{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}} {{Infobox individual golf tournament | name = 1953 PGA Championship | image = | location = [[Birmingham, Michigan]], U.S. | course = [[Birmingham Country Club (Michigan)|Birmingham Country Club]] | dates = July 1–7, 1953 | par = 71 | yardage = {{convert|6465|yd}}<ref name=ms53pgafin>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=nHIxAAAAIBAJ&sjid=0A8EAAAAIBAJ&pg=7256%2C388350 |newspaper=Milwaukee Sentinel |agency=Associated Press |title=Burkemo wins PGA title, 2–1 |date=July 8, 1953 |page=3-part 2}}</ref> | org = [[Professional Golfers' Association of America|PGA of America]] | tour = [[PGA Tour]] | field = 123 players,<br>64 to match play | cut = 148 (+6), playoff<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=KM0_AAAAIBAJ&sjid=w1cMAAAAIBAJ&pg=2363%2C568344|newspaper=Youngstown Vindicator|agency=Associated Press|title=PGA qualifying scores|date=July 3, 1953|page=9}}</ref> | format = [[Match play]] - 6 rounds | purse = [[United States dollar|$]]20,700<ref name=pgamedia53>{{cite web|url=http://www.pgamediaguide.com/pgachampionship_detail.cfm?tournament_id=471&date=1953&tourn_name_id=2|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061023165316/http://www.pgamediaguide.com/pgachampionship_detail.cfm?tournament_id=471&date=1953&tourn_name_id=2|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 23, 2006|publisher=PGA.com|title=Tournament Info for: 1953 PGA Championship|accessdate=July 14, 2012}}</ref> | winners_share = $5,000 | champion = {{flagicon|USA|1912}} [[Walter Burkemo]] | score = def. [[Felice Torza]], 2 and 1 | previous = [[1952 PGA Championship|1952]] | next = [[1954 PGA Championship|1954]] |}} {{Location map |USA |relief = 1 |label = <small>Birmingham <br>Country Club</small> |lat = 42.533 |long = -83.234 |caption = Location in the [[United States]] |marksize = 5 |float = |background = |width = 240 }} {{Location map |USA Michigan |relief = 1 |label = <small>Birmingham <br>Country Club</small> |lat = 42.533 |long = -83.234 |caption = Location in [[Michigan]] |marksize = 5 |float = |background = |width = 180 }} The '''1953 PGA Championship''' was the 35th [[PGA Championship]], held July 1–7 at [[Birmingham Country Club (Michigan)|Birmingham Country Club]] in [[Birmingham, Michigan]], a suburb northwest of [[Detroit]]. Local resident [[Walter Burkemo]] won the [[match play]] championship, 2 and 1 over [[Felice Torza]] in the Tuesday final.<ref name=bcpgattl>{{cite news |url=http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1953/07/08/page/49/article/burkemo-captures-p-g-a-title |work=Chicago Daily Tribune |last=Cromie |first=Robert |title=Burkemo captures P.G.A title |date=July 8, 1953 |page=1, sec. 4 }}</ref> The winner's share was [[United States dollar|$]]5,000 and the runner-up's was $3,000.<ref name=ms53pgafin/> Burkemo won his only [[Men's major golf championships|major]] title in the second of his three finals; he lost to [[Sam Snead]] in [[1951 PGA Championship|1951]] and [[Chick Harbert]] in [[1954 PGA Championship|1954]].
[[Johnny Palmer]] was the medalist of the stroke play qualifier, awarded $250 for his 134 (−8), with a second round at 66.<ref name=tol53pgasq>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=kelOAAAAIBAJ&sjid=eQAEAAAAIBAJ&pg=2340%2C895316 |newspaper=Toledo Blade |agency=Associated Press |title=Palmer ties PGA mark |date=July 3, 1953 |page=10}}</ref><ref name=tpgpm>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=UTFWAAAAIBAJ&sjid=I-YDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5696%2C934189 |newspaper=Spokesman-Review |title="Tornado" Palmer grags PGA medal |agency=Associated Press |date=July 3, 1953|page=10 }}</ref> He lost in the first round to [[Jack Grout]]; also defeated on "Black Friday" were pre-tournament favorites [[Cary Middlecoff]], three-time champion [[Sam Snead]], and defending champion [[Jim Turnesa]].<ref name=yv53pgamp1>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Kc0_AAAAIBAJ&sjid=w1cMAAAAIBAJ&pg=797%2C694522 |newspaper=Youngstown Vindicator |agency=Associated Press |last=Grimsley |first=Will |title=Snead, Middlecoff, defending champion Turnesa beaten in PGA Tourney |date=July 4, 1953 |page=7}}</ref> No former past champion advanced past the second round.
