1945 PGA Championship
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Dates | July 9–15, 1945 |
| Location | Kettering, Ohio |
| Course(s) | Moraine Country Club |
| Organized by | PGA of America |
| Tour(s) | PGA Tour |
| Format | Match play - 5 rounds |
| Statistics | |
| Par | 72 |
| Field | 143 players,[2] 32 to match play |
| Cut | 148 (+6), playoff |
| Prize fund | $14,700[1] |
| Winner's share | $5,000 in war bonds[3] |
| Champion | |
 Byron Nelson | |
| def. Sam Byrd, 4 and 3 | |
The 1945 PGA Championship was the 27th PGA Championship, held July 9–15 at Moraine Country Club in Kettering, Ohio, a suburb south of Dayton. Then a match play championship, Byron Nelson won 4 and 3 in the final over Sam Byrd,[4] a former major league baseball player.[5]
It was Nelson's fifth and final major title and his second win at the PGA Championship; he also won in 1940 and was a runner-up three times (1939, 1941, 1944). The winner's share of the purse was $5,000 in war bonds.[3][4] The victory was the ninth of Nelson's record eleven consecutive wins in 1945.
Defending champion Bob Hamilton was defeated in the first round by Jack Grout, 4 and 3.
Due to World War II, the PGA Championship was the sole major played in 1945 (and 1944). The three others returned in 1946.
Format
[edit]The match play format at the PGA Championship in 1945 called for 12 rounds (216 holes) in seven days:[1]
- Monday and Tuesday – 36-hole stroke play qualifier, 18 holes per day, field of 78 players;
- defending champion Bob Hamilton and top 31 professionals advanced to match play
- Wednesday – first round – 36 holes
- Thursday – second round – 36 holes
- Friday – quarterfinals – 36 holes
- Saturday – semifinals – 36 holes
- Sunday – final – 36 holes
Final results
[edit]Sunday, July 15, 1945
| Place | Player | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Byron Nelson
| |
| 2 | Sam Byrd
| |
| T3 | Clarence Doser
| |
| Claude Harmon
| ||
| T5 | Vic Ghezzi
| |
| Ralph Hutchison
| ||
| Ky Laffoon
| ||
| Denny Shute
|
Final eight bracket
[edit]| Quarter-finals July 13 | Semi-finals July 14 | Finals July 15 | ||||||||||||
| Byron Nelson | 3&2 | |||||||||||||
| Denny Shute | ||||||||||||||
| Byron Nelson | 5&4 | |||||||||||||
| Claude Harmon | ||||||||||||||
| Claude Harmon | 4&3 | |||||||||||||
| Ralph Hutchison | ||||||||||||||
| Byron Nelson | 4&3 | |||||||||||||
| Sam Byrd | ||||||||||||||
| Sam Byrd | 7&6 | |||||||||||||
| Vic Ghezzi | ||||||||||||||
| Sam Byrd | 7&6 | |||||||||||||
| Clarence Doser | ||||||||||||||
| Clarence Doser | 2&1 | |||||||||||||
| Ky Laffoon | ||||||||||||||
Final match scorecards
[edit]Morning
| Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Par | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 |
| Nelson |
3 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 4 |
| Byrd |
4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 3 |
| Leader | N1 | – | N1 | N1 | N1 | N1 | N1 | N1 | – | – | N1 | N1 | N1 | N1 | – | – | B1 | B2 |
Afternoon
| Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Par | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 |
| Nelson |
4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | Nelson wins 4 and 3 | ||
| Byrd |
4 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 3 | |||
| Leader | B2 | B2 | B3 | B2 | B2 | B2 | B1 | – | – | – | N1 | N2 | N3 | N4 | N4 | |||
- Source:[4]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Tournament Info for: 1945 PGA Championship". PGA.com. Archived from the original on October 23, 2006. Retrieved April 18, 2013.
- ^ "Denny Shute cards sizzlind five-under-par 67, paces P.G.A. qualifying field". Youngstown Vindicator. (Ohio). Associated Press. July 10, 1945. p. 10.
- ^ a b "Nelson defeats Byrd in PGA final". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. July 16, 2013. p. 16.
- ^ a b c Bartlett, Charles (July 16, 1945). "Nelson beats Byrd, 4 and 3, to take P.G.A. crown". Chicago Daily Tribune. p. 19.
- ^ Bartlett, Charles (July 15, 1945). "Byron Nelson and Sam Byrd battle today for P.G.A. crown". Chicago Sunday Tribune. p. 1, sec. 2.
External links
[edit]- PGA Media Guide 2012
- PGA.com – 1945 PGA Championship