1949 PGA Championship


The 1949 PGA Championship was the 31st PGA Championship, held May 25–31 in Virginia at Belmont Golf Course, north of Richmond. Native Virginian Sam Snead won the match play championship, 3 & 2 over Johnny Palmer in the Tuesday final; the winner's share was $3,500 and the runner-up's was $1,500.
It was the second of Snead's three wins in the PGA Championship, and the fourth of his seven major titles. At age 37, Snead was the oldest to win the PGA Championship; he won again two years later in 1951.
The medalist in the stroke play qualifier was unsung Ray Hill of Louisiana, who advanced to the quarterfinals.
Snead won the Masters in April; this was the first time the Masters champion had won the PGA Championship in the same calendar year. This has only been accomplished four times, most recently : Snead was followed by Jack Burke, Jr. in 1956 and Jack Nicklaus in 1963 and 1975. Snead's double was in the spring, Burke and Nicklaus completed theirs in the summer.
Defending champion Ben Hogan did not play in any of the majors during the 1949 season, following a near-fatal automobile accident in west Texas in early February. In 1948, he won two majors, led the tour in money and wins, and was player of the year; he had won two events in January 1949, with a playoff runner-up in a third. Although Hogan returned to the tour in 1950 on a limited basis and won six more majors, he did not enter the PGA Championship again until age 48 in 1960, its third year as a stroke play event.

Format

The match play format at the PGA Championship in 1949 called for 12 rounds in seven days:

Failed to qualify

Source:

Final results

Tuesday, May 31, 1949
PlacePlayerCountryMoney
1Sam Snead3,500
2Johnny Palmer1,500
T3Jim Ferrier
750
T3Lloyd Mangrum750
T5Jimmy Demaret500
T5Clayton Heafner500
T5Ray Hill500
T5Henry Williams, Jr.500

Final eight bracket

Final match scorecards

Morning
Hole 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 101112131415161718
Par444344445544344443
Snead444343454444344533
Palmer434244444^543344^4
Leader–P1P1P2P2P1P1P2P2P1–––P1P1P2P1–

^ = picked up ball
Afternoon
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