| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Dates | May 24–30, 1937 |
| Location | Fox Chapel, Pennsylvania |
| Course(s) | Pittsburgh Field Club |
| Organized by | PGA of America |
| Tour(s) | PGA Tour |
| Format | Match play - 6 rounds |
| Statistics | |
| Par | 72 |
| Length | 6,665 yards (6,094 m) |
| Field | 106 players, 64 to match play[2] |
| Cut | 157 (+13), playoff |
| Prize fund | $9,200[1] |
| Winner's share | $1,000 |
| Champion | |
 Denny Shute | |
| def. Jug McSpaden, 37 holes | |
Field Club
The 1937 PGA Championship was the 20th PGA Championship, held May 24–30 at Pittsburgh Field Club in Fox Chapel, Pennsylvania, a suburb northeast of Pittsburgh. Then a match play championship, Denny Shute won his second consecutive PGA Championship in less than seven months, defeating Jug McSpaden in 37 holes.[3][4] The previous edition in 1936 was held in November at Pinehurst, North Carolina.
Shute was 3 holes up after the morning round of the finals, but McSpaden had the lead with nine holes remaining and was 2 up with three holes to go. McSpaden bogeyed the 34th and double-bogeyed the 35th to square up the match as they went to the 36th tee. McSpaden missed a four-foot (1.2 m) birdie putt to win and they halved the hole and went to an extra hole. McSpaden lipped out his par-saving putt from 8 feet (2.4 m) to end the match.[3][5]
Shute was the last to successfully defend his title at the PGA Championship until Tiger Woods won consecutive titles in 1999 and 2000. It was Shute's third and final major title; his first was at the British Open in 1933 at St. Andrews.
Usually played later in the schedule, this PGA Championship was in late May, the first of three times it was held before the U.S. Open and British Open. Prior to World War II, the PGA Championship was most often played in September, but ranged from late May (1937, 1942) to early December (1929). Since 1969, it has been held in early to mid-August, except for 1971 (February) and 2016 (July).
- ^ "Tournament Info for: 1937 PGA Championship". PGA of America. Archived from the original on October 23, 2006. Retrieved April 30, 2013.
- ^ "Runyan Paces Field in PGA Golf Tourney; Hines is Second". Telegraph-Herald. Dubuque, Iowa. United Press. May 25, 1937. p. 11. Retrieved April 30, 2013.
- ^ a b Bartlett, Charles (May 31, 1937). "Shute defeats M'Spaden for P.G.A. title on 37th". Chicago Daily Tribune. p. 21.
- ^ "Denny Shute wins title in pro golf". Montreal Gazette. Associated Press. May 31, 1937. p. 20. Retrieved April 30, 2013.
- ^ Henry, Jack (May 31, 1937). "Denny Shute stages spectacular rally to retain national P.G.A. Championship". Youngstown Vindicator. (Ohio). United Press. p. 10. Retrieved April 30, 2013.