1953 PGA Championship
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.[4] 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.
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Dates | July 1–7, 1953 |
| Location | Birmingham, Michigan, U.S. |
| Course(s) | Birmingham Country Club |
| Organized by | PGA of America |
| 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 | |
.svg.png.webp){kind=small} Walter Burkemo | |
| def. Felice Torza, 2 & 1 | |
Country Club
Country Club
Johnny Palmer was the medalist of the stroke play qualifier, awarded $250 for his 134 (−8), with a second round at 66.[5][6] He lost in the first round to Jack Grout; also defeated on "Black Friday" were pre-tournament favorites Cary Middlecoff, three-time champion Sam Snead, and defending champion Jim Turnesa.[7] No former past champion advanced past the second round.
Burkemo's win marked the second time that all four major championships were won by Americans in a calendar year.
Format
The match play format at the PGA Championship in 1953 called for 12 rounds (216 holes) in seven days:[3]
- Wednesday and Thursday – 36-hole stroke play qualifier, 18 holes per day;
- defending champion Jim Turnesa and top 63 professionals advanced to match play
- Friday – first two rounds, 18 holes each
- Saturday – third round – 36 holes
- Sunday – quarterfinals – 36 holes
- Monday – semifinals – 36 holes
- Tuesday – final – 36 holes
Past champions in the field
| Player | Country | Year(s) won | Record | Advanced to | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jim Ferrier | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Australia | 1947 | 1–1 | Second round | T17 |
| Sam Snead | United States | 1942, 1949, 1951 | 1–1 | Second round | T17 |
| Jim Turnesa | United States | 1952 | 1–1 | Second round | T17 |
| Vic Ghezzi | United States | 1941 | 0–1 | First round | T33 |
| Chandler Harper | United States | 1950 | 0–1 | First round | T33 |
| Gene Sarazen | United States | 1922, 1923, 1933 | 0–1 | First round | T33 |
Final results
Tuesday, July 7, 1953
| Place | Player | Country | Money ($) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | ||||||||||||||
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 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 |
| Burkemo | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 |
| Torza | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 4 |
| Leader | T1 | T1 | T1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | T1 | T1 | T1 | – | B1 | B1 | B2 | B2 | B1 |
Afternoon
| Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Par | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 |
| Burkemo | 4 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 4 | |
| Torza | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | |
| Leader | B2 | B3 | B4 | B3 | B3 | B2 | B2 | B3 | B4 | B4 | B3 | B3 | B4 | B3 | B3 | B2 | B2 |
Source:[4]
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.[10]
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
- "Burkemo wins PGA title, 2–1". Milwaukee Sentinel. Associated Press. July 8, 1953. p. 3-part 2.
- "PGA qualifying scores". Youngstown Vindicator. Associated Press. July 3, 1953. p. 9.
- "Tournament Info for: 1953 PGA Championship". PGA.com. Retrieved July 14, 2012.
- Cromie, Robert (July 8, 1953). "Burkemo captures P.G.A title". Chicago Daily Tribune. p. 1, sec. 4.
- "Palmer ties PGA mark". Toledo Blade. Associated Press. July 3, 1953. p. 10.
- ""Tornado" Palmer grags PGA medal". Spokesman-Review. Associated Press. July 3, 1953. p. 10.
- Grimsley, Will (July 4, 1953). "Snead, Middlecoff, defending champion Turnesa beaten in PGA Tourney". Youngstown Vindicator. Associated Press. p. 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.
- "Burkemo, Torza Win Way Into P.G.A. Final Round". Montreal Gazette. Associated Press. July 7, 1953. p. 17. Retrieved August 9, 2013.
- "Burkemo wins P.G.A. - Locke paces British qualifiers". Montreal Gazette. Associated Press. July 8, 1953. p. 21.
External links
- PGA Media Guide 2012
- About.com – 1953 PGA Championship
- PGA.com – 1953 PGA Championship