Philadelphia golf hosted four majors in five years!

“Did You Know”
Philadelphia golf hosted four majors in five years!

From 1938 to 1942 the Philadelphia PGA’s territory played host to four major golf championships: PGA at Shawnee CC, US Open at Philadelphia Country Club, PGA at Hershey CC and PGA at Seaview CC.

How did that happen? Most likely it was Ed Dudley, the professional at both the Philadelphia Country Club and Augusta National Golf Club.

In 1929 Dudley arrived in the Philadelphia PGA as the new professional the Concord Country Club which is a few miles north of the Delaware state line. Dudley (“Big Ed” at 6ft-4in) arrived as a member of the 1929 Ryder Cup team. Before that, Dudley, a native of Georgia, had been the professional at clubs in Missouri, Oklahoma and California, along with quite a bit of success playing the PGA Tour. Dudley would soon win the 1931 Western and Los Angeles Opens.

When Augusta National GC opened in 1933 Bobby Jones hired Dudley as its first professional. Jones knew Dudley, who was one year older, from playing amateur golf in the South as young men. At age 17 Dudley had won the Southern Amateur. One year later in 1934 Philadelphia CC hired Dudley as their professional. Now Dudley was in Philadelphia in the summers and Augusta in the winters.

In 1935 Dudley was elected president of the Philadelphia PGA, a position he held for seven years. During that time, he was on the Board of the PGA of America for five years and the PGA Tour’s tournament chairman from 1936 to 1941. Dudley played many PGA Tour events, summer and winter. He played on three Ryder Cup teams; 1929, 1933 and 1937. Through all of that he knew nearly everyone in golf.

The 1930s were the “Great Depression”. Money was tight and funding golf tournaments was difficult. Most PGA Tour events were sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce in large cities or resorts trying to attract businesses or tourists. Each year the PGA Board and Dudley had to find a host for the PGA Championship. The host clubs had to bid on hosting the championship and also put up the prize money.

Shawnee Country Club, in northeastern Pennsylvania, and its owner Charles Worthington won the bid to host the 1938 PGA Championship. From 1912 to 1937, with some pauses for World War I and the Depression, Worthington had hosted 20 Shawnee Opens. Dudley had won two Shawnee Opens; 1930 and 1936. With no Shawnee Opens from 1931 to 1935, Dudley’s 1936 victory may have been the most years for a successful defense of a title in golf history. Paul Runyan defeated Sam Snead in the 36-hole final of the PGA Championship, 8&7. Along with $10,000 in prize money, Worthington spent another $10,000 hosting the event.

One year later, the 1939 US Open played at the Philadelphia Country Club where Dudley was the professional. At that time the USGA would ask the PGA’s input on where the US Opens might be held, so Dudley probably had a hand in the tournament being at PCC. Sam Snead should have been the winner, but he made an eight on the 72^nd hole. With that Reading Country Club professional Byron Nelson defeated Craig Wood and Denny Shute in a playoff that lasted 36 holes. Dudley was paired with Nelson for the first 36 holes, and he was paired with Snead for Saturday’s 36 holes. At that time, to spread out the spectators the players were not paired by their scores. Total prize money was $5,000.

A year later in 1940 the PGA Championship was at Hershey Country Club. The defending champion was Hershey CC’s professional Henry Picard. It may have been that Milton Hershey, the owner of Hershey CC, liked the idea of bringing the championship to Hershey with his professional as the holder of the title. It might be good for the chocolate business as well. In the 1930s Hershey had hosted seven Hershey Opens. In the 36-hole PGA final, Byron Nelson finished birdie-birdie-par to defeat Sam Snead one down. Prize money totaled $11,050. US Open prize money was $6,000 that year.

In November 1941 Dudley was elected president of the PGA of America, a position he would hold for seven years. He was the first PGA president elected from the playing ranks. In December Japan attacked Pearl Harbor and the United States was at war. The USGA canceled all of its tournaments and the Masters was canceled.

As of late March the PGA still did not have a home for its championship. With the combination of prize money, the reimbursement of travel expenses for the contestants and other costs, the asking price was $20,000. On April 1, Dudley announced that Seaview Country Club in Absecon, New Jersey would be the host. The Atlantic City Chamber of Commerce had hosted a $5,000 Atlantic City Open in 1941. Now they agreed to host a PGA Championship instead.

In May Sam Snead defeated Corporal Jim Turnesa by 2&1 in the final of the PGA. Turnesa, who was stationed nearby at Fort Dix, wore his army uniform during every round, He was only in the tournament because he had agreed to donate his winnings to the Army Relief Fund. Total prize money was $10,050. The players could take their winnings in cash or US War Bonds. To assist with the war effort, there were War Bonds that could be purchased in various amounts for 25 percent less than face value. If held for ten years the bonds were then worth the full amount. Snead, who would be in the US Navy two days later, chose a $1,500 war bond instead of $2,000 cash. Turnesa took his winnings, which were headed to the US Army charity, in $750 cash.

The PGA donated the profits from the tournament to the wartime charities. When a player chose a war bond instead of U.S. dollars there was more money for the charities.

It would be sixteen years before another major championship, the 1958 PGA Championship, would be played near Philadelphia.