| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Dates | July 20–24, 1956 |
| Location | Canton, Massachusetts |
| Course(s) | Blue Hill Country Club |
| Organized by | PGA of America |
| Tour(s) | PGA Tour |
| Format | Match play - 7 rounds |
| Statistics | |
| Par | 71 |
| Length | 6,634 yards (6,066 m)[1][2] |
| Field | 128 players (all match play) |
| Prize fund | $40,000[3] |
| Winner's share | $5,000 |
| Champion | |
 Jack Burke Jr. | |
| def. Ted Kroll, 3 and 2 | |
The 1956 PGA Championship was the 38th edition of the professional golf competition, held at Blue Hill Country Club in Canton, Massachusetts, a suburb southwest of Boston. Jack Burke Jr. won his second major championship of 1956, a 3 and 2 victory over Ted Kroll;[2][4] Burke had won the Masters in April.[5] It was the penultimate PGA Championship as a match play competition; stroke play was introduced two years later in 1958. This was the tenth and final year the PGA Championship was scheduled for a Tuesday finish.
Defending champion Doug Ford was stopped in the third round by 1953 champion Walter Burkemo, 5 and 3.[6]
Blue Hill was not highly regarded as a championship venue and calls increased for a change in format to stroke play.[7][8] Also, a five-year membership in the PGA of America was necessary to compete in the PGA Championship at the time; this excluded young professionals Arnold Palmer, Dow Finsterwald, Gene Littler, and Mike Souchak.[7][8]
This remains the only time the PGA Championship has been played in Massachusetts. It was the 8th major championship played in the state and the first in over 30 years, since the 1925 U.S. Open. The next major held in the state would be the 1963 U.S. Open.
Burke was the second to win the Masters and PGA Championship in the same calendar year, following Sam Snead in 1949. Through 2016, it has only been accomplished four times, with the latter two by Jack Nicklaus in 1963 and 1975.
The Open Championship was held two weeks earlier in England at Royal Liverpool Golf Club; neither Burke nor Kroll played in 1956 (or ever).
In the skills competitions held on Thursday, Joe Kraak won the long driving contest at 300 yards (274 m).[9]
- ^ "Ford Confident of Retaining His PGA Title". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. July 20, 1956. p. 19. Retrieved January 2, 2013.
- ^ a b Bartlett, Charles (July 25, 1956). "Burke's rally beats Kroll for P.G.A. title, 3 and 2". Chicago Daily Tribune. p. 1, sec. 3.
- ^ "Tournament Info for: 1956 PGA Championship". PGA.com. Archived from the original on October 29, 2013. Retrieved January 2, 2013.
- ^ "Burkes's blazing putter wins PGA, 3 and 2". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. July 25, 1956. p. 15.
- ^ Wind, Herbert Warren (August 6, 1956). "Duluth playoff". Sports Illustrated. p. 46.
- ^ Bartlett, Charles (July 22, 1956). "Burkemo ousts Ford from P.G.A., 5 and 3". Chicago Sunday Tribune. p. 1, sec. 3.
- ^ a b "Events & Discoveries". Sports Illustrated. August 6, 1956. p. 17.
- ^ a b Wind, Herbert Warren (August 5, 1957). "The PGA comes back". Sports Illustrated. p. 54.
- ^ Bartlett, Charles (July 20, 1956). "Kraak's blast wins driving title in P.G.A." Chicago Daily Tribune. p. 3, sec. 3.