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
Dates	July 30 – August 2, 1959
Location	St. Louis Park, Minnesota
Course(s)	Minneapolis Golf Club
Organized by	PGA of America
Tour(s)	PGA Tour
Format	Stroke play
Statistics
Par	70
Length	6,850 yards (6,264 m)
Field	174 players, 100 after 1st cut 64 after 2nd cut
Cut	150 (+10) (1st cut) 221 (+11) (2nd cut)
Prize fund	$51,175^[1]
Winner's share	$8,250
Champion
Bob Rosburg
277 (−3)
← 1958 1960 →

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

Place	Player	Score	To par
T1	Jerry Barber	69	−1
	Jackson Bradley
	Walter Burkemo
	Billy Casper
	Dick Hart
	Chuck Klein
	Mike Krak
	Gene Littler
	Mike Souchak
T10	Jack Burke Jr.	70	E
	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

Place	Player	Score	To par
1	Jerry Barber	69-65=134	−6
2	Mike Souchak	69-67=136	−4
3	Doug Sanders	72-66=138	−2
T4	Dow Finsterwald	71-68=139	−1
	Gene Littler	69-70=139
T6	Billy Casper	69-71=140	E
	Lionel Hebert	71-69=140
	Cary Middlecoff	72-68=140
T9	Walter Burkemo	69-71=141	+1
	Fred Hawkins	72-69=141
	Bob Goalby	72-69=141

Source:^[10]

Third round

Saturday, August 1, 1959

Place	Player	Score	To par
1	Jerry Barber	69-65-71=205	−5
2	Doug Sanders	72-66-68=206	−4
3	Mike Souchak	69-67-71=207	−3
T4	Dow Finsterwald	71-68-71=210	E
	Cary Middlecoff	72-68-70=210
T6	Jay Hebert	72-70-69=211	+1
	Gene Littler	69-70-72=211
	Bob Rosburg	71-72-68=211
T9	Tommy Jacobs	73-71-68=212	+2
	Sam Snead	71-73-68=212
	Ken Venturi	70-72-70=212

Source:^[5][11]

Final round

Sunday, August 2, 1959

Place	Player	Score	To par	Money ($)
1	Bob Rosburg	71-72-68-66=277	−3	8,250
T2	Jerry Barber	69-65-71-73=278	−2	3,563
	Doug Sanders	72-66-68-72=278
4	Dow Finsterwald	71-68-71-70=280	E	2,500
T5	Bob Goalby	72-69-72-68=281	+1	2,000
	Mike Souchak	69-67-71-74=281
	Ken Venturi	70-72-70-69=281
T8	Cary Middlecoff	72-68-70-72=282	+2	1,600
	Sam Snead	71-73-68-70=282
10	Gene Littler	69-70-72-73=284	+4	1,450

Source:^[2][3]

Scorecard

Final round

Hole	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18
Par	4	4	5	3	4	3	4	4	4	3	4	4	4	4	5	3	4	4
Rosburg	+1	E	−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. . 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.

External links

• – 1959 PGA Championship

44°57′50″N 93°23′42″W / 44.964°N 93.395°W / 44.964; -93.395