| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Dates | September 14–19, 1931 |
| Location | Rumford, Rhode Island |
| Course(s) | Wannamoisett Country Club |
| Organized by | PGA of America |
| Tour(s) | PGA Tour |
| Format | Match play - 5 rounds |
| Statistics | |
| Par | 70 [1] [2] |
| Field | 32 to match play |
| Cut | 153 (+13), playoff |
| Prize fund | $7,200 [3] |
| Winner's share | $1,000 |
| Champion | |
Tom Creavy | |
| def. Denny Shute, 2 and 1 | |
Country Club
The 1931 PGA Championship was the 14th PGA Championship, held September 14–19 at Wannamoisett Country Club in Rumford, Rhode Island, northeast of Providence. Then a match play championship, Tom Creavy, age 20, defeated Gene Sarazen 5 and 3 in the semifinals [4] and Denny Shute 2 and 1 in the finals. [3] [5] [6] [7]
This was the first year the defending champion was exempt from qualifying; Tommy Armour lost in the quarterfinals to Shute, 3 and 1. [8] Sarazen was the medalist in the qualifying with 145 (+5). [9] [10]
Through 2016, Sarazen remains the youngest winner of a modern major title at age 20 (in 1922) and Creavy was just 2 months older. [11] [12] Finalist Shute won consecutive titles in 1936 and 1937.
Format
The match play format at the PGA Championship in 1931 called for 12 rounds (216 holes) in six days: [3]
- Monday – 36-hole
stroke play qualifier
- defending champion Tommy Armour and top 31 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 19, 1931
| Place | Player | Money ( $) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Tom Creavy |
1,000 |
| 2 |
Denny Shute |
500 |
| T3 |
Billy Burke |
250 |
|
Gene Sarazen
| ||
| T5 |
Tommy Armour |
200 |
|
Abe Espinosa
| ||
|
Horton Smith
| ||
|
Cyril Walker
|
Final eight bracket
| Quarter-finals September 17 | Semi-finals September 18 | Finals September 19 | ||||||||||||
| Tom Creavy | 3&1 | |||||||||||||
| Cyril Walker | ||||||||||||||
| Tom Creavy | 5&3 | |||||||||||||
| Gene Sarazen | ||||||||||||||
| Gene Sarazen | 5&4 | |||||||||||||
| Horton Smith | ||||||||||||||
| Tom Creavy | 2&1 | |||||||||||||
| Denny Shute | ||||||||||||||
| Denny Shute | 3&1 | |||||||||||||
| Tommy Armour | ||||||||||||||
| Denny Shute | 1up | |||||||||||||
| Billy Burke | ||||||||||||||
| Billy Burke | 5&3 | |||||||||||||
| Abe Espinosa | ||||||||||||||
Final match scorecards
Morning
| Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Par | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 |
|
Creavy |
4 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
|
Shute |
4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| Leader | – | – | C1 | C1 | C1 | C2 | C2 | C1 | C2 | C2 | C3 | C2 | C1 | C1 | C2 | C2 | C2 | C2 |
Afternoon
| Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Par | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 |
|
Creavy |
4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 6 | 5 | |
|
Shute |
4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 6 | |
| Leader | C2 | C1 | C1 | C1 | C1 | C2 | C1 | C1 | C1 | C2 | C3 | C4 | C3 | C3 | C2 | C1 | C2 |
References
- ^ "97 pros begin play today in national meet". Chicago Daily Tribune. Associated Press. September 14, 1931. p. 21.
- ^ "Sarazen P.G.A. tourney medalist with 145". Milwaukee Sentinel. September 15, 1931. p. 13. Retrieved May 7, 2013.
- ^ a b c "Tournament Info for: 1931 PGA Championship". PGA of America. Archived from the original on October 23, 2006. Retrieved May 6, 2013.
- ^ "Shute faces Creavy today". Youngstown Vindicator. Associated Press. September 19, 1931. p. 7. Retrieved May 7, 2013.
- ^ a b "Creavy whips Shute, 2 and 1, for pro golf title". Chicago Sunday Tribune. September 20, 1931. p. 1, sec. 2.
- ^ "Creavy brings new style to paid brigade". Pittsburgh Post Gazette. United News. September 22, 1931. p. 12. Retrieved May 7, 2013.
- ^ a b King, Bill (September 20, 1931). "Tom Creavy, 20-year-old Albany pro, downs Denny Shute for P.G.A. title". Youngstown Vindicator. (Ohio). Associated Press. p. C-2. Retrieved May 7, 2013.
- ^ "Sarazen plays Creavy, Burke meets Shute in P.G.A. semi-finals". Miami News. Associated Press. September 18, 1931. p. 13. Retrieved May 7, 2013.
- ^ "Sarazen takes PGA medal with 145 total". Chicago Daily Tribune. September 15, 1931. p. 17.
- ^ "Gene Sarazen cards 145 to lead pros in qualifying round at Providence". Youngstown Vindicator. (Ohio). Associated Press. September 15, 1931. p. 10.
- ^ Fields, Bill (August 10, 2011). "A forgotten champion's PGA triumph". Golf Digest. Archived from the original on September 14, 2011. Retrieved May 6, 2013.
- ^ Diaz, Jaime (August 28, 2000). "Notebook: Paul Creavy". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved May 6, 2013.
External links
- PGA Media Guide 2012
- PGA.com – 1931 PGA Championship