1959 PGA Championship

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1959 PGA Championship
Tournament information
DatesJuly 30 – August 2, 1959
LocationSt. Louis Park, Minnesota
Course(s)Minneapolis Golf Club
Organized byPGA of America
Tour(s)PGA Tour
FormatStroke play
Statistics
Par70
Length6,850 yards (6,264 m)
Field174 players,
100 after 1st cut
64 after 2nd cut
Cut150 (+10) (1st cut)
221 (+11) (2nd cut)
Prize fund$51,175[1]
Winner's share$8,250
Champion
United States Bob Rosburg
277 (−3)
← 1958
1960 →

The 1959 PGA Championship was the 41st PGA Championship played from July 30 to August 2 at Minneapolis Golf Club in St. Louis Park, Minnesota, a suburb west of Minneapolis.

Six strokes back at the start of the final round, Bob Rosburg shot a 66 (−4) to win his only major championship at 277 (−3), one stroke ahead of runners-up Jerry Barber and Doug Sanders.[2][3][4] Rosburg had managed only five birdies in the first three rounds,[5] but had five in the first nine on Sunday to go out in 30, then a record.[2] Barber shot a 65 on Friday and was the 36-hole and 54-hole leader at 205 (−5), with Sanders a stroke back.[6] Barber won the title two years later, in a Monday playoff in 1961. Tied for fourteenth at 286 (+6) was Arnold Palmer.[3]

This was the second year of stroke play at the PGA Championship, a match play event through 1957. Daily admission was three dollars on Thursday and Friday, and five dollars per day on the weekend.[7] The winner's share was increased fifty per cent to $8,250; two years earlier, it was $8,000 for the final match play competition.

The Open Championship was played several weeks earlier in Scotland at Muirfield; only four Americans (two amateurs) were in the field and none made the cut.

Round summaries[]

First round[]

Thursday, July 30, 1959

Place Player Country Score To par
T1 Jerry Barber  United States 69 −1
Jackson Bradley  United States
Walter Burkemo  United States
Billy Casper  United States
Dick Hart  United States
Chuck Klein  United States
Mike Krak  United States
Gene Littler  United States
Mike Souchak  United States
T10 Jack Burke Jr.  United States 70 E
Buster Cupit  United States
Don Fairfield  United States
Al Feminelli  United States
Billy Maxwell  United States
Herman Scharlau  United States
Don Shock  United States
Ken Venturi  United States
Art Wall Jr.  United States

Source:[8][9]

Second round[]

Friday, July 31, 1959

Place Player Country Score To par
1 Jerry Barber  United States 69-65=134 −6
2 Mike Souchak  United States 69-67=136 −4
3 Doug Sanders  United States 72-66=138 −2
T4 Dow Finsterwald  United States 71-68=139 −1
Gene Littler  United States 69-70=139
T6 Billy Casper  United States 69-71=140 E
Lionel Hebert  United States 71-69=140
Cary Middlecoff  United States 72-68=140
T9 Walter Burkemo  United States 69-71=141 +1
Fred Hawkins  United States 72-69=141
Bob Goalby  United States 72-69=141

Source:[10]

Third round[]

Saturday, August 1, 1959

Place Player Country Score To par
1 Jerry Barber  United States 69-65-71=205 −5
2 Doug Sanders  United States 72-66-68=206 −4
3 Mike Souchak  United States 69-67-71=207 −3
T4 Dow Finsterwald  United States 71-68-71=210 E
Cary Middlecoff  United States 72-68-70=210
T6 Jay Hebert  United States 72-70-69=211 +1
Gene Littler  United States 69-70-72=211
Bob Rosburg  United States 71-72-68=211
T9 Tommy Jacobs  United States 73-71-68=212 +2
Sam Snead  United States 71-73-68=212
Ken Venturi  United States 70-72-70=212

Source:[5][11]

Final round[]

Sunday, August 2, 1959

Place Player Country Score To par Money ($)
1 Bob Rosburg  United States 71-72-68-66=277 −3 8,250
T2 Jerry Barber  United States 69-65-71-73=278 −2 3,563
Doug Sanders  United States 72-66-68-72=278
4 Dow Finsterwald  United States 71-68-71-70=280 E 2,500
T5 Bob Goalby  United States 72-69-72-68=281 +1 2,000
Mike Souchak  United States 69-67-71-74=281
Ken Venturi  United States 70-72-70-69=281
T8 Cary Middlecoff  United States 72-68-70-72=282 +2 1,600
Sam Snead  United States 71-73-68-70=282
10 Gene Littler  United States 69-70-72-73=284 +4 1,450

Source:[2][3]

Scorecard[]

Final round

Hole 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18
Par 4 4 5 3 4 3 4 4 4 3 4 4 4 4 5 3 4 4
United States Rosburg +1 E −1 −1 −2 −2 −2 −3 −4 −4 −4 −3 −3 −3 −3 −3 −3 −3
United States Barber −5 −5 −5 −5 −5 −5 −5 −4 −4 −4 −4 −3 −3 −3 −4 −4 −3 −2
United States Sanders −4 −4 −4 −3 −2 −2 −2 −2 −3 −3 −3 −2 −2 −2 −2 −2 −1 −2

Cumulative tournament scores, relative to par

Birdie Bogey Double bogey

Source:[3]

References[]

  1. ^ "Tournament Info for: 1959 PGA Championship". PGA.com. Retrieved December 29, 2012.[permanent dead link]
  2. ^ a b c Bartlett, Charles (August 3, 1959). "Rosburg wins P.G.A. title with 277". Chicago Daily Tribune. p. 1, part 4.
  3. ^ a b c d "Rosburg Rallies to Win PGA". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. August 3, 1959. pp. 18, 21.
  4. ^ Brown, Gwilym (August 10, 1959). "Drama at Minneapolis in wind and rain". Sports Illustrated. p. 42.
  5. ^ a b Bartlett, Charles (August 2, 1959). "Barber keeps P.G.A. lead by stroke with 205". Chicago Sunday Tribune. p. 1, part 2.
  6. ^ "Barber keeps lead". Eugene Register-Guard. Oregon. Associated Press. August 2, 1959. p. 1C.
  7. ^ Bartlett, Charles (July 30, 1959). "Old timer laments match play passing as 41st PGA meet opens". Chicago Daily Tribune. p. 3, part 6.
  8. ^ "Nine players tied for PGA lead with 69s". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. July 31, 1959. p. 17.
  9. ^ "PGA tournament scoreboard". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. July 31, 1959. p. 18.
  10. ^ "Jerry Barber grabs PGA lead with 134". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. August 1, 1959. p. 11.
  11. ^ "Barber keeps lead on great final shot". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. August 2, 1959. p. 1, sports.

External links[]

Preceded by Major Championships Succeeded by

Coordinates: 44°57′50″N 93°23′42″W / 44.964°N 93.395°W / 44.964; -93.395

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