1945 PGA Championship

The 1945 PGA Championship was the 27th PGA Championship, held July 9–15 at Moraine Country Club in Kettering, Ohio, a suburb south of Dayton. Then a match play championship, Byron Nelson won 4 and 3 in the final over Sam Byrd,^[4] a former major league baseball player.^[5]

1945 PGA Championship

Tournament information
Dates	July 9–15, 1945
Location	Kettering, Ohio
Course(s)	Moraine Country Club
Organized by	PGA of America
Tour(s)	PGA Tour
Format	Match play - 5 rounds
Statistics
Par	72
Field	143 players,[1] 32 to match play
Cut	148 (+6), playoff
Prize fund	$14,700[2]
Winner's share	$5,000 in war bonds[3]
Champion
Byron Nelson
def. Sam Byrd, 4 and 3
← 1944 1946 →

Moraine CC

Location in the United States

Moraine CC

Location in Ohio

It was Nelson's fifth and final major title and his second win at the PGA Championship; he also won in 1940 and was a runner-up three times (1939, 1941, 1944). The winner's share of the purse was $5,000 in war bonds.^[3][4] The victory was the ninth of Nelson's record eleven consecutive wins in 1945.

Defending champion Bob Hamilton was defeated in the first round by Jack Grout, 4 and 3.

Due to World War II, the PGA Championship was the sole major played in 1945 (and 1944). The three others returned in 1946.

Format

The match play format at the PGA Championship in 1945 called for 12 rounds (216 holes) in seven days:^[2]

• Monday and Tuesday – 36-hole stroke play qualifier, 18 holes per day, field of 78 players;
  • defending champion Bob Hamilton and top 31 professionals advanced to match play
• Wednesday – first round – 36 holes
• Thursday – second round – 36 holes
• Friday – quarterfinals – 36 holes
• Saturday – semifinals – 36 holes
• Sunday – final – 36 holes

Final results

Sunday, July 15, 1945

Place	Player	Country
1	Byron Nelson
2	Sam Byrd
T3	Clarence Doser
	Claude Harmon
T5	Vic Ghezzi
	Ralph Hutchison
	Ky Laffoon
	Denny Shute

Final eight bracket

Quarter-finals July 13

Semi-finals July 14

Finals July 15

Byron Nelson

3&2

Denny Shute

Byron Nelson

5&4

Claude Harmon

Claude Harmon

4&3

Ralph Hutchison

Byron Nelson

4&3

Sam Byrd

Sam Byrd

7&6

Vic Ghezzi

Sam Byrd

7&6

Clarence Doser

Clarence Doser

2&1

Ky Laffoon

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	3	4	5	3	4	4	5	4	4	4	3	5	4	3	4	5	4
Nelson	3	4	3	5	3	4	3	6	4	4	3	3	5	4	3	3	5	4
Byrd	4	3	4	5	3	4	3	6	3	4	4	3	5	4	2	3	4	3
Leader	N1	–	N1	N1	N1	N1	N1	N1	–	–	N1	N1	N1	N1	–	–	B1	B2

Afternoon

Hole	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18
Par	4	3	4	5	3	4	4	5	4	4	4	3	5	4	3	4	5	4
Nelson	4	3	4	4	3	4	4	5	4	4	3	3	4	4	3	Nelson wins 4 and 3
Byrd	4	3	3	5	3	4	5	6	4	4	4	4	5	5	3
Leader	B2	B2	B3	B2	B2	B2	B1	–	–	–	N1	N2	N3	N4	N4

• Source:^[4]