# 1938 PGA Championship

The 1938 PGA Championship was the 21st PGA Championship, held July 10–16 at Shawnee Country Club in Smithfield Township, Pennsylvania.
Then a match play championship, Paul Runyan won his second PGA Championship, defeating the favored Sam Snead 8 and 7. Nicknamed "Little Poison," Runyan was one of the shorter hitters on tour, while Snead was one of the longest. Runyan was five holes up after the morning round, then needed just eleven holes to finish off Snead, the largest victory margin ever in the match play finals of the PGA Championship. Snead won only one of the 29 holes, the 24th, which Runyan bogeyed. Runyan's victory four years earlier in 1934 took 38 holes to decide.
Two-time defending champion Denny Shute lost in the third round to semifinalist Jimmy Hines.
The course, now The Shawnee Inn & Golf Resort, is on an island in the Delaware River, east of East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania.

## Format

The match play format at the PGA Championship in 1938 called for 12 rounds (216 holes) in seven days:
* Sunday and Monday – 36-hole stroke play qualifier, 18 holes per day;
** defending champion Denny Shute and top 63 professionals advanced to match play
* Tuesday – first two rounds, 18 holes each
* Wednesday – third round – 36 holes
* Thursday – quarterfinals – 36 holes
* Friday – semifinals – 36 holes
* Saturday – final – 36 holes

## Final results

Saturday, July 16, 1938
| Place | Player | Money ($) |
| 1 | Paul Runyan | 1,100 |
| 2 | Sam Snead | 600 |
| T3 | Jimmy Hines | 350 |
| T3 | Henry Picard | 350 |
| T5 | Jim Foulis | 250 |
| T5 | Byron Nelson | 250 |
| T5 | Gene Sarazen | 250 |
| T5 | Horton Smith | 250 |
Source:

## Final eight bracket

| Quarter-finals July 14 | Quarter-finals July 14 | Quarter-finals July 14 | Semi-finals July 15 | Semi-finals July 15 | Semi-finals July 15 | Finals July 16 | Finals July 16 | Finals July 16 |
| Paul Runyan | Paul Runyan | 4&3 | | | | | | |
| Horton Smith | Horton Smith | | | | | | | |
| Horton Smith | Horton Smith | | Paul Runyan | Paul Runyan | 4&3 | | | |
| | | | Henry Picard | Henry Picard | | | | |
| Henry Picard | Henry Picard | 3&2 | Henry Picard | Henry Picard | | | | |
| Gene Sarazen | Gene Sarazen | | | | | | | |
| Gene Sarazen | Gene Sarazen | | | | | Paul Runyan | Paul Runyan | 8&7 |
| | | | | | | Sam Snead | Sam Snead | |
| Sam Snead | Sam Snead | 8&7 | | | | | | | Sam Snead | Sam Snead |
| Jim Foulis | Jim Foulis | | | | | | | |
| Jim Foulis | Jim Foulis | | Sam Snead | Sam Snead | 1up | | | |
| | | | Jimmy Hines | Jimmy Hines | | | | |
| Jimmy Hines | Jimmy Hines | 2&1 | Jimmy Hines | Jimmy Hines | | | | |
| Byron Nelson | Byron Nelson | | | | | | | |

## 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 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 3 |
| Runyan | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 |
| Snead | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 3 |
| Leader | – | – | R1 | R1 | R1 | R1 | R1 | R1 | R2 | R2 | R3 | R4 | R4 | R4 | R5 | R5 | R5 | R5 |
Afternoon
| Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
| Par | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 3 |
| Runyan | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | Runyan wins 8 and 7 | Runyan wins 8 and 7 | Runyan wins 8 and 7 | Runyan wins 8 and 7 | Runyan wins 8 and 7 | Runyan wins 8 and 7 | Runyan wins 8 and 7 |
| Snead | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | Runyan wins 8 and 7 | Runyan wins 8 and 7 | Runyan wins 8 and 7 | Runyan wins 8 and 7 | Runyan wins 8 and 7 | Runyan wins 8 and 7 | Runyan wins 8 and 7 |
| Leader | R5 | R6 | R7 | R7 | R7 | R6 | R6 | R7 | R7 | R8 | R8 | Runyan wins 8 and 7 | Runyan wins 8 and 7 | Runyan wins 8 and 7 | Runyan wins 8 and 7 | Runyan wins 8 and 7 | Runyan wins 8 and 7 | Runyan wins 8 and 7 |
Source:

## Video

* You Tube – 1938 PGA Championship final