1959 PGA Championship

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1959 PGA Championship
Tournament information
DatesJuly 30 – August 2, 1959
Location St. Louis Park, Minnesota
Course(s) Minneapolis Golf Club
Organized by PGA of America
Tour(s) PGA Tour
Format Stroke play
Statistics
Par70
Length6,850 yards (6,264 m)
Field174 players,
100 after 1st cut
64 after 2nd cut
Cut150 (+10) (1st cut)
221 (+11) (2nd cut)
Prize fund $51,175 [1]
Winner's share$8,250
Champion
Flag of the United States (1959-1960).svg Bob Rosburg
277 (−3)
←  1958
1960  →

The 1959 PGA Championship was the 41st PGA Championship played from July 30 to August 2 at Minneapolis Golf Club in St. Louis Park, Minnesota, a suburb west of Minneapolis.

Contents

Six strokes back at the start of the final round, Bob Rosburg shot a 66 (−4) to win his only major championship at 277 (−3), one stroke ahead of runners-up Jerry Barber and Doug Sanders. [2] [3] [4] Rosburg had managed only five birdies in the first three rounds, [5] but had five in the first nine on Sunday to go out in 30, then a record. [2] Barber shot a 65 on Friday and was the 36-hole and 54-hole leader at 205 (−5), with Sanders a stroke back. [6] Barber won the title two years later, in a Monday playoff in 1961. Tied for fourteenth at 286 (+6) was Arnold Palmer. [3]

This was the second year of stroke play at the PGA Championship, a match play event through 1957. Daily admission was three dollars on Thursday and Friday, and five dollars per day on the weekend. [7] The winner's share was increased fifty per cent to $8,250; two years earlier, it was $8,000 for the final match play competition.

The Open Championship was played several weeks earlier in Scotland at Muirfield; only four Americans (two amateurs) were in the field and none made the cut.

Round summaries

First round

Thursday, July 30, 1959

PlacePlayerScoreTo par
T1 Flag of the United States (1959-1960).svg Jerry Barber 69−1
Flag of the United States (1959-1960).svg Jackson Bradley
Flag of the United States (1959-1960).svg Walter Burkemo
Flag of the United States (1959-1960).svg Billy Casper
Flag of the United States (1959-1960).svg Dick Hart
Flag of the United States (1959-1960).svg Chuck Klein
Flag of the United States (1959-1960).svg Mike Krak
Flag of the United States (1959-1960).svg Gene Littler
Flag of the United States (1959-1960).svg Mike Souchak
T10 Flag of the United States (1959-1960).svg Jack Burke Jr. 70E
Flag of the United States (1959-1960).svg Buster Cupit
Flag of the United States (1959-1960).svg Don Fairfield
Flag of the United States (1959-1960).svg Al Feminelli
Flag of the United States (1959-1960).svg Billy Maxwell
Flag of the United States (1959-1960).svg Herman Scharlau
Flag of the United States (1959-1960).svg Don Shock
Flag of the United States (1959-1960).svg Ken Venturi
Flag of the United States (1959-1960).svg Art Wall Jr.

Source: [8] [9]

Second round

Friday, July 31, 1959

PlacePlayerScoreTo par
1 Flag of the United States (1959-1960).svg Jerry Barber 69-65=134−6
2 Flag of the United States (1959-1960).svg Mike Souchak 69-67=136−4
3 Flag of the United States (1959-1960).svg Doug Sanders 72-66=138−2
T4 Flag of the United States (1959-1960).svg Dow Finsterwald 71-68=139−1
Flag of the United States (1959-1960).svg Gene Littler 69-70=139
T6 Flag of the United States (1959-1960).svg Billy Casper 69-71=140E
Flag of the United States (1959-1960).svg Lionel Hebert 71-69=140
Flag of the United States (1959-1960).svg Cary Middlecoff 72-68=140
T9 Flag of the United States (1959-1960).svg Walter Burkemo 69-71=141+1
Flag of the United States (1959-1960).svg Fred Hawkins 72-69=141
Flag of the United States (1959-1960).svg Bob Goalby 72-69=141

Source: [10]

