1954 PGA Championship
The 1954 PGA Championship was the 36th PGA Championship, held July 21–27 at Keller Golf Club in Maplewood, Minnesota, a suburb north of St. Paul. Chick Harbert won the match play championship, 4 & 3 over defending champion Walter Burkemo in the Tuesday final;[3] the winner's share was $5,000 and the runner-up's was $3,000.[4]
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Dates | July 21–27, 1954 |
| Location | Maplewood, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Course(s) | Keller Golf Club |
| Organized by | PGA of America |
| Tour(s) | PGA Tour |
| Format | Match play - 6 rounds |
| Statistics | |
| Par | 71 |
| Length | 6,652 yards (6,083 m)[1] |
| Field | 135 players,[1] 64 to match play |
| Cut | 147 (+5), no playoff needed |
| Prize fund | $20,700[2] |
| Winner's share | $5,000 |
| Champion | |
.svg.png.webp){kind=small} Chick Harbert | |
| def. Walter Burkemo, 4 & 3 | |
It marked the second time the PGA Championship returned to a venue; public Keller had also hosted in 1932; Oakmont near Pittsburgh hosted in 1922 and 1951. It was the third and last final for the two finalists, both from the Detroit area; each had one victory and two losses. Harbert lost in 1947 and 1952, while Burkemo lost in 1951 and won in 1953.
In the finals, Burkemo eagled the first hole and was three up after four holes, but soon cooled off; the match was even on the twelfth tee and Harbert led by one at the lunch break. The afternoon round was bogey-free for both, but Harbert had five birdies to Burkemo's two and the match ended on the 33rd green.[3]
Ed "Porky" Oliver won $250 as the medalist in the stroke-play qualifying with a 136 (−6);[5][6] he fell 3 & 1 in the third round to eventual champion Harbert.[7][8]
Format
The match play format at the PGA Championship in 1954 called for 12 rounds (216 holes) in seven days:[2]
- Wednesday and Thursday – 36-hole stroke play qualifier, 18 holes per day;
- the defending champion Walter Burkemo and top 63 professionals advanced to match play
- Friday – first two rounds, 18 holes each
- Saturday – third round – 36 holes
- Sunday – quarterfinals – 36 holes
- Monday – semifinals – 36 holes
- Tuesday – final – 36 holes
Final results
Tuesday, July 27, 1954
| Place | Player | Money ($) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chick Harbert | 5,000 |
| 2 | Walter Burkemo | 3,000 |
| T3 | Tommy Bolt | 750 |
| Cary Middlecoff | ||
| T5 | Jerry Barber | 500 |
 Roberto De Vicenzo | ||
| Shelley Mayfield | ||
| Sam Snead |
Final eight bracket
| Quarter-finals July 25 | Semi-finals July 26 | Finals July 27 | ||||||||||||
| Chick Harbert | 1up | |||||||||||||
| Jerry Barber | ||||||||||||||
| Chick Harbert | 1up | |||||||||||||
| Tommy Bolt | ||||||||||||||
| Tommy Bolt | 39h | |||||||||||||
| Sam Snead | ||||||||||||||
| Chick Harbert | 4&3 | |||||||||||||
| Walter Burkemo | ||||||||||||||
| Walter Burkemo | 5&4 | |||||||||||||
| Roberto De Vicenzo | ||||||||||||||
| Walter Burkemo | 37h | |||||||||||||
| Cary Middlecoff | ||||||||||||||
| Cary Middlecoff | 3&1 | |||||||||||||
| Shelley Mayfield | ||||||||||||||
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 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Harbert | ^ | 4 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 |
| Burkemo | 2 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 |
| Leader | B1 | B1 | B2 | B3 | B3 | B3 | B3 | B3 | B2 | B1 | – | – | – | H1 | H1 | H1 | H1 | H1 |
^ = picked up ball (hole concession)
Afternoon
| 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 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Harbert | 3 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | Harbert wins 4 & 3 | ||
| Burkemo | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | |||
| Leader | H2 | H3 | H3 | H3 | H3 | H3 | H2 | H2 | H2 | H3 | H3 | H3 | H3 | H4 | H4 | |||
- Source:[3]
References
- "Oliver sets PGA pace with 5-under 66". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. July 22, 1954. p. 17.
- "Tournament Info for: 1954 PGA Championship". PGA.com. Archived from the original on October 23, 2006. Retrieved April 17, 2013.
- Bartlett, Charles (July 28, 1954). "Harbert, 39, wins pro golf title". Chicago Daily Tribune. p. 1, part 3.
- "Harbert is victor in PGA finals". Youngstown Vindicator. (Ohio). United Press. July 28, 1954. p. 16.
- Bartlett, Charles (July 23, 1954). "Oliver's 136 wins PGA trials medal". Chicago Daily Tribune. p. 1, part 3.
- "Porky Oliver's 136 wins national PGA medal". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. July 23, 1954. p. 19.
- "Fancy field of 8 move into PGA quarterfinals". Palm Beach Post. Associated Press. July 25, 1954. p. 46.
- Bartlett, Charles (July 25, 1954). "Snead and Burkemo gain P.G.A. quarter-final berths". Chicago Daily Tribune. p. 1, part 2.