Burkemo's win marked the second time that all four major championships were won by Americans in a calendar year.
==Format== The [[match play]] format at the PGA Championship in 1953 called for 12 rounds (216 holes) in seven days:<ref name=pgamedia53/> * Wednesday and Thursday – 36-hole [[stroke play]] qualifier, 18 holes per day; **defending champion [[Jim Turnesa]] and top 63 professionals advanced to match play * Friday – first two rounds, 18 holes each * Saturday – third round – 36 holes * Sunday – quarterfinals – 36 holes * Monday – semifinals – 36 holes * Tuesday – final – 36 holes
==Final results== ''Tuesday, July 7, 1953'' {| class=wikitable !Place!!Player!!Money ([[United States dollar|$]]) |- | align=center|1 || {{flagicon|USA|1912}} '''[[Walter Burkemo]]''' || align=center|5,000 |- | align=center|2 || {{flagicon|USA|1912}} [[Felice Torza]] || align=center|3,000 |- | align=center rowspan=2|T3 || {{flagicon|USA|1912}} [[Claude Harmon]] || align=center rowspan=2|750 |- | {{flagicon|USA|1912}} [[Jack Isaacs]] <!-- http://www.mapga.com/popup/employee_1153/ --> |- | align=center rowspan=4|T5 || {{flagicon|USA|1912}} [[Jimmy Clark (golfer)|Jimmy Clark]] || align=center rowspan=4|500 |- | {{flagicon|USA|1912}} [[Dave Douglas (golfer)|Dave Douglas]] |- | {{flagicon|USA|1912}} [[Bill Nary]] |- | {{flagicon|USA|1912}} [[Henry Ransom]] |} <!--<small>Source:</small>-->
==Final eight bracket== {{8TeamBracket-NoSeeds | RD1=Quarter-finals<br>July 5 | RD2=Semi-finals<br>July 6 | RD3=Finals<br>July 7
| score-width= 35px | team-width= 100px
| RD1-team1= '''[[Walter Burkemo]]''' | RD1-score1= 2up | RD1-team2= [[Dave Douglas (golfer)|Dave Douglas]] | RD1-score2=
| RD1-team3= '''[[Claude Harmon]]''' | RD1-score3= 6&5 | RD1-team4= [[Bill Nary]] | RD1-score4=
| RD1-team5= '''[[Felice Torza]]''' | RD1-score5= 1up | RD1-team6= [[Jimmy Clark (golfer)|Jimmy Clark]] | RD1-score6=
| RD1-team7= '''[[Jack Isaacs]]''' | RD1-score7= 1up | RD1-team8= [[Henry Ransom]] | RD1-score8=
| RD2-team1= '''[[Walter Burkemo]]''' | RD2-score1= 1up | RD2-team2= [[Claude Harmon]] | RD2-score2=
| RD2-team3= '''[[Felice Torza]]''' | RD2-score3= 39h | RD2-team4= [[Jack Isaacs]] | RD2-score4=
| RD3-team1= '''[[Walter Burkemo]]''' | RD3-score1= 2&1 | RD3-team2= [[Felice Torza]] | RD3-score2= }} <small>Sources:</small><ref name=ms53pgafin/><ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1946&dat=19530706&id=x3kyAAAAIBAJ&sjid=-bgFAAAAIBAJ&pg=6976,794173 |title=Torza, Burkemo, Harmon, Isaacs in U.S.P.G.A. Seni-finals |newspaper=Montreal Gazette |agency=Associated Press |date=July 6, 1953 |page=20 |accessdate=August 9, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1946&dat=19530706&id=x3kyAAAAIBAJ&sjid=-bgFAAAAIBAJ&pg=6806,967061 |title=Burkemo, Torza Win Way Into P.G.A. Final Round |newspaper=Montreal Gazette |agency=Associated Press |date=July 7, 1953 |page=17 |accessdate=August 9, 2013}}</ref>
==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||5||4||3||4||4||4||3||5||4|| 4||3||4||4||4||3||4||4||5 |- |align=left|{{flagicon|USA|1912}} Burkemo ||5||4||3||4||4||4||3||5||4||style="background: PaleGreen;"|5||3||4||4||4||3||4||4||5 |- |align=left|{{flagicon|USA|1912}} Torza ||style="background: Pink;"|4||4||3||style="background: PaleGreen;"|5||4||4||3||5||4||4||3||4||style="background: PaleGreen;"|5||style="background: PaleGreen;"|5||3||style="background: PaleGreen;"|5||4||style="background: Pink;"|4 |- |align=left| Leader ||T1||T1||T1||–||–||–||–||–||–||T1||T1||T1||–||B1||B1||B2||B2||B1 |}
