1949 PGA Championship

{{Short description|Golf tournament held in 1949}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}

{{Infobox individual golf tournament

| name = 1949 PGA Championship

| image =

| location = Goochland County, Virginia, U.S.

| course = Belmont Golf Course (formerly known as Hermitage Country Club)

| dates = May 25–31, 1949

| par = 71

| yardage = {{convert|6677|yd}}{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=2eQMAAAAIBAJ&sjid=iGoDAAAAIBAJ&pg=3824%2C3489315 |newspaper=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |last=Gundelfinger |first=Phil |title=Worsham fires record-tying 63 in PGA tuneup |date=May 25, 1949 |page=19 |accessdate=May 22, 2013}}

| org = PGA of America

| tour = PGA Tour

| field = 64 to match play

| cut = 149 (+8), playoff

| format = Match play - 6 rounds

| purse = $17,700{{cite web |url=http://www.pgamediaguide.com/pgachampionship_detail.cfm?tournament_id=467&date=1949&tourn_name_id=2 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061023165430/http://www.pgamediaguide.com/pgachampionship_detail.cfm?tournament_id=467&date=1949&tourn_name_id=2 |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 23, 2006 |publisher=PGA of America |title=Tournament Info for: 1949 PGA Championship |accessdate=May 22, 2013 }}

| winners_share = $3,500

| champion = {{flagicon|USA|1912}} Sam Snead

| score = def. Johnny Palmer, 3 and 2

| previous = 1948

| next = 1950

|}}

{{Location map

|USA

|relief = 1

|label = Richmond

|lat = 37.647

|long = -77.705

|caption = Location in the United States

|marksize = 5

|float =

|background =

|width = 230

}}

{{Location map

|USA Virginia

|relief = 1

|label = Belmont 
Golf Course

|lat = 37.6179

|long = -77.4625

|caption = Location in Virginia

|marksize = 5

|position = left

|float =

|background =

|width = 200

}}

File:Hermitage Country Club golf course.jpg

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.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=-uIMAAAAIBAJ&sjid=UWoDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6491%2C160705 |newspaper=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |last=Gundelfinger |first=Phil |title=Snead wins PGA, walloping Palmer in finals, 3 and 2 |date=June 1, 1949 |page=16 |accessdate=May 22, 2013}}{{cite news |url=http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1949/06/01/page/37/article/snead-wins-p-g-a-title-3-and-2 |work=Chicago Daily Tribune |last=Bartlett |first=Charles |title=Snead wins P.G.A. title, 3 and 2 |date=June 1, 1949 |page=1, part 3}}

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;{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=KfUZAAAAIBAJ&sjid=yiMEAAAAIBAJ&pg=5727%2C384396 |newspaper=Milwaukee Journal |agency=Associated Press |title=Snead beats Palmer 3-2, takes PGA title |date=June 1, 1949 |page=14-part 2 |accessdate=May 22, 2013}} he won again two years later in 1951.

The medalist in the stroke play qualifier was unsung Ray Wade Hill of Louisiana,{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Ql4zAAAAIBAJ&sjid=eukFAAAAIBAJ&pg=4366%2C5402623|newspaper=Miami News|last=Fraley|first=Oscar|title=PGA match play begins |date=May 27, 1949 |page=3B }} 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 {{Time ago|1975}}: 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.{{cite news |url=http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1949/02/03/page/53/article/golfer-ben-hogan-injured-in-car-crash |work=Chicago Daily Tribune |agency=Associated Press |title=Golfer Ben Hogan injured in car crash |date=February 3, 1949 |page=1, sec. 4}}{{cite news |url=http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1949/02/04/page/27/article/improving-hogan-will-play-again |work=Chicago Daily Tribune |agency=Associated Press |title=Improving Hogan will play again |date=February 4, 1949 |page=1, sec. 3}} 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),{{cite news |url=http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1949/01/26/page/29/article/hogan-cards-69-to-top-demaret-in-playoff-duel|work=Chicago Daily Tribune |agency=Associated Press |title=Hogan cards 69 to top Demaret in playoff |date=January 26, 1949 |page=3, sec. 3}} with a playoff runner-up in a third (Phoenix).{{cite news |url=http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1949/02/01/page/31/article/demaret-beats-hogan-by-3-strokes-to-win-play-off-at-phoenix |work=Chicago Daily Tribune |agency=Associated Press |title=Demaret beats Hogan by 3 to win playoff |date=February 1, 1949 |page=3, sec. 3}} 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.