{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}} {{Infobox individual golf tournament | name = 1937 PGA Championship | image = | location = [[Fox Chapel, Pennsylvania]] | course = [[Pittsburgh Field Club]] | dates = May 24–30, 1937 | par = 72 | yardage = {{convert|6665|yd}} | org = [[Professional Golfers' Association of America|PGA of America]] | tour = [[PGA Tour]] | field = 106 players,<br>64 to match play<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=oN5BAAAAIBAJ&sjid=-akMAAAAIBAJ&pg=4322,217508&dq=pittsburgh+golf&hl=en |title=Runyan Paces Field in PGA Golf Tourney; Hines is Second |newspaper=Telegraph-Herald |location=Dubuque, Iowa |agency=United Press |page=11 |date=May 25, 1937 |accessdate=April 30, 2013}}</ref> | cut = 157 (+13), playoff | format = [[Match play]] - 6 rounds | purse = [[United States dollar|$]]9,200<ref name=pgamedia37>{{cite web |url=http://www.pgamediaguide.com/pgachampionship_detail.cfm?tournament_id=455&date=1937&tourn_name_id=2 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061023170115/http://www.pgamediaguide.com/pgachampionship_detail.cfm?tournament_id=455&date=1937&tourn_name_id=2 |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 23, 2006 |publisher=PGA of America |title=Tournament Info for: 1937 PGA Championship |accessdate=April 30, 2013 }}</ref> | winners_share = $1,000 | champion = {{flagicon|USA|1912}} [[Denny Shute]] | score = def. [[Jug McSpaden]], 37 holes | previous = [[1936 PGA Championship|1936]] | next = [[1938 PGA Championship|1938]] |}} {{Location map |USA |relief = 1 |label = <small>Pittsburgh</small> |lat = 40.513 |long = -79.89 |caption = Location in the [[United States]] |marksize = 5 |float = |background= |width = 230 }} {{Location map |USA Pennsylvania |relief = 1 |label = <small>Pittsburgh <br>Field Club</small> |lat = 40.513 |long = -79.89 |caption = Location in [[Pennsylvania]] |marksize = 5 |float = |background= |width = 170 }} The '''1937 PGA Championship''' was the 20th [[PGA Championship]], held May 24–30 at [[Pittsburgh Field Club]] in [[Fox Chapel, Pennsylvania]], a suburb northeast of [[Pittsburgh]]. Then a [[match play]] championship, [[Denny Shute]] won his second consecutive PGA Championship in less than seven months, defeating [[Jug McSpaden]] in 37 holes.<ref name=sdfmspdn>{{cite news |url=http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1937/05/31/page/21/article/shute-defeats-mspaden-for-p-g-a-title-on-37th |work=Chicago Daily Tribune |last=Bartlett |first=Charles |title=Shute defeats M'Spaden for P.G.A. title on 37th |date=May 31, 1937 |page=21}}</ref><ref name=dswtipg>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=XoAtAAAAIBAJ&sjid=L5kFAAAAIBAJ&pg=6678%2C4110486 |newspaper=Montreal Gazette |agency=Associated Press |title=Denny Shute wins title in pro golf|date=May 31, 1937 |page=20 |accessdate=April 30, 2013}}</ref> The previous edition in [[1936 PGA Championship|1936]] was held in November at [[Pinehurst Resort|Pinehurst]], [[North Carolina]].
Shute was 3 holes up after the morning round of the finals, but McSpaden had the lead with nine holes remaining and was 2 up with three holes to go. McSpaden bogeyed the 34th and double-bogeyed the 35th to square up the match as they went to the 36th tee. McSpaden missed a {{convert|4|ft|adj=on|spell=in}} birdie putt to win and they halved the hole and went to an extra hole. McSpaden lipped out his par-saving putt from {{convert|8|ft}} to end the match.<ref name=sdfmspdn/><ref name=dssspr>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=vedIAAAAIBAJ&sjid=qYIMAAAAIBAJ&pg=1689%2C6016143|newspaper=Youngstown Vindicator |location=Ohio |agency=United Press |last=Henry |first=Jack |title=Denny Shute stages spectacular rally to retain national P.G.A. Championship |date=May 31, 1937 |page=10 |accessdate=April 30, 2013}}</ref>
Shute was the last to successfully defend his title at the PGA Championship until [[Tiger Woods]] won consecutive titles in [[1999 PGA Championship|1999]] and [[2000 PGA Championship|2000]]. It was Shute's third and final [[Men's major golf championship|major]] title; his first was at the [[The Open Championship|British Open]] in [[1933 Open Championship|1933]] at [[Old Course at St Andrews|St. Andrews]].
