1949 PGA Championship

The 1949 PGA Championship was the 31st PGA Championship, held May 25–31 in Virginia at Belmont Golf Course (formerly known as Hermitage Country Club), north of Richmond. Native Virginian Sam Snead won the match play championship, 3 and 2 over Johnny Palmer in the Tuesday final; the winner's share was $3,500 and the runner-up's was $1,500.^[3][4]

1949 PGA Championship

Tournament information
Dates	May 25–31, 1949
Location	Henrico County, Virginia, U.S.
Course(s)	Hermitage Country Club (now known as Belmont Golf Course)
Organized by	PGA of America
Tour(s)	PGA Tour
Format	Match play - 6 rounds
Statistics
Par	71
Length	6,677 yards (6,105 m)[1]
Field	64 to match play
Cut	149 (+8), playoff
Prize fund	$17,700[2]
Winner's share	$3,500
Champion
Sam Snead
def. Johnny Palmer, 3 and 2
← 1948 1950 →

Richmond

Location in the United States

Belmont 
Golf Course

Location in Virginia

Hermitage Country Club golf course in Goochland County, Virginia (pictured in 2025), where the Championship was held.

It was the second of Snead's three wins in the PGA Championship, and the fourth of his seven major titles. At age 37, Snead was the oldest to win the PGA Championship;^[5] he won again two years later in 1951.

The medalist in the stroke play qualifier was unsung Ray Wade Hill of Louisiana,^[6] who advanced to the quarterfinals.

Snead won the Masters in April; this was the first time the Masters champion had won the PGA Championship in the same calendar year. This has only been accomplished four times, most recently 50 years ago: Snead was followed by Jack Burke Jr. in 1956 and Jack Nicklaus in 1963 and 1975. Snead's double was in the spring, Burke and Nicklaus completed theirs in the summer.

Defending champion Ben Hogan did not play in any of the majors during the 1949 season, following a near-fatal automobile accident in west Texas in early February.^[7][8] In 1948, he won two majors, led the tour in money and wins (ten), and was player of the year; he had won two events in January 1949 (Pebble Beach, Long Beach),^[9] with a playoff runner-up in a third (Phoenix).^[10] Although Hogan returned to the tour in 1950 on a limited basis and won six more majors (nine total), he did not enter the PGA Championship again until age 48 in 1960, its third year as a stroke play event.

Format

The match play format at the PGA Championship in 1949 called for 12 rounds (216 holes) in seven days:^[2]

• Wednesday and Thursday – 36-hole stroke play qualifier, 18 holes per day;
  • the top 64 professionals advanced to match play
    • defending champion Ben Hogan did not enter, out for the season with injuries from an automobile accident
• 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, May 31, 1949

Place	Player	Money ($)
1	Sam Snead	3,500
2	Johnny Palmer	1,500
T3	Jim Ferrier	750
	Lloyd Mangrum
T5	Jimmy Demaret	500
	Clayton Heafner
	Ray Wade Hill
	Henry Williams, Jr.

Final eight bracket

Quarter-finals May 29

Semi-finals May 30

Finals May 31

Sam Snead

4&3

Jimmy Demaret

Sam Snead

3&2

Jim Ferrier

Jim Ferrier

3&2

Clayton Heafner

Sam Snead

3&2

Johnny Palmer

Johnny Palmer

7&6

Henry Williams, Jr.

Johnny Palmer

6&5

Lloyd Mangrum

Lloyd Mangrum

7&6

Ray Wade Hill

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	4	4	3	4	4	4	4	5	5	4	4	3	4	4	4	4	3
Snead	4	4	4	3	4	3	4	5	4	4	4	4	3	4	4	5	3	3
Palmer	4	3	4	2	4	4	4	4	4	^	5	4	3	3	4	4	^	4
Leader	–	P1	P1	P2	P2	P1	P1	P2	P2	P1	–	–	–	P1	P1	P2	P1	–

^ = picked up ball (hole concession)

Afternoon

Hole	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18
Par	4	4	4	3	4	4	4	4	5	5	4	4	3	4	4	4	4	3
Snead	4	4	4	2	4	3	3	4	6	4	4	4	2	4	4	4	Snead wins 3 and 2
Palmer	4	4	4	3	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	3	4	4	4
Leader	–	–	–	S1	S1	S2	S3	S3	S2	S2	S2	S2	S3	S3	S3	S3

Source:^[4]