1957 PGA Championship
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Dates | July 17–21, 1957 |
| Location | Dayton, Ohio |
| Course(s) | Miami Valley Golf Club |
| Organized by | PGA of America |
| Tour(s) | PGA Tour |
| Format | Match play - 7 rounds |
| Statistics | |
| Par | 71 |
| Length | 6,773 yards (6,193 m)[1] |
| Field | 128 players (all match play) |
| Prize fund | $42,100[2] |
| Winner's share | $8,000 |
| Champion | |
 Lionel Hebert | |
| def. Dow Finsterwald, 2 & 1[1] | |
|
«1956 1958» | |
The 1957 PGA Championship was the 39th PGA Championship, held July 17–21 at Miami Valley Golf Club in Dayton, Ohio. It was historically notable as the last PGA Championship played under the match play format. Lionel Hebert won the championship 2 & 1 over Dow Finsterwald,[3] who won the following year, the first as a 72-hole stroke play event.
Defending champion Jack Burke, Jr. lost in the second round to Milon Marusic, 2 & 1.
At the time, it was not yet known that this was the last at match play,[3] the decision to switch to stroke play was announced in during the November meetings.[4][5]
Format
The match play format at the PGA Championship in 1957 called for 9 rounds (162 holes) in five days. As in 1956, the two-day stroke play qualifying segment (36 holes) was eliminated; 128 players were entered in the single-elimination bracket. The PGA Championship had concluded on Tuesday since 1947; this year's schedule was modified for a Sunday final, with match play beginning on Wednesday. The first five rounds were 18-hole matches contested over the first three days, which reduced the field to four players for the weekend. The semifinals and finals were 36-hole matches played on the final two days, Saturday and Sunday.[2]
- Wednesday – first round, 18 holes
- Thursday – second and third rounds, 18 holes each
- Friday – fourth round and quarterfinals, 18 holes each
- Saturday – semifinals – 36 holes
- Sunday – final – 36 holes
Consolation matches at 18 holes were held on the weekend to determine 3rd to 8th places.[6][7]
Past champions in the field
| Player | Country | Year(s) won | Record | Advanced to | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walter Burkemo | United States | 1953 | 6–1 | Semifinals | 3 |
| Doug Ford | United States | 1955 | 3–1 | Fourth round | T9 |
| Sam Snead | United States | 1942, 1949, 1951 | 3–1 | Fourth round | T9 |
| Jack Burke, Jr. | United States | 1956 | 1–1 | Second round | T33 |
| Vic Ghezzi | United States | 1941 | 1–1 | Second round | T33 |
| Denny Shute | United States | 1936, 1937 | 1–1 | Second round | T33 |
| Chick Harbert | United States | 1954 | 0–1 | First round | T65 |
| Chandler Harper | United States | 1950 | 0–1 | First round | T65 |
| Jim Turnesa | United States | 1952 | 0–1 | First round | T65 |
Final results
Sunday, July 21, 1957
| Place | Player | Country | Money ($) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lionel Hebert | United States | 8,000 |
| 2 | Dow Finsterwald | United States | 5,000 |
| 3 | Walter Burkemo | United States | 3,500 |
| 4 | Don Whitt | United States | 3,000 |
| 5 | Dick Mayer | United States | 2,500 |
| 6 | Claude Harmon | United States | 2,000 |
| 7 | Jay Hebert | United States | 1,500 |
| 8 | Charles Sheppard | United States | 1,000 |
Final eight bracket
In the quarterfinals Friday, a clash of the Hebert brothers was avoided when Walter Burkemo defeated Jay Hebert, 2&1, while Lionel Hebert defeated Claude Harmon, 2&1. On the other side of the bracket, Dow Finsterwald defeated Charles Sheppard, 2 up, and Don Whitt defeated Dick Mayer, 2&1.[8] In the semifinals on Saturday, Finsterwald defeated Whitt, 2 up, and Hebert prevailed over Burkemo 3&1.[9] The final match on Sunday was all-square after the first 18 holes. Finsterwald bogeyed the 34th hole and was two holes down with two to play; the par-3 35th was halved with pars to end the match. Hebert earned $8,000 for the victory and Finsterwald received $5,000 as runner-up.[1] Burkemo, the 1953 champion, defeated Whitt 3 & 1 to claim third place and $3,500.[7] Finsterwald captured the title the following year in the new stroke play format. Hebert's older brother Jay won the title three years later in 1960.
| Quarter-finals July 19 |
Semi-finals July 20 |
Finals July 21 | ||||||||
| Lionel Hebert | 2&1 | |||||||||
| Claude Harmon | ||||||||||
| Lionel Hebert | 3&1 | |||||||||
| Walter Burkemo | ||||||||||
| Walter Burkemo | 2&1 | |||||||||
| Jay Hebert | ||||||||||
| Lionel Hebert | 2&1 | |||||||||
| Dow Finsterwald | ||||||||||
| Dow Finsterwald | 2up | |||||||||
| Charles Sheppard | ||||||||||
| Dow Finsterwald | 2up | Third place | ||||||||
| Don Whitt | ||||||||||
| Don Whitt | 2&1 | Walter Burkemo | 3&1 | |||||||
| Dick Mayer | Don Whitt | |||||||||
Consolation brackets
| Consolation match July 20 |
Fifth place July 21 | |||||||
| Claude Harmon | 20h | |||||||
| Jay Hebert | ||||||||
| Claude Harmon | ||||||||
| Dick Mayer | def. | |||||||
| Charles Sheppard | ||||||||
| Dick Mayer | 2&1 | Seventh place | ||||||
| Jay Hebert | 5&3 | |||||||
| Charles Sheppard | ||||||||
References
- 1 2 3 "Hebert beats Finsterwald in PGA final, 2-1". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. July 22, 1957. p. 21.
- 1 2 "Tournament Info for: 1957 PGA Championship". PGA.com. Retrieved December 29, 2012.
- 1 2 Wind, Herbert Warren (August 5, 1957). "The PGA comes back". Sports Illustrated. p. 54.
- ↑ "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.
- ↑ "Lionel Hebert succeeds in his quest to 'make a name,' wins PGA crown". Milwaukee Journal. United Press. July 22, 1957. pp. Part 2–9, 12.
- 1 2 "Burkemo wins third-place cash". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. July 22, 1957. p. 21.
- ↑ "Have nots meet the Haves as match into semi-finals". Fort Scott Tribune. (Kansas). July 20, 1957. p. 6.
- ↑ "Finsterwald, Hebert seek PGA crown". Milwaukee Journal. Associated Press. July 21, 1957. pp. Part 3–1, 5.
External links
- PGA Media Guide 2012
- About.com – 1957 PGA Championship
- PGA.com – 1957 PGA Championship
Coordinates: 39°47′31″N 84°14′31″W / 39.792°N 84.242°W