The 1954 PGA Championship was the 36th

PGA Championship The PGA Championship (often referred to as the US PGA Championship or USPGA outside the United States) is an annual golf tournament conducted by the Professional Golfers' Association of America. It is one of the four men's major championships ...

, held July 21–27 at Keller Golf Club in

Maplewood, Minnesota Maplewood is a city in Ramsey County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 42,088 at the 2020 census. Maplewood is ten minutes' drive from downtown Saint Paul. It stretches along the northern and eastern borders of Saint Paul. Maplewo ...

, a suburb north of

St. Paul Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...

Chick Harbert Melvin R. "Chick" Harbert (February 20, 1915 – September 1, 1992) was an American professional golfer. Harbert won seven times on the PGA Tour, including one major championship, the 1954 PGA Championship, then a match play event. A three-time ...

won the

match play Match play is a scoring system for golf in which a player, or team, earns a point for each hole in which they have bested their opponents; as opposed to stroke play, in which the total number of strokes is counted over one or more rounds of 18 h ...

championship, 4 & 3 over defending champion

Walter Burkemo Walter E. Burkemo (October 9, 1918 – October 8, 1986) was an American professional golfer, best known for winning the PGA Championship in 1953 PGA Championship, 1953. Born in Detroit, Michigan, Burkemo was the youngest of 13 children of N ...

in the Tuesday final; the winner's share was $5,000 and the runner-up's was $3,000. It marked the second time the PGA Championship returned to a venue; public Keller had also hosted in

1932 Events January * January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel. * January 9 – Sakuradamon Incident (1932), Sakuradamon Incident: Korean nationalist Lee Bong-chang fails in his effort ...

; Oakmont near

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

hosted in

1922 Events January * January 7 – Dáil Éireann (Irish Republic), Dáil Éireann, the parliament of the Irish Republic, ratifies the Anglo-Irish Treaty by 64–57 votes. * January 10 – Arthur Griffith is elected President of Dáil Éirean ...

and

1951 Events January * January 4 – Korean War: Third Battle of Seoul – Chinese and North Korean forces capture Seoul for the second time (having lost the Second Battle of Seoul in September 1950). * January 9 – The Government of the United ...

. It was the third and last final for the two finalists, both from the Detroit area; each had one victory and two losses. Harbert lost in

1947 It was the first year of the Cold War, which would last until 1991, ending with the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Events January * January–February – Winter of 1946–47 in the United Kingdom: The worst snowfall in the country in ...

and 1952, while Burkemo lost in

and won in

1953 Events January * January 6 – The Asian Socialist Conference opens in Rangoon, Burma. * January 12 – Estonian émigrés found a Estonian government-in-exile, government-in-exile in Oslo. * January 14 ** Marshal Josip Broz Tito i ...

. In the finals, Burkemo eagled the first hole and was three up after four holes, but soon cooled off; the match was even on the twelfth tee and Harbert led by one at the lunch break. The afternoon round was bogey-free for both, but Harbert had five birdies to Burkemo's two and the match ended on the 33rd green. Ed "Porky" Oliver won $250 as the medalist in the stroke-play qualifying with a 136 (−6); he fell 3 & 1 in the third round to eventual champion Harbert.

Format

The

format at the PGA Championship in 1954 called for 12 rounds (216 holes) in seven days: * Wednesday and Thursday – 36-hole

stroke play Stroke play, also known as medal play, is a scoring system in the sport of golf in which the total number of strokes is counted over one or more rounds of 18 holes. In stroke play, the winner is the player who has taken the fewest strokes over the ...

qualifier, 18 holes per day; **the defending champion

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

Failed to qualify

Source:

Final results

''Tuesday, July 27, 1954''

Final eight bracket

Final match scorecards

''Morning'' ^ = picked up ball (hole concession) ''Afternoon'' *Source:

References

External links

PGA Media Guide 2012
– 1954 PGA Championship {{coord, 45.006, -93.056, type:event, display=title PGA Championship Golf in Minnesota Sports in Minneapolis–Saint Paul