1959 PGA Championship

The 1959 PGA Championship was the 41st PGA Championship played from July 30 to August 2 at Minneapolis Golf Club in St. Louis Park, Minnesota, a suburb west of Minneapolis.

1959 PGA Championship
Tournament information
DatesJuly 30 – August 2, 1959
LocationSt. Louis Park, Minnesota
Course(s)Minneapolis Golf Club
Organized byPGA of America
Tour(s)PGA Tour
FormatStroke play
Statistics
Par70
Length6,850 yards (6,264 m)
Field174 players,
100 after 1st cut
64 after 2nd cut
Cut150 (+10) (1st cut)
221 (+11) (2nd cut)
Prize fund$51,175[1]
Winner's share$8,250
Champion
Bob Rosburg
277 (−3)

Six strokes back at the start of the final round, Bob Rosburg shot a 66 (−4) to win his only major championship at 277 (−3), one stroke ahead of runners-up Jerry Barber and Doug Sanders.[2][3][4] Rosburg had managed only five birdies in the first three rounds,[5] but had five in the first nine on Sunday to go out in 30, then a record.[2] Barber shot a 65 on Friday and was the 36-hole and 54-hole leader at 205 (−5), with Sanders a stroke back.[6] Barber won the title two years later, in a Monday playoff in 1961. Tied for fourteenth at 286 (+6) was Arnold Palmer.[3]

This was the second year of stroke play at the PGA Championship, a match play event through 1957. Daily admission was three dollars on Thursday and Friday, and five dollars per day on the weekend.[7] The winner's share was increased fifty per cent to $8,250; two years earlier, it was $8,000 for the final match play competition.

The Open Championship was played several weeks earlier in Scotland at Muirfield; only four Americans (two amateurs) were in the field and none made the cut.

Round summaries

First round

Thursday, July 30, 1959

PlacePlayerScoreTo par
T1 Jerry Barber69−1
Jackson Bradley
Walter Burkemo
Billy Casper
Dick Hart
Chuck Klein
Mike Krak
Gene Littler
Mike Souchak
T10 Jack Burke Jr.70E
Buster Cupit
Don Fairfield
Al Feminelli
Billy Maxwell
Herman Scharlau
Don Shock
Ken Venturi
Art Wall Jr.

Source:[8][9]

Second round

Friday, July 31, 1959

PlacePlayerScoreTo par
1 Jerry Barber69-65=134−6
2 Mike Souchak69-67=136−4
3 Doug Sanders72-66=138−2
T4 Dow Finsterwald71-68=139−1
Gene Littler69-70=139
T6 Billy Casper69-71=140E
Lionel Hebert71-69=140
Cary Middlecoff72-68=140
T9 Walter Burkemo69-71=141+1
Fred Hawkins72-69=141
Bob Goalby72-69=141

Source:[10]

Third round

Saturday, August 1, 1959

PlacePlayerScoreTo par
1 Jerry Barber69-65-71=205−5
2 Doug Sanders72-66-68=206−4
3 Mike Souchak69-67-71=207−3
T4 Dow Finsterwald71-68-71=210E
Cary Middlecoff72-68-70=210
T6 Jay Hebert72-70-69=211+1
Gene Littler69-70-72=211
Bob Rosburg71-72-68=211
T9 Tommy Jacobs73-71-68=212+2
Sam Snead71-73-68=212
Ken Venturi70-72-70=212

Source:[5][11]

Final round

Sunday, August 2, 1959

PlacePlayerScoreTo parMoney ($)
1 Bob Rosburg71-72-68-66=277−38,250
T2 Jerry Barber69-65-71-73=278−23,563
Doug Sanders72-66-68-72=278
4 Dow Finsterwald71-68-71-70=280E2,500
T5 Bob Goalby72-69-72-68=281+12,000
Mike Souchak69-67-71-74=281
Ken Venturi70-72-70-69=281
T8 Cary Middlecoff72-68-70-72=282+21,600
Sam Snead71-73-68-70=282
10 Gene Littler69-70-72-73=284+41,450

Source:[2][3]

Scorecard

Final round

Hole123456789101112131415161718
Par445343444344445344
Rosburg+1E−1−1−2−2−2−3−4−4−4−3−3−3−3−3−3−3
Barber−5−5−5−5−5−5−5−4−4−4−4−3−3−3−4−4−3−2
Sanders−4−4−4−3−2−2−2−2−3−3−3−2−2−2−2−2−1−2

Cumulative tournament scores, relative to par

Birdie Bogey Double bogey

Source:[3]

References
  1. "Tournament Info for: 1959 PGA Championship". PGA.com. Archived from the original on October 23, 2006. Retrieved December 29, 2012.
  2. Bartlett, Charles (August 3, 1959). "Rosburg wins P.G.A. title with 277". Chicago Daily Tribune. p. 1, part 4.
  3. "Rosburg Rallies to Win PGA". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. August 3, 1959. pp. 18, 21.
  4. Brown, Gwilym (August 10, 1959). "Drama at Minneapolis in wind and rain". Sports Illustrated. p. 42.
  5. Bartlett, Charles (August 2, 1959). "Barber keeps P.G.A. lead by stroke with 205". Chicago Sunday Tribune. p. 1, part 2.
  6. "Barber keeps lead". Eugene Register-Guard. Oregon. Associated Press. August 2, 1959. p. 1C.
  7. Bartlett, Charles (July 30, 1959). "Old timer laments match play passing as 41st PGA meet opens". Chicago Daily Tribune. p. 3, part 6.
  8. "Nine players tied for PGA lead with 69s". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. July 31, 1959. p. 17.
  9. "PGA tournament scoreboard". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. July 31, 1959. p. 18.
  10. "Jerry Barber grabs PGA lead with 134". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. August 1, 1959. p. 11.
  11. "Barber keeps lead on great final shot". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. August 2, 1959. p. 1, sports.

44.964°N 93.395°W / 44.964; -93.395

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