; wins national P.G.A. title". Chicago Daily Tribune. p. 21.
  4. ^ "P.G.A. tourney is washed out". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Florida. Associated Press. September 1, 1940. p. 6. Retrieved April 25, 2013.
  5. ^ a b "Metz wins PGA medal with 140". St. Petersburg Times. Associated Press. August 28, 1940. p. 11.
  6. ^ "Four district golf pros qualify". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. August 28, 1940. pp. 15, 17.
  7. ^ "Nelson beats Snead in PGA tourney final". Telegraph-Herald. Dubuque, Iowa. Associated Press. September 3, 1940. p. 7.

40°17′53″N 76°37′48″W / 40.298°N 76.63°W / 40.298; -76.63

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