Usually played later in the schedule, this PGA Championship was in late May, the first of three times it was held before the [[1937 U.S. Open (golf)|U.S. Open]] and [[1937 Open Championship|British Open]]. Prior to [[World War II]], the PGA Championship was most often played in September, but ranged from late May (1937, [[1942 PGA Championship|1942]]) to early December ([[1929 PGA Championship|1929]]). Since [[1969 PGA Championship|1969]], it has been held in early to mid-August, except for [[1971 PGA Championship|1971]] (February) and [[2016 PGA Championship|2016]] (July).
==Format== The [[match play]] format at the PGA Championship in 1937 called for 12 rounds (216 holes) in seven days:<ref name=pgamedia37/><ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=LiEbAAAAIBAJ&sjid=8UsEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4595,5419740&dq=pittsburgh+field+club&hl=en |title=Match-By-Match Chart Of The P.G.A. Championship At Field Club |newspaper=Pittsburgh Press |page=9 |date=May 29, 1937 |accessdate=April 30, 2013}}</ref> * Monday and Tuesday – 36-hole [[stroke play]] qualifier, 18 holes per day; **defending champion and top 63 professionals advanced to match play * Wednesday – first two rounds, 18 holes each * Thursday – third round – 36 holes * Friday – quarterfinals – 36 holes * Saturday – semifinals – 36 holes * Sunday – final – 36 holes
==Final results== ''Sunday, May 30, 1937'' {| class=wikitable !Place!!Player!!Money ([[United States dollar|$]]) |- | align=center|1 || {{flagicon|USA|1912}} '''[[Denny Shute]]''' || align=center|1,000 |- | align=center|2 || {{flagicon|USA|1912}} [[Jug McSpaden]] || align=center|500 |- | align=center rowspan=2|T3 || {{flagicon|USA|1912}} [[Ky Laffoon]] || align=center rowspan=2|250 |- | {{flagicon|USA|1912}} [[Tony Manero (golfer)|Tony Manero]] |- | align=center rowspan=4|T5 || {{flagicon|USA|1912}} [[Harry Cooper (golfer)|Harry Cooper]] || align=center rowspan=4|200 |- | {{flagicon|USA|1912}} [[Jimmy Hines]] |- | {{flagicon|USA|1912}} [[Byron Nelson]] |- | {{flagicon|USA|1912}} [[Henry Picard]] |} <small>Source:</small><ref name=mdiptm>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=vedIAAAAIBAJ&sjid=qYIMAAAAIBAJ&pg=2870%2C6015851|newspaper=Youngstown Vindicator |location=Ohio |agency=Associated Press |title= Money division in P.G.A. title meet |date=May 31, 1937 |page=10 |accessdate=April 30, 2013}}</ref>
==Final eight bracket== {{8TeamBracket-NoSeeds | RD1=Quarter-finals<br>May 28 | RD2=Semi-finals<br>May 29 | RD3=Finals<br>May 30
| score-width= 35px | team-width= 135px
| RD1-team1= '''[[Denny Shute]]''' | RD1-score1= 4&3 | RD1-team2= [[Jimmy Hines]] | RD1-score2=
| RD1-team3= '''[[Tony Manero (golfer)|Tony Manero]]''' | RD1-score3= 1up | RD1-team4= [[Harry Cooper (golfer)|Harry Cooper]] | RD1-score4=
| RD1-team5= '''[[Jug McSpaden]]''' | RD1-score5= 39h | RD1-team6= [[Henry Picard]] | RD1-score6=
| RD1-team7= '''[[Ky Laffoon]]''' | RD1-score7= 2&1 | RD1-team8= [[Byron Nelson]] | RD1-score8=
| RD2-team1= '''[[Denny Shute]]''' | RD2-score1= 3&2 | RD2-team2= [[Tony Manero (golfer)|Tony Manero]] | RD2-score2=
| RD2-team3= '''[[Jug McSpaden]]''' | RD2-score3= 2&1 | RD2-team4= [[Ky Laffoon]] | RD2-score4=
| RD3-team1= '''[[Denny Shute]]''' | RD3-score1= 37h | RD3-team2= [[Jug McSpaden]] | RD3-score2= }}
