US PGA Championship History

Memorable moments: 1916 – 1963

The first time the US PGA Championship was held in 1916, the field assembled in Bronxville, NY, (seven months after the birth of the PGA) and a couple of British golfers – Jim Barnes of England and Jock Hutchinson – made it to the finals. Large galleries followed the series of tense playoffs between Barnes and Hutchison until they landed on the final green.

After a measurement, it was decided that Hutchinson should go first. He missed the putt and Barnes made his for the first Wannamaker Trophy. Big Jim made away with the top prize of $500 and a diamond medal while Hutchinson received a gold medal and $250.

Having won the PGA for the first time the previous year, in 1923 Gene Sarazen got to the finals again, this time against Walter Hagen. It would be one of the great matches in golf history.

Having seen the match into extra holes, they halved the first extra hole at Pelham Golf Club in Pelham Manor, N.Y. Then came the second hole and a wild drive by Sarazen - one of the most magnificent golf shots ever, dropping short of the pin and coming to rest two feet away for a certain birdie. Hagen knew he had to birdie the hole to prolong the match but instead landed the ball into a greenside trap. His last attempt to blast the ball towards the cup failed and missed the edge by inches resulting in a second straight win for Sarazen.

The year 1938 was one of the best ever at the PGA Championship with matches repeatedly going deep into play before being resolved. The Jimmy Hines-Sam Snead match was one of the most exciting in PGA history. The lead seesawed between the two competitors much of the day with both men playing brilliantly. In the end, a score of four consecutive 3s by Snead pushed him to victory. If the contest had been decided by stroke play, however, Snead would have lost. Hines was 8-under for 36 holes, one better than Snead’s 7-under.

After a rocky start in 1963, Jack Nicklaus claimed the championship after he clawed his way back from fifth position. In the second round Nicklaus was in a tie for fifth while Doug Sanders had moved up to replace him in second. Hart had shot 72 and still was in first place, four shots ahead of Nicklaus.

The third round saw Nicklaus clamber back with a 69 into third place, three shots behind Bruce Crampton. Nicklaus was concentrating on his drive on the first hole of the fourth round. Thinking he'd have no trouble with hitting a long drive, he decided to ignore his own advice about always being conservative at the start of a round.

Nicklaus laid into the drive, swinging with all his might, and it soared out to 350 yards. He put the second shot, only a 5-iron, on the green 15 feet from the pin and sank the putt for eagle. Already he had made up two shots on the lead, leaving him just one behind, and he wasn’t even yet to the second hole.

Using that as a springboard, Nicklaus went on to shoot a 68 and defeat a fading Crampton by three shots, with Dave Ragan coming in second. He had won three jewels en route to a career slam – the U.S. Open, the Masters, and now the PGA.

Read up on more exciting and memorable moments in the second half of the US PGA Championship's history.

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