1958 PGA Championship
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Dates | July 17–20, 1958 |
| Location | Havertown, Pennsylvania |
| Course(s) | Llanerch Country Club |
| Organized by | PGA of America |
| Tour(s) | PGA Tour |
| Format | Stroke play |
| Statistics | |
| Par | 70 |
| Length | 6,710 yards (6,136 m) |
| Field | 161 players 93 after first cut 64 after second cut |
| Cut | 154 (+14) (first cut) 228 (+18) (second cut)[2] |
| Prize fund | $39,388[1] |
| Winner's share | $5,500 |
| Champion | |
| Dow Finsterwald | |
| 276 (−4) | |
The 1958 PGA Championship was the 40th PGA Championship, played July 17–20 at Llanerch Country Club in Havertown, Pennsylvania, a suburb west of Philadelphia. It was the first PGA Championship held in its current stroke play format,[3] 72 holes over four days, ending on Sunday. The previous editions were at match play, with the two most recent ones at seven rounds over five days, the final two rounds at 36 holes per match. The announcement of the change was made eight months earlier in November.[4][5]
Dow Finsterwald, the runner-up in 1957, shot a final round 67 to win his only major title, two shots ahead of runner-up Billy Casper. Finsterwald's round-by-round scores were 67-72-70-67=276, 4-under-par on the par-70 course.[6] Sam Snead led after 54 holes in pursuit of a fourth title, but faded to third with a final round 73 (+3).[7] The winner's share was $5,500, down from the previous year's $8,000.
The Open Championship was held two weeks earlier in England at Royal Lytham & St Annes, with only two Americans in the field; Gene Sarazen finished 16th, but missed the first cut at the PGA Championship.
Round summaries
Thursday, July 17, 1958
| Place | Player | Score | To par |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dow Finsterwald | 67 | −3 |
| 2 | Jay Hebert | 68 | −2 |
| T3 | Jimmy Demaret | 69 | −1 |
| Lionel Hebert | |||
| Ted Kroll | |||
| Dick Mayer | |||
| Felice Torza | |||
| T8 | Jack Burke Jr. | 70 | E |
| Bob Crowley | |||
| T10 | Leo Biagetti | 71 | +1 |
| Bill Collins | |||
| Buster Cupit | |||
| Cary Middlecoff | |||
| Bob Rosburg | |||
| Don Whitt | |||
| Art Wall Jr. |
Source:[8]
Second round
Friday, July 18, 1958
| Place | Player | Score | To par |
|---|---|---|---|
| T1 | Dow Finsterwald | 67-72=139 | −1 |
| Jay Hebert | 68-71=139 | ||
| T3 | Julius Boros | 72-68=140 | E |
| Billy Casper | 73-67=140 | ||
| Sam Snead | 73-67=140 | ||
| T6 | Bill Collins | 71-70=141 | +1 |
| Felice Torza | 69-72=141 | ||
| T8 | Tommy Bolt | 72-70=142 | +2 |
| Jack Burke Jr. | 70-72=142 | ||
| Doug Ford | 72-70=142 | ||
| Lionel Hebert | 69-73=142 |
Source:[9]
Third round
Saturday, July 19, 1958
| Place | Player | Score | To par |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sam Snead | 73-67-67=207 | −3 |
| 2 | Billy Casper | 73-67-68=208 | −2 |
| 3 | Dow Finsterwald | 67-72-70=209 | −1 |
| 4 | Jack Burke Jr. | 70-72-69=211 | +1 |
| T5 | Doug Ford | 72-70-70=212 | +2 |
| Jay Hebert | 68-71-73=212 | ||
| T7 | Julius Boros | 72-68-73=213 | +3 |
| Mike Souchak | 75-69-69=213 | ||
| T9 | Buster Cupit | 71-74-69=214 | +4 |
| Dick Mayer | 75-69-69=214 |
Source:[10]
Final round
Sunday, July 20, 1958
| Place | Player | Score | To par | Money ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dow Finsterwald | 67-72-70-67=276 | −4 | 5,500 |
| 2 | Billy Casper | 73-67-68-70=278 | −2 | 3,500 |
| 3 | Sam Snead | 73-67-67-73=280 | E | 2,400 |
| 4 | Jack Burke Jr. | 70-72-69-70=281 | +1 | 2,000 |
| T5 | Tommy Bolt | 72-70-73-70=285 | +5 | 1,600 |
| Julius Boros | 72-68-73-72=285 | |||
| Jay Hebert | 68-71-73-73=285 | |||
| T8 | Buster Cupit | 71-74-69-73=287 | +7 | 1,300 |
| Ed Oliver | 74-73-71-69=287 | |||
| Mike Souchak | 75-69-69-74=287 |
Source:[7]
References
- ^ "Tournament Info for: 1958 PGA Championship". PGA.com. Archived from the original on October 23, 2006. Retrieved July 17, 2012.
- ^ Grimsley, Will (July 20, 1958). "Snead takes over PGA command; can become oldest man to win". St. Petersburg Independent. Florida. Associated Press. p. 10-A.
- ^ Wind, Herbert Warren (August 4, 1958). "Items from a summer notebook". Sports Illustrated. p. 46.
- ^ "Medal play in pro golf slated". Time-News. (Hendersonville, North Carolina). United Press. November 15, 1957. p. 8.
- ^ "P.G.A. swings from match to medal play". Chicago Daily Tribune. November 15, 1957. p. 1, part 4.
- ^ "Final Scores From PGA". The Salt Lake Tribune. July 21, 1958. p. 41.
- ^ a b "Finsterwald wins as Snead 'blows up'". Milwaukee Sentinel. UPI. July 21, 1958. p. 2, part 2.
- ^ Gundelfinger, Phil (July 18, 1959). "Dow Finsterwald's 67 leads PGA tourney". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 15.
- ^ "2nd round PGA scores". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. July 19, 1959. p. 11.
- ^ Bartlett, Charles (July 20, 1958). "Sam Snead fires 67 for 207; takes over PGA lead". Chicago Sunday Tribune. p. 1, part 2.
External links
- PGA Media Guide 2012
- PGA.com – 1958 PGA Championship