1951 PGA Championship

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1951 PGA Championship
Tournament information
DatesJune 27 – July 3, 1951
LocationOakmont, Pennsylvania, U.S.
40°31′34″N 79°49′37″W / 40.526°N 79.827°W / 40.526; -79.827Coordinates: 40°31′34″N 79°49′37″W / 40.526°N 79.827°W / 40.526; -79.827
Course(s)Oakmont Country Club
Organized byPGA of America
Tour(s)PGA Tour
FormatMatch play - 6 rounds
Statistics
Par72
Length6,882 yards (6,293 m)[1]
Field140 players,[1]
64 to match play
Cut154 (+10), playoff
Prize fund$17,700[2]
Winner's share$3,500
Champion
United States Sam Snead
def. Walter Burkemo, 7 & 6
Location Map
Oakmont CC is located in the United States
Oakmont CC
Oakmont CC
Location in the United States
← 1950
1952 →

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][4]

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 fifth 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.[5] 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.[6]

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.[7]

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 Years 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  United States 750
Ellsworth Vines  United States
T5 Al Brosch  United States 500
Johnny Bulla  United States
Jack Burke Jr.  United States
 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
1up
Al Brosch
Sam Snead 7&6
Walter Burkemo
Walter Burkemo 1up
Walter Burkemo 37h
Ellsworth Vines
Ellsworth Vines 1up
Johnny Bulla

Source:[8]

Final match scorecards[]

Morning

Hole  1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9  10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18
Par 5 4 4 5 4 3 4 3 5 4 4 5 3 4 4 3 4 4
United States Snead 3 4 4 4 3 3 4 4 5 4 4 5 3 4 4 3 4 5
United States Burkemo 4 5 4 5 6 4 4 4 5 4 3 5 4 3 4 4 3 4
Leader S1 S2 S2 S3 S4 S5 S5 S5 S5 S5 S4 S4 S5 S4 S4 S5 S4 S3

Afternoon

Hole  1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9  10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18
Par 5 4 4 5 4 3 4 3 5 4 4 5 3 4 4 3 4 4
United States Snead 4 3 4 5 4 3 4 3 5 4 4 5 Snead wins
7 & 6
United States Burkemo 5 4 5 4 4 3 5 4 4 5 4 5
Leader S4 S5 S6 S5 S5 S5 S6 S7 S6 S7 S7 S7
Eagle Birdie Bogey Double bogey

Source:[4]

References[]

  1. ^ a b Gundelfinger, Phil, Jr. (June 27, 1951). "140 to tee off today in PGA opening round". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 1.
  2. ^ a b c d "Tournament Info for: 1951 PGA Championship". PGA.com. Retrieved April 17, 2013.[permanent dead link]
  3. ^ Gundelfinger, Phil, Jr. (July 4, 1951). "Snead routs Burkemo for third PGA title". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 1.
  4. ^ a b Bartlett, Charles (July 4, 1951). "Snead takes P.G.A. title 3d time". Chicago Daily Tribune. p. 1, sec. 4.
  5. ^ Gundelfinger, Phil, Jr. (June 30, 1951). "Favorites advance in PGA play". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 1.
  6. ^ Gundelfinger, Phil, Jr. (June 29, 1951). "Harmon wins playoff to capture PGA medal". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 1.
  7. ^ "Locke favored in British Open". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. July 2, 1951. p. 1.
  8. ^ Gundelfinger, Phil, Jr. (July 2, 1951). "Snead gains semi-finals in PGA play". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 1.

External links[]

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