Walter Burkemo

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Walter Burkemo (October 9, 1918–October 8, 1986) was an American professional golfer, best known for winning the 1953 PGA Championship.

Burkemo was born in Detroit, the youngest of 13 children of Norwegian immigrants who settled there. He began in golf at the age of 8 by caddieing at Lochmoor CC in Detroit. Burkemo won his first PGA Tour event at the 1938 Southern Florida Open; however, World War II intervened soon thereafter and he found himself drafted into the Army. Burkemo served as an infantry sargeant in the European Theater. He was seriously wounded twice during the war; the second time during the Battle of the Bulge.

Burkemo resumed his PGA Tour career after recovering from his injuries. He had little success in the late 1940s; but in 1951, his luck began to change when he won his first of four Michigan Opens. [1] His best years in professional golf were in the early 1950s; he won the 1953 PGA Championship and finished as runner-up in 1951 and 1954. Although he was one of the most consistent top-10 finishers on the Tour, he would go on to win one only more PGA Tour event, the 1957 Mayfair Inn Open. He was a member of the 1953 Ryder Cup team.

The 1953 PGA Championship was played at Birmingham Country Club in Birmingham, Michigan, only six miles from the Franklin Hills Country Club where Burkemo was club pro. He benefitted from a so-called "home field advantage" because during the matchplay era, the PGA Championship was a marathon 36 holes of qualifying followed by six matches – the last four at 36 holes. [2] He also benefitted from the fact that Ben Hogan, who was to win that years first 3 Majors, was still in England finishing-up in the British Open, when the PGA Championship started. Burkemo's toughest match en route to the final against Felice Torza was in the semifinals against 1948 Masters champion Claude Harmon, who was up 3 after 11 holes. Burkemo rallied to win.[3]

After the 1954 season, Burkemo returned to life as a club pro because the grind of the PGA Tour was proving too difficult for him to maintain with a wife and four children. He continued to play the tour part-time for the rest of his career.

Burkemo was inducted into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame and the Michigan Golf Hall of Fame. He died in Fenton, Michigan, a day before his 68th birthday.[4]

[edit] PGA Tour wins

Major championship is shown in bold.

[edit] Other wins

  • Four Michigan Opens
  • Two Michigan PGAs

[edit] Results in major championships

Tournament 1937 1938 1939
The Masters DNP DNP DNP
U.S. Open CUT DNP DNP
The Open Championship DNP DNP DNP
PGA Championship DNP DNP DNP
Tournament 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949
The Masters DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP
U.S. Open DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP
The Open Championship DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP
PGA Championship DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP
Tournament 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959
The Masters DNP DNP T42 DNP T22 T15 T17 CUT CUT T22
U.S. Open T36 CUT DNP T40 CUT CUT T29 T4 T5 WD
The Open Championship DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP
PGA Championship DNP 2 T9 1 2 T33 T9 3 T16 T17
Tournament 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969
The Masters T6 T11 CUT T43 CUT DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP
U.S. Open T49 CUT DNP T8 CUT DNP T22 DNP DNP DNP
The Open Championship DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP
PGA Championship T24 14 T39 CUT T17 T41 CUT CUT CUT DNP
Tournament 1970 1971
The Masters DNP DNP
U.S. Open DNP DNP
The Open Championship DNP DNP
PGA Championship CUT CUT

DNP = Did not play
WD = Withdrew
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10

[edit] Notes and References

  1. ^ GolfDigest.com - In Ben's Shadow (URL last accessed July 31, 2006)
  2. ^ Ibid.
  3. ^ Ibid.
  4. ^ Ibid.

[edit] External links

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