1941 Pga Championship

Then a match play championship, Vic Ghezzi won his only major title over defending champion Byron Nelson in 38 holes. Nelson defeated Ralph Guldahl, Ben Hogan, and Gene Sarazen on successive days to reach his third consecutive final.

1941 PGA Championship

Tournament information
Dates	July 7–13, 1941
Location	Englewood, Colorado, U.S.
Course(s)	Cherry Hills Country Club
Organized by	PGA of America
Tour(s)	PGA Tour
Format	Match play - 6 rounds
Statistics
Par	71
Length	6,888 yards (6,298 m)
Field	97 players, 64 to match play
Cut	154 (+12), playoff
Prize fund	$10,600
Winner's share	$1,100
Champion
Vic Ghezzi
def. Byron Nelson, 38 holes
← 1940 1942 →

Cherry Hills Country Club

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Location in the United States

Seven of the eight quarterfinalists in 1941 won major titles during their careers. Sam Snead was the medalist in the stroke play qualifier at 138 (−4); he lost in the quarterfinals but won the first of his three titles the following year.

Due to World War II, this was the last "full field" at the PGA Championship until 1946. The match play bracket was scaled back from 64 competitors to 32 for 1942, when it and the Masters were the only majors held. The PGA Championship was the only major in 1944 and 1945; none were played in 1943 and the other three returned in 1946.

This was the last time the final match in the PGA Championship went to extra holes. The PGA Championship changed to stroke play in 1958 and its first two playoffs in 1961 and 1967 were 18 holes, before conversion to sudden-death, first used in 1977 and last in 1996. The present three-hole aggregate playoff made its debut in 2000.

This championship was the second major played at this course; the U.S. Open was held at Cherry Hills three years earlier in 1938, won by Guldahl. It later hosted the U.S. Open in 1960 and 1978, and the PGA Championship in 1985. The average elevation of the course exceeds 5,300 feet (1,620 m) above sea level.

The match play format at the PGA Championship in 1941 called for 12 rounds (216 holes) in seven days:

• Monday and Tuesday – 36-hole stroke play qualifier, 18 holes per day;
  • defending champion Byron Nelson and top 63 professionals advanced to match play
• Wednesday – first two rounds, 18 holes each
• Thursday – third round – 36 holes
• Friday – quarterfinals – 36 holes
• Saturday – semifinals – 36 holes
• Sunday – final – 36 holes

Sunday, July 13, 1941

Place	Player	Money ($)
1	Vic Ghezzi	1,100
2	Byron Nelson	600
T3	Lloyd Mangrum	350
	Gene Sarazen
T5	Jimmy Hines	250
	Ben Hogan
	Denny Shute
	Sam Snead

Source:

Morning

Hole	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18
Par	4	4	4	4	5	3	4	3	4	4	5	3	4	4	3	4	5	4
Ghezzi	4	3	3	4	5	3	4	3	4	3	6	3	4	5	4	4	4	5
Nelson	3	4	4	4	6	3	4	3	3	4	5	3	4	5	3	4	4	4
Leader	N1	–	G1	G1	G2	G2	G2	G2	G1	G2	G1	G1	G1	G1	–	–	–	N1

Afternoon

Hole	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18
Par	4	4	4	4	5	3	4	3	4	4	5	3	4	4	3	4	5	4
Ghezzi	4	4	3	4	5	3	4	4	4	4	4	3	4	4	2	4	6	5
Nelson	4	3	3	5	5	2	4	3	4	5	5	4	3	5	3	4	5	5
Leader	N1	N2	N2	N1	N1	N2	N2	N3	N3	N2	N1	–	N1	–	G1	G1	–	–

Extra holes

Hole	1	2
Par	4	4
Ghezzi	4	4
Nelson	4	5
Leader	–	G1

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