# 1953 PGA Championship > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/1953_PGA_Championship > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/1953_PGA_Championship.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1953_PGA_Championship > Source revision: 1353871720 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) Golf tournament 1953 PGA Championship Tournament information Dates July 1–7, 1953 Location Birmingham, Michigan, U.S. Course Birmingham Country Club Organized by PGA of America Tour PGA Tour Format Match play - 6 rounds Statistics Par 71 Length 6,465 yards (5,912 m)[1] Field 123 players, 64 to match play Cut 148 (+6), playoff[3] Prize fund $20,700[2] Winner's share $5,000 Champion Walter Burkemo def. Felice Torza, 2 and 1 ← 1952 1954 → Birmingham  Country Club Location in the [United States](/source/United_States) Birmingham  Country Club Location in [Michigan](/source/Michigan) The **1953 PGA Championship** was the 35th [PGA Championship](/source/PGA_Championship), held July 1–7 at [Birmingham Country Club](/source/Birmingham_Country_Club_(Michigan)) in [Birmingham, Michigan](/source/Birmingham%2C_Michigan), a suburb northwest of [Detroit](/source/Detroit). Local resident [Walter Burkemo](/source/Walter_Burkemo) won the [match play](/source/Match_play) championship, 2 and 1 over [Felice Torza](/source/Felice_Torza) in the Tuesday final.[4] The winner's share was [$](/source/United_States_dollar)5,000 and the runner-up's was $3,000.[1] Burkemo won his only [major](/source/Men's_major_golf_championships) title in the second of his three finals; he lost to [Sam Snead](/source/Sam_Snead) in [1951](/source/1951_PGA_Championship) and [Chick Harbert](/source/Chick_Harbert) in [1954](/source/1954_PGA_Championship). [Johnny Palmer](/source/Johnny_Palmer) was the medalist of the stroke play qualifier, awarded $250 for his 134 (−8), with a second round at 66.[5][6] He lost in the first round to [Jack Grout](/source/Jack_Grout); also defeated on "Black Friday" were pre-tournament favorites [Cary Middlecoff](/source/Cary_Middlecoff), three-time champion [Sam Snead](/source/Sam_Snead), and defending champion [Jim Turnesa](/source/Jim_Turnesa).[7] No former past champion advanced past the second round. Burkemo's win marked the second time that all four major championships were won by Americans in a calendar year. ## Format The [match play](/source/Match_play) format at the PGA Championship in 1953 called for 12 rounds (216 holes) in seven days:[2] - Wednesday and Thursday – 36-hole [stroke play](/source/Stroke_play) qualifier, 18 holes per day; - defending champion [Jim Turnesa](/source/Jim_Turnesa) and top 63 professionals advanced to match play - Friday – first two rounds, 18 holes each - Saturday – third round – 36 holes - Sunday – quarterfinals – 36 holes - Monday – semifinals – 36 holes - Tuesday – final – 36 holes ## Final results *Tuesday, July 7, 1953* Place Player Money ($) 1 Walter Burkemo 5,000 2 Felice Torza 3,000 T3 Claude Harmon 750 Jack Isaacs T5 Jimmy Clark 500 Dave Douglas Bill Nary Henry Ransom ## Final eight bracket Quarter-finals July 5 Semi-finals July 6 Finals July 7 Walter Burkemo 2up Dave Douglas Walter Burkemo 1up Claude Harmon Claude Harmon 6&5 Bill Nary Walter Burkemo 2&1 Felice Torza Felice Torza 1up Jimmy Clark Felice Torza 39h Jack Isaacs Jack Isaacs 1up Henry Ransom Sources:[1][8][9] ## Final match scorecards *Morning* 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 Burkemo 5 4 3 4 4 4 3 5 4 5 3 4 4 4 3 4 4 5 Torza 4 4 3 5 4 4 3 5 4 4 3 4 5 5 3 5 4 4 Leader T1 T1 T1 – – – – – – T1 T1 T1 – B1 B1 B2 B2 B1 *Afternoon* 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 Burkemo 4 3 3 5 4 4 3 4 4 4 4 4 4 5 3 5 4 Torza 5 4 4 4 4 3 3 5 5 4 3 4 5 4 3 4 4 Leader B2 B3 B4 B3 B3 B2 B2 B3 B4 B4 B3 B3 B4 B3 B3 B2 B2 Source:[4] - Birdie Bogey ## Conflict with British Open The [Open Championship](/source/1953_Open_Championship) in [Carnoustie](/source/Carnoustie_Golf_Links), [Scotland](/source/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.