1926 PGA Championship

The 1926 PGA Championship was the ninth PGA Championship, held September 20–25 at Salisbury Golf Club on Long Island in East Meadow, New York. Then a match play championship, Walter Hagen defeated Leo Diegel 5 & 3 in the finals to win his third consecutive PGA Championship,[3] his fourth overall, and the eighth of his eleven major titles.

1926 PGA Championship
Tournament information
DatesSeptember 20–25, 1926
LocationEast Meadow, New York
Course(s)Salisbury Golf Club
Organized byPGA of America
Tour(s)PGA Tour
FormatMatch play - 5 rounds
Statistics
Par72
Field65 players,[1]
32 to match play
Cut155 (+11), playoff
Prize fund$11,100[2]
Champion
Walter Hagen
def. Leo Diegel, 5 & 3
Salisbury GC
Location in the United States
Salisbury GC
Location in New York

The victory ran Hagen's match record at the PGA Championship in the 1920s to 25–1 (.962), falling only to Gene Sarazen in 38 holes in the 1923 finals. With his third consecutive title, his winning streak stood at fifteen matches. Hagen was also the medalist in the 36-hole qualifier on Monday at 140 (−4).[1] Through 2013, he remains the only winner of three consecutive PGA Championships.

Hagen won the following year in 1927 for his fourth consecutive title, but Diegel stopped the streak in 1928 and repeated in 1929. In both years, Diegel defeated both Hagen and Gene Sarazen, the only winners of the title from 1921 through 1927, in the quarterfinals and semifinals. Hagen had previously stopped Diegel in the 1925 quarterfinals in 40 holes.

Devereux Emmet designed the course in 1914. The 90-hole Salisbury Golf Club ran into financial difficulty during the 1930s and its land was acquired by Nassau County. Originally "Nassau County Park at Salisbury" in 1944, it was renamed Eisenhower Park in 1969. The 1926 venue presently exists as the Red Course; it hosted the Commerce Bank Championship on the Champions Tour as recently as 2008. Eisenhower Park also includes two additional 18-hole courses, Blue and White.

Format

The match play format at the PGA Championship in 1926 called for 12 rounds (216 holes) in six days:[2]

  • Monday – 36-hole stroke play qualifier
    • top 32 professionals advanced to match play
  • Tuesday – first round – 36 holes
  • Wednesday – second round – 36 holes
  • Thursday – quarterfinals – 36 holes
  • Friday – semifinals – 36 holes
  • Saturday – final – 36 holes

Final results

Saturday, September 25, 1926

PlacePlayerCountry
1Walter Hagen United States
2Leo Diegel United States
T3Johnny Farrell United States
Johnny Golden United States
T5George Christ United States
Pat Doyle Ireland
Abe Espinosa United States
Harry Hampton United States

Final eight bracket
Quarter-finals
September 23 		Semi-finals
September 24 		Finals
September 25
         
Walter Hagen 6&5
Pat Doyle
Walter Hagen 6&5
Johnny Farrell
Johnny Farrell 3&1
Harry Hampton
Walter Hagen 4&3
Leo Diegel
Leo Diegel 3&2
Abe Espinosa
Leo Diegel 1up
Johnny Golden
Johnny Golden 7&6
George Christ

References
  1. Rice, Lester (September 21, 1926). "Hagen with 140 tops pro golf qualifying rounds". Milwaukee Sentinel. Universal Service. p. 12.
  2. "Tournament Info for: 1926 PGA Championship". PGA of America. Retrieved May 11, 2013.
  3. Vischer, Peter (September 26, 1926). "Walter Hagen beats Diegel for pro title". Miami Daily News. New York World News Service. p. 15.

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