''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||5||4||3||4||4||4||3||5||4|| 4||3||4||4||4||3||4||4||5 |- |align=left|{{flagicon|USA|1912}} Burkemo ||style="background: Pink;"|4||style="background: Pink;"|3||3||style="background: PaleGreen;"|5||4||4||3||style="background: Pink;"|4||4||4||style="background: PaleGreen;"|4||4||4||style="background: PaleGreen;"|5||3||style="background: PaleGreen;"|5||4||rowspan=3 style="background:#DCDCDC;"| |- |align=left|{{flagicon|USA|1912}} Torza ||5||4||style="background: PaleGreen;"|4||4||4||style="background: Pink;"|3||3||5||style="background: PaleGreen;"|5||4||3||4||style="background: PaleGreen;"|5||4||3||4||4 |- |align=left| Leader ||B2||B3||B4||B3||B3||B2||B2||B3||B4||B4||B3||B3||B4||B3||B3||B2||B2 |} <small>Source:</small><ref name=bcpgattl/> :{|class="wikitable" span = 50 style="font-size:85%; |- |style="background:Pink; width:10px;"| |Birdie |style="background:PaleGreen; width:10px;"| |Bogey |}
==Conflict with British Open== The [[1953 Open Championship|Open Championship]] in [[Carnoustie Golf Links|Carnoustie]], [[Scotland]], was held July 8–10. Its mandatory 36-hole qualifier was played the two days before the first round, the same days as the semifinals and final at the PGA Championship in Michigan.<ref name=mg53pgafin>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=yHkyAAAAIBAJ&sjid=-bgFAAAAIBAJ&pg=6902%2C1161124|newspaper=Montreal Gazette|agency=Associated Press|title=Burkemo wins P.G.A. - Locke paces British qualifiers |date=July 8, 1953|page=21}}</ref>
[[Ben Hogan]], the reigning [[1953 Masters Tournament|Masters]] and [[1953 U.S. Open (golf)|U.S. Open]] champion, traveled to Britain for the only time to qualify for the Open. He won the [[Claret Jug]] by four strokes and set the course record at Carnoustie during the final round. First prize was a modest [[Pound sterling|£]]500 ($1,400), less than one-third of the PGA's. Hogan won the PGA Championship in [[1946 PGA Championship|1946]] and [[1948 PGA Championship|1948]], then did not enter for over a decade. After his near-fatal automobile accident in early 1949, his battered legs could not endure the arduous double-round schedule for five consecutive days. He played in three of the events in the 1960s, after the change of format to stroke play.
The concept of the modern [[Grand Slam (golf)|grand slam]] and professional [[Men's major golf championships|major championships]] were not firmly established in 1953, as evidenced by the schedule conflict in early July. The PGA Championship moved two weeks later in [[1954 PGA Championship|1954]] to avoid this conflict, but during the 1960s, the two majors were played in consecutive weeks in July on five occasions. The PGA Championship was first played in August in [[1965 PGA Championship|1965]], and moved permanently in [[1969 PGA Championship|1969]], except for [[1971 PGA Championship|1971]] when it was played in Florida in February.
==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_1953.html PGA.com] – 1953 PGA Championship
{{Golf Major Championships master|1953}} {{PGA Championship}} {{coord|42.533|-83.234|type:event|display=title}}
[[Category:PGA Championship]] [[Category:Golf tournaments in Michigan]] [[Category:Sports in Oakland County, Michigan]] [[Category:1953 in golf|PGA Championship]] [[Category:1953 in American sports|PGA Championship]] [[Category:1953 in sports in Michigan|PGA Championship]] [[Category:July 1953 sports events in the United States|PGA Championship]]