[10] [Ben Hogan](/source/Ben_Hogan), the reigning [Masters](/source/1953_Masters_Tournament) and [U.S. Open](/source/1953_U.S._Open_(golf)) champion, traveled to Britain for the only time to qualify for the Open. He won the [Claret Jug](/source/Claret_Jug) by four strokes and set the course record at Carnoustie during the final round. First prize was a modest [£](/source/Pound_sterling)500 ($1,400), less than one-third of the PGA's. Hogan won the PGA Championship in [1946](/source/1946_PGA_Championship) and [1948](/source/1948_PGA_Championship), 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](/source/Grand_Slam_(golf)) and professional [major championships](/source/Men's_major_golf_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](/source/1954_PGA_Championship) 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](/source/1965_PGA_Championship), and moved permanently in [1969](/source/1969_PGA_Championship), except for [1971](/source/1971_PGA_Championship) when it was played in Florida in February. ## References 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-ms53pgafin_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-ms53pgafin_1-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-ms53pgafin_1-2) ["Burkemo wins PGA title, 2–1"](https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=nHIxAAAAIBAJ&sjid=0A8EAAAAIBAJ&pg=7256%2C388350). *Milwaukee Sentinel*. Associated Press. July 8, 1953. p. 3-part 2. 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-pgamedia53_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-pgamedia53_2-1) ["Tournament Info for: 1953 PGA Championship"](https://web.archive.org/web/20061023165316/http://www.pgamediaguide.com/pgachampionship_detail.cfm?tournament_id=471&date=1953&tourn_name_id=2). PGA.com. Archived from [the original](http://www.pgamediaguide.com/pgachampionship_detail.cfm?tournament_id=471&date=1953&tourn_name_id=2) on October 23, 2006. Retrieved July 14, 2012. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** ["PGA qualifying scores"](https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=KM0_AAAAIBAJ&sjid=w1cMAAAAIBAJ&pg=2363%2C568344). *Youngstown Vindicator*. Associated Press. July 3, 1953. p. 9. 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-bcpgattl_4-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-bcpgattl_4-1) Cromie, Robert (July 8, 1953). ["Burkemo captures P.G.A title"](http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1953/07/08/page/49/article/burkemo-captures-p-g-a-title). *Chicago Daily Tribune*. p. 1, sec. 4. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-tol53pgasq_5-0)** ["Palmer ties PGA mark"](https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=kelOAAAAIBAJ&sjid=eQAEAAAAIBAJ&pg=2340%2C895316). *Toledo Blade*. Associated Press. July 3, 1953. p. 10. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-tpgpm_6-0)** [""Tornado" Palmer grags PGA medal"](https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=UTFWAAAAIBAJ&sjid=I-YDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5696%2C934189). *Spokesman-Review*. Associated Press. July 3, 1953. p. 10. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-yv53pgamp1_7-0)** Grimsley, Will (July 4, 1953). ["Snead, Middlecoff, defending champion Turnesa beaten in PGA Tourney"](https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Kc0_AAAAIBAJ&sjid=w1cMAAAAIBAJ&pg=797%2C694522). *Youngstown Vindicator*. Associated Press. p. 7. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** ["Torza, Burkemo, Harmon, Isaacs in U.S.P.G.A. Seni-finals"](https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1946&dat=19530706&id=x3kyAAAAIBAJ&sjid=-bgFAAAAIBAJ&pg=6976,794173). *Montreal Gazette*. Associated Press. July 6, 1953. p. 20. Retrieved August 9, 2013. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** ["Burkemo, Torza Win Way Into P.G.A. Final Round"](https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1946&dat=19530706&id=x3kyAAAAIBAJ&sjid=-bgFAAAAIBAJ&pg=6806,967061). *Montreal Gazette*. Associated Press. July 7, 1953. p. 17. Retrieved August 9, 2013. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-mg53pgafin_10-0)** ["Burkemo wins P.G.A. - Locke paces British qualifiers"](https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=yHkyAAAAIBAJ&sjid=-bgFAAAAIBAJ&pg=6902%2C1161124). *Montreal Gazette*. Associated Press. July 8, 1953. p. 21. ## External links - [PGA Media Guide 2012](http://images.pgalinks.com/vmc/pressReleases/MG_2012_PGAChamp.pdf) - [PGA.com](http://www.pga.com/pgachampionship/2004/history_1953.html) – 1953 PGA Championship v t e 1953 men's major golf championships The Masters U.S. Open PGA Championship The Open Championship v t e PGA Championships 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 [42°31′59″N 83°14′02″W / 42.533°N 83.234°W / 42.533; -83.234](https://geohack.toolforge.org/geohack.php?pagename=1953_PGA_Championship¶ms=42.533_N_83.234_W_type:event) --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [1953 PGA Championship](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1953_PGA_Championship) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1953_PGA_Championship?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.