1955 PGA Championship
The 1955 PGA Championship was the 37th PGA Championship, held July 20–26 in Michigan at Meadowbrook Country Club in Northville Township, northwest of nearby Detroit. Doug Ford won the match play championship, 4 & 3 over Cary Middlecoff in the Tuesday final; the winner's share was $5,000 and the runner-up earned $3,000.[4][5][6] This was the first of two major titles for Ford, who won the Masters in 1957.
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Dates | July 20–26, 1955 |
| Location | Northville Twp, Michigan |
| Course(s) | Meadowbrook Country Club |
| Organized by | PGA of America |
| Tour(s) | PGA Tour |
| Format | Match play - 6 rounds |
| Statistics | |
| Par | 71 |
| Length | 6,701 yards (6,127 m)[1] |
| Field | 135 players,[2] 64 to match play |
| Cut | 147 (+5), playoff |
| Prize fund | $20,700[3] |
| Winner's share | $5,000 |
| Champion | |
.svg.png){kind=small} | |
| def. Cary Middlecoff, 4 & 3 | |
Country Club
Country Club
Ford was also the medalist in the stroke-play qualifying with a 135 (−7), worth $250 and the Alex Smith trophy.[7][8] He was the fourth to win the final match after winning the qualifier, joining Walter Hagen (1926), Olin Dutra (1932), and Byron Nelson (1945). Ford was the last medalist, as the format was changed in 1956 to seven rounds without a qualifier for two years, then to 72-hole stroke play in 1958.
Defending champion Chick Harbert, a local resident, was defeated in the second round by Johnny Palmer, 1 up. No former champion advanced past the second round.
This was second time in three years the PGA Championship was played near Detroit; the 1953 event was played at Birmingham Country Club in Birmingham, about 20 miles (30 km) northeast. The 1947 edition, in which Harbert was runner-up, was also held in the Detroit area.
Format
The match play format at the PGA Championship in 1955 called for 12 rounds (216 holes) in seven days:[3]
- Wednesday and Thursday – 36-hole stroke play qualifier, 18 holes per day;
- defending champion Chick Harbert and the top 63 professionals advanced to match play
- Friday – first two rounds, 18 holes each
- Saturday – third round – 36 holes
- Sunday – quarterfinals – 36 holes
- Monday – semifinals – 36 holes
- Tuesday – final – 36 holes
Past champions in the field
| Player | Country | Year(s) won | Record | Advanced to | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vic Ghezzi | | 1941 | 1–1 | Second round | T17 |
| Chick Harbert | | 1954 | 1–1 | Second round | T17 |
| Gene Sarazen | | 1922, 1923, 1933 | 1–1 | Second round | T17 |
| Sam Snead | | 1942, 1949, 1951 | 1–1 | Second round | T17 |
| Walter Burkemo | | 1953 | 0–1 | First round | T33 |
Failed to qualify
| Player | Country | Year(s) won | R1 | R2 | Total | To par |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denny Shute | | 1936, 1937 | 75 | 73 | 148 | +6 |
| Jim Turnesa | | 1952 | 75 | 76 | 151 | +9 |
| Chandler Harper | | 1950 | 78 | 74 | 152 | +10 |
Final results
Tuesday, July 26, 1955
| Place | Player | Country | Money ($) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Doug Ford | | 5,000 |
| 2 | Cary Middlecoff | | 3,000 |
| T3 | Tommy Bolt | | 750 |
| Shelley Mayfield | | ||
| T5 | Jack Burke, Jr. | | 500 |
| Don Fairfield | | ||
| Fred Hawkins | | ||
| Lew Worsham | |
Final eight bracket
| Quarter-finals July 24 | Semi-finals July 25 | Finals July 26 | ||||||||||||
| Doug Ford | 5&4 | |||||||||||||
| Fred Hawkins | ||||||||||||||
| Doug Ford | 4&3 | |||||||||||||
| Shelley Mayfield | ||||||||||||||
| Shelley Mayfield | 3&2 | |||||||||||||
| Don Fairfield | ||||||||||||||
| Doug Ford | 4&3 | |||||||||||||
| Cary Middlecoff | ||||||||||||||
| Cary Middlecoff | 40h | |||||||||||||
| Jack Burke, Jr. | ||||||||||||||
| Cary Middlecoff | 4&3 | |||||||||||||
| Tommy Bolt | ||||||||||||||
| Tommy Bolt | 8&7 | |||||||||||||
| Lew Worsham | ||||||||||||||
Final match scorecards
Morning
| Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Par | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 |
| 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| 3 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 |
| Leader | M1 | M1 | M1 | M1 | M1 | – | M1 | M1 | M2 | M2 | M2 | M1 | – | M1 | M2 | M2 | M1 | M1 |
Afternoon
| Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Par | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 |
| 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | Ford wins 4 & 3 | ||
| 5 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |||
| Leader | – | M1 | M1 | – | – | – | – | F1 | F1 | F1 | F2 | F3 | F2 | F3 | F4 | |||
Source:[5]
References
- "Snead putts well, posts 66 to lead PGA". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. July 21, 1955. p. 17.
- "National PGA tourney opens". Eugene Register-Guard. Associated Press. July 20, 1955. p. 4B.
- "Tournament Info for: 1955 PGA Championship". PGA.com. Retrieved April 17, 2013.
- "Doug Ford wins PGA title in his first try". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. July 27, 1955. p. 15.
- Bartlett, Charles (July 27, 1955). "P.G.A. title won 4 and 3 by Doug Ford". Chicago Daily Tribune. p. 1, sec. 3.
- Wind, Herbert Warren (August 15, 1955). "In the PGA, Doug Ford, the summer's hottest golfer, proved speed and hunger are a winning combination". Sports Illustrated. p. 54.
- Bartlett, Charles (July 22, 1955). "P.G.A. medal won with 135 by Doug Ford". Chicago Daily Tribune. p. 1, sec. 3.
- "Doug Ford shoots 135 to win PGA medal". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. July 22, 1955. p. 19.
- "First round PGA scores". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. July 21, 1955. p. 17.
External links
- PGA Media Guide 2012
- GolfCompendium.com – 1955 PGA Championship
- PGA.com – 1955 PGA Championship