1928 PGA Championship
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Dates | October 1–6, 1928 |
| Location | Lutherville, Maryland |
| Course(s) | Baltimore Country Club Five Farms (East) Course |
| Organized by | PGA of America |
| Tour(s) | PGA Tour |
| Format | Match play - 5 rounds |
| Statistics | |
| Par | 70[1] |
| Field | 63 players,[1] 32 to match play |
| Cut | 160 (+20) |
| Prize fund | $10,400[2] |
| Champion | |
 Leo Diegel | |
| def. Al Espinosa, 6 & 5 | |
The 1928 PGA Championship was the 11th PGA Championship, held October 1–6 at the Five Farms Course of the Baltimore Country Club in Lutherville, Maryland, north of Baltimore. Then a match play championship, Leo Diegel defeated Al Espinosa 6 & 5 in the finals to win the first of his two consecutive titles.[3]
Prior to the finals, Diegel defeated both Walter Hagen and Gene Sarazen, the winners of the previous seven PGA Championships, in the two preceding matches. He prevailed 2 & 1 over nemesis Hagen in the quarterfinals[4] and 9 & 8 over Sarazen in the semifinals.[3][5] Diegel had lost to Hagen in the 1925 quarterfinals (40 holes) and the 1926 finals.
Five-time champion Hagen had won 22 consecutive matches and four straight titles at the PGA Championship. Prior to his loss to Diegel in the quarterfinals, his match record in the 1920s was 32–1 (.970), falling only to Sarazen in 38 holes in the 1923 finals.
The Five Farms Course, now the East Course, was designed by A. W. Tillinghast and opened two years earlier in September 1926.[6]
Diegel continued the tradition of repeat champions and successfully defended his title in 1929.
Format
The match play format at the PGA Championship in 1928 called for 12 rounds (216 holes) in six days:[2]
- Monday – 36-hole stroke play qualifier
- top 32 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 |
| Jock Hutchison |  Scotland |
1920 | 2–1 | Quarterfinals | T5 |
| Walter Hagen | United States |
1921, 1924, 1925, 1926, 1927 |
2–1 | Quarterfinals | T5 |
| Jim Barnes |  England |
1916, 1919 | 1–1 | Second round | T9 |
Final results
Saturday, October 6, 1928
Final eight bracket
| Quarter-finals October 4 | Semi-finals October 5 | Finals October 6 | ||||||||||||
| Leo Diegel | 2&1 | |||||||||||||
| Walter Hagen | ||||||||||||||
| Leo Diegel | 9&8 | |||||||||||||
| Gene Sarazen | ||||||||||||||
| Gene Sarazen | 7&6 | |||||||||||||
| Ed Dudley | ||||||||||||||
| Leo Diegel | 6&5 | |||||||||||||
| Al Espinosa | ||||||||||||||
| Al Espinosa | 5&4 | |||||||||||||
| Jock Hutchison | ||||||||||||||
| Al Espinosa | 6&5 | |||||||||||||
| Horton Smith | ||||||||||||||
| Horton Smith | 2up | |||||||||||||
| Perry Del Vecchio | ||||||||||||||
References
- ^ a b Vosburgh, F.G. (October 2, 1928). "Al Espinosa heads field in pro meet". Milwaukee Sentinel. Associated Press. p. 11.
- ^ a b "Tournament Info for: 1928 PGA Championship". PGA of America. Retrieved May 11, 2013.
- ^ a b Rice, Lester (October 7, 1928). "Diegel cinches pro golf title". Milwaukee Sentinel. United Service Correspondence. p. 1-sec 3.
- ^ Vosbrough, F.G. (October 5, 1928). "Diegel beats Walter Hagen in pro event". Milwaukee Sentinel. Associated Press. p. 15.
- ^ Vosburgh, F.G. (October 6, 1928). "Espinosa and Diegel survive". Milwaukee Sentinel. Associated Press. p. 13.
- ^ "Legacy". Baltimore Country Club. Retrieved May 11, 2013.
External links
- PGA Media Guide 2012
- About.com – 1928 PGA Championship
- PGA.com – 1928 PGA Championship
- Baltimore Country Club: East Course