1926 PGA Championship
The 1926 PGA Championship was the ninth PGA Championship, held September 20–25 at Salisbury Golf Club on Long Island in East Meadow, New York. Then a match play championship, Walter Hagen defeated Leo Diegel 5 & 3 in the finals to win his third consecutive PGA Championship,[3] his fourth overall, and the eighth of his eleven major titles.
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Dates | September 20–25, 1926 |
| Location | East Meadow, New York |
| Course(s) | Salisbury Golf Club |
| Organized by | PGA of America |
| Tour(s) | PGA Tour |
| Format | Match play - 5 rounds |
| Statistics | |
| Par | 72 |
| Field | 65 players,[1] 32 to match play |
| Cut | 155 (+11), playoff |
| Prize fund | $11,100[2] |
| Champion | |
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| def. Leo Diegel, 5 & 3 | |
The victory ran Hagen's match record at the PGA Championship in the 1920s to 25–1 (.962), falling only to Gene Sarazen in 38 holes in the 1923 finals. With his third consecutive title, his winning streak stood at fifteen matches. Hagen was also the medalist in the 36-hole qualifier on Monday at 140 (−4).[1] Through 2013, he remains the only winner of three consecutive PGA Championships.
Hagen won the following year in 1927 for his fourth consecutive title, but Diegel stopped the streak in 1928 and repeated in 1929. In both years, Diegel defeated both Hagen and Gene Sarazen, the only winners of the title from 1921 through 1927, in the quarterfinals and semifinals. Hagen had previously stopped Diegel in the 1925 quarterfinals in 40 holes.
Devereux Emmet designed the course in 1914. The 90-hole Salisbury Golf Club ran into financial difficulty during the 1930s and its land was acquired by Nassau County. Originally "Nassau County Park at Salisbury" in 1944, it was renamed Eisenhower Park in 1969. The 1926 venue presently exists as the Red Course; it hosted the Commerce Bank Championship on the Champions Tour as recently as 2008. Eisenhower Park also includes two additional 18-hole courses, Blue and White.
Format
The match play format at the PGA Championship in 1926 called for 12 rounds (216 holes) in six days:[2]
- Monday – 36-hole stroke play qualifier
- top 32 professionals advanced to match play
- Tuesday – first round – 36 holes
- Wednesday – second round – 36 holes
- Thursday – quarterfinals – 36 holes
- Friday – semifinals – 36 holes
- Saturday – final – 36 holes
Past champions in the field
| Player | Country | Years won | Record | Advanced to | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walter Hagen | | 1921, 1924, 1925 | 5–0 | Champion | 1 |
| Gene Sarazen | | 1922, 1923 | 1–1 | Second round | T9 |
| Jim Barnes |  | 1916, 1919 | 0–1 | First round | T17 |
Final results
Saturday, September 25, 1926
| Place | Player | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Walter Hagen | |
| 2 | Leo Diegel | |
| T3 | Johnny Farrell | |
| Johnny Golden | | |
| T5 | George Christ | |
| Pat Doyle |  | |
| Abe Espinosa | | |
| Harry Hampton | |
Final eight bracket
| Quarter-finals September 23 | Semi-finals September 24 | Finals September 25 | ||||||||||||
| Walter Hagen | 6&5 | |||||||||||||
| Pat Doyle | ||||||||||||||
| Walter Hagen | 6&5 | |||||||||||||
| Johnny Farrell | ||||||||||||||
| Johnny Farrell | 3&1 | |||||||||||||
| Harry Hampton | ||||||||||||||
| Walter Hagen | 4&3 | |||||||||||||
| Leo Diegel | ||||||||||||||
| Leo Diegel | 3&2 | |||||||||||||
| Abe Espinosa | ||||||||||||||
| Leo Diegel | 1up | |||||||||||||
| Johnny Golden | ||||||||||||||
| Johnny Golden | 7&6 | |||||||||||||
| George Christ | ||||||||||||||
References
- Rice, Lester (September 21, 1926). "Hagen with 140 tops pro golf qualifying rounds". Milwaukee Sentinel. Universal Service. p. 12.
- "Tournament Info for: 1926 PGA Championship". PGA of America. Retrieved May 11, 2013.
- Vischer, Peter (September 26, 1926). "Walter Hagen beats Diegel for pro title". Miami Daily News. New York World News Service. p. 15.
External links
- PGA Media Guide 2012
- About.com – 1926 PGA Championship
- PGA.com – 1926 PGA Championship
- Nassau County: Eisenhower Park, Red Course