==Final match scorecards== ''Morning'' {|class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" !Hole!!1!!2!!3!!4!!5!!6!!7!!8!!9!!10!!11!!12!!13!!14!!15!!16!!17!!18 |- |Par||4||4||5||3||5||3||4||4||4|| 4||4||5||4||3||5||3||4||4 |- |align=left|{{flagicon|USA|1912}} Shute ||style="background: PaleGreen;"|5||4||5||3||5||style="background: Pink;"|2||style="background: Pink;"|3||style="background: PaleGreen;"|5||style="background: Pink;"|3||style="background: PaleGreen;"|5||style="background: PaleGreen;"|5||style="background: Pink;"|4||style="background: Pink;"|3||3||style="background: PaleGreen;"|6||3||style="background: Pink;"|3||style="background: Pink;"|3 |- |align=left|{{flagicon|USA|1912}} McSpaden ||style="background: Pink;"|3||4||style="background: Pink;"|4||3||style="background: Pink;"|4||3||^||style="background: PaleGreen;"|5||4||style="background: PaleGreen;"|5||4||5||4||style="background: PaleGreen;"|4||5||3||^||4 |- |align=left| Leader ||M1||M1||M2||M2||M3||M2||M1||M1||–||–||M1||–||S1||S2||S1||S1||S2||S3 |}
''Afternoon'' {|class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" !Hole!!1!!2!!3!!4!!5!!6!!7!!8!!9!!10!!11!!12!!13!!14!!15!!16!!17!!18 |- |Par||4||4||5||3||5||3||4||4||4|| 4||4||5||4||3||5||3||4||4 |- |align=left|{{flagicon|USA|1912}} Shute ||style="background: Green;"|6||4||5||style="background: Pink;"|2||5||3||4||style="background: PaleGreen;"|5||style="background: PaleGreen;"|5||4||style="background: PaleGreen;"|5||style="background: Pink;"|4||style="background: PaleGreen;"|5||style="background: PaleGreen;"|4||5||3||style="background: PaleGreen;"|5||4 |- |align=left|{{flagicon|USA|1912}} McSpaden ||4||style="background: Pink;"|3||5||3||style="background: Pink;"|4||3||4||4||4||style="background: PaleGreen;"|5||style="background: PaleGreen;"|5||style="background: Pink;"|4||4||3||5||style="background: PaleGreen;"|4||style="background: Green;"|^||4 |- |align=left| Leader ||S2||S1||S1||S2||S1||S1||S1||–||M1||–||–||–||M1||M2||M2||M1||–||– |} ^ <small>= picked up ball (hole concession)</small>
''Extra hole'' {|class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" !Hole!!1 |- |Par||4 |- |align=left|{{flagicon|USA|1912}} Shute||4 |- |align=left|{{flagicon|USA|1912}} McSpaden||style="background: PaleGreen;"|5 |- |align=left| Leader ||S1 |} *<small>Source:</small><ref name=sdfmspdn/> :{|class="wikitable" span = 50 style="font-size:85%; |- |style="background:Pink; width:10px;"| |Birdie |style="background:PaleGreen; width:10px;"| |Bogey |style="background:Green; width:10px;"| |Double bogey |}
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== *[http://images.pgalinks.com/vmc/pressReleases/MG_2012_PGAChamp.pdf PGA Media Guide 2012] *[http://www.pga.com/pgachampionship/2004/history_1937.html PGA.com] – 1937 PGA Championship
{{Golf Major Championships master|1937}} {{PGA Championship}} {{Coord|40.513|-79.89|type:event|display=title}}
[[Category:PGA Championship]] [[Category:Golf tournaments in Pennsylvania]] [[Category:Golf in Pittsburgh]] [[Category:1937 in golf|PGA Championship]] [[Category:1937 in American sports|PGA Championship]] [[Category:1937 in sports in Pennsylvania|PGA Championship]] [[Category:May 1937 sports events in the United States|PGA Championship]]