1953 PGA Championship

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1953 PGA Championship
Tournament information
Dates July 1–7, 1953
Location Birmingham, Michigan, U.S.
Course(s) Birmingham Country Club
Tour(s) PGA Tour
Format Match play - 6 rounds
Statistics
Par 71
Length 6,465 yards (5,912 m)[1]
Field 123 players,
64 to match play
Cut 148 (+6), playoff[2]
Prize fund $20,700[3]
Winner's share $5,000
Champion
United States Walter Burkemo
def. Felice Torza, 2 & 1
Birmingham  
Country Club
Location in the United States

The 1953 PGA Championship was the 35th PGA Championship, held July 1–7 at Birmingham Country Club in Birmingham, Michigan, a suburb northwest of Detroit. Local resident Walter Burkemo won the match play championship, 2 & 1 over Felice Torza in the Tuesday final. The winner's share was $5,000 and the runner-up's was $3,000.[1] Burkemo won his only major title in the second of his three finals; he lost to Sam Snead in 1951 and Chick Harbert in 1954.

Johnny Palmer was the medalist of the stroke play qualifier, awarded $250 for his 134 (–8), with a second round at 66.[4][5] He lost in the first round to Jack Grout; also defeated on "Black Friday" were pre-tournament favorites Cary Middlecoff, three-time champion Sam Snead, and defending champion Jim Turnesa.[6] No former past champion advanced past the second round.

Format

The match play format at the PGA Championship in 1953 called for 12 rounds (216 holes) in seven days:[3]

  • Wednesday and Thursday – 36-hole stroke play qualifier, 18 holes per day;
    • defending champion Jim Turnesa 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
Jim Ferrier  Australia 1947 1–1 Second round T17
Sam Snead  United States 1942, 1949, 1951 1–1 Second round T17
Jim Turnesa  United States 1952 1–1 Second round T17
Vic Ghezzi  United States 1941 0–1 First round T33
Chandler Harper  United States 1950 0–1 First round T33
Gene Sarazen  United States 1922, 1923, 1933 0–1 First round T33

Final results

Tuesday, July 7, 1953

PlacePlayerCountryMoney ($)
1 Walter Burkemo  United States 5,000
2 Felice Torza  United States 3,000
T3 Claude Harmon  United States 750
Jack Isaacs  United States
T5 Jimmy Clark  United States 500
Dave Douglas  United States
Bill Nary  United States
Henry Ransom  United States

Final eight bracket

  Quarter-finals
July 5
Semi-finals
July 6
Finals
July 7
                           
   Walter Burkemo 2up  
 Dave Douglas  
   Walter Burkemo 1up  
   Claude Harmon  
 Claude Harmon 6&5
   Bill Nary  
     Walter Burkemo 2&1
   Felice Torza
   Felice Torza 1up  
 Jimmy Clark  
   Felice Torza 39h
   Jack Isaacs  
 Jack Isaacs 1up
   Henry Ransom  

Sources:[1][7][8]

Conflict with British Open

The Open Championship in Carnoustie, Scotland, was held July 8–10. Its mandatory 36-hole qualifier was played the two days before the first round, the same days as the semifinals and final at the PGA Championship in Michigan.[9]

Ben Hogan, the reigning Masters and U.S. Open champion, traveled to Britain for the only time to qualify for the Open. He won the Claret Jug by four strokes and set the course record at Carnoustie during the final round. First prize was a modest £500 ($1,400), less than one-third of the PGA's. Hogan won the PGA Championship in 1946 and 1948, then did not enter for over a decade. After his near-fatal automobile accident in early 1949, his battered legs could not endure the arduous double-round schedule for five consecutive days. He played in three of the events in the 1960s, after the change of format to stroke play.

The concept of the modern grand slam and professional major championships were not firmly established in 1953, as evidenced by the schedule conflict in early July. The PGA Championship moved two weeks later in 1954 to avoid this conflict, but during the 1960s, the two majors were played in consecutive weeks in July on five occasions. The PGA Championship was first played in August in 1965, and moved permanently in 1969, except for 1971 when it was played in Florida in February.

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Burkemo wins PGA title, 2–1". Milwaukee Sentinel. Associated Press. July 8, 1953. p. 3-part 2. 
  2. "PGA qualifying scores". Youngstown Vindicator. Associated Press. July 3, 1953. p. 9. 
  3. 3.0 3.1 "Tournament Info for: 1953 PGA Championship". PGA.com. Retrieved July 14, 2012. 
  4. "Palmer ties PGA mark". Toledo Blade. Associated Press. July 3, 1953. p. 10. 
  5. ""Tornado" Palmer grags PGA medal". Spokesman-Review. Associated Press. July 3, 1953. p. 10. 
  6. Grimsley, Will (July 4, 1953). "Snead, Middlecoff, defending champion Turnesa beaten in PGA Tourney". Youngstown Vindicator. Associated Press. p. 7. 
  7. "Torza, Burkemo, Harmon, Isaacs in U.S.P.G.A. Seni-finals". Montreal Gazette. Associated Press. July 6, 1953. p. 20. Retrieved August 9, 2013. 
  8. "Burkemo, Torza Win Way Into P.G.A. Final Round". Montreal Gazette. Associated Press. July 7, 1953. p. 17. Retrieved August 9, 2013. 
  9. "Burkemo wins P.G.A. - Locke paces British qualifiers". Montreal Gazette. Associated Press. July 8, 1953. p. 21. 

External links

Coordinates: 42°31′59″N 83°14′02″W / 42.533°N 83.234°W / 42.533; -83.234

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