Third round

Saturday, August 1, 1959

PlacePlayerScoreTo par
1 Flag of the United States (1959-1960).svg Jerry Barber 69-65-71=205−5
2 Flag of the United States (1959-1960).svg Doug Sanders 72-66-68=206−4
3 Flag of the United States (1959-1960).svg Mike Souchak 69-67-71=207−3
T4 Flag of the United States (1959-1960).svg Dow Finsterwald 71-68-71=210E
Flag of the United States (1959-1960).svg Cary Middlecoff 72-68-70=210
T6 Flag of the United States (1959-1960).svg Jay Hebert 72-70-69=211+1
Flag of the United States (1959-1960).svg Gene Littler 69-70-72=211
Flag of the United States (1959-1960).svg Bob Rosburg 71-72-68=211
T9 Flag of the United States (1959-1960).svg Tommy Jacobs 73-71-68=212+2
Flag of the United States (1959-1960).svg Sam Snead 71-73-68=212
Flag of the United States (1959-1960).svg Ken Venturi 70-72-70=212

Source: [5] [11]

Final round

Sunday, August 2, 1959

PlacePlayerScoreTo parMoney ($)
1 Flag of the United States (1959-1960).svg Bob Rosburg 71-72-68-66=277−38,250
T2 Flag of the United States (1959-1960).svg Jerry Barber 69-65-71-73=278−23,563
Flag of the United States (1959-1960).svg Doug Sanders 72-66-68-72=278
4 Flag of the United States (1959-1960).svg Dow Finsterwald 71-68-71-70=280E2,500
T5 Flag of the United States (1959-1960).svg Bob Goalby 72-69-72-68=281+12,000
Flag of the United States (1959-1960).svg Mike Souchak 69-67-71-74=281
Flag of the United States (1959-1960).svg Ken Venturi 70-72-70-69=281
T8 Flag of the United States (1959-1960).svg Cary Middlecoff 72-68-70-72=282+21,600
Flag of the United States (1959-1960).svg Sam Snead 71-73-68-70=282
10 Flag of the United States (1959-1960).svg Gene Littler 69-70-72-73=284+41,450

Source: [2] [3]

Scorecard

Final round

Hole123456789101112131415161718
Par445343444344445344
Flag of the United States (1959-1960).svg Rosburg+1E−1−1−2−2−2−3−4−4−4−3−3−3−3−3−3−3
Flag of the United States (1959-1960).svg Barber−5−5−5−5−5−5−5−4−4−4−4−3−3−3−4−4−3−2
Flag of the United States (1959-1960).svg Sanders−4−4−4−3−2−2−2−2−3−3−3−2−2−2−2−2−1−2

Cumulative tournament scores, relative to par

BirdieBogeyDouble bogey

Source: [3]

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References

  1. ↑ "Tournament Info for: 1959 PGA Championship". PGA.com. Archived from the original on October 23, 2006. Retrieved December 29, 2012.
  2. 1 2 3 Bartlett, Charles (August 3, 1959). "Rosburg wins P.G.A. title with 277". Chicago Daily Tribune. p. 1, part 4.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Rosburg Rallies to Win PGA". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. August 3, 1959. pp. 18, 21.
  4. ↑ Brown, Gwilym (August 10, 1959). "Drama at Minneapolis in wind and rain". Sports Illustrated. p. 42.
  5. 1 2 Bartlett, Charles (August 2, 1959). "Barber keeps P.G.A. lead by stroke with 205". Chicago Sunday Tribune. p. 1, part 2.
  6. ↑ "Barber keeps lead". Eugene Register-Guard. Oregon. Associated Press. August 2, 1959. p. 1C.
  7. ↑ Bartlett, Charles (July 30, 1959). "Old timer laments match play passing as 41st PGA meet opens". Chicago Daily Tribune. p. 3, part 6.
  8. ↑ "Nine players tied for PGA lead with 69s". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. July 31, 1959. p. 17.
  9. ↑ "PGA tournament scoreboard". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. July 31, 1959. p. 18.
  10. ↑ "Jerry Barber grabs PGA lead with 134". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. August 1, 1959. p. 11.
  11. ↑ "Barber keeps lead on great final shot". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. August 2, 1959. p. 1, sports.

44°57′50″N93°23′42″W / 44.964°N 93.395°W / 44.964; -93.395

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