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 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
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Final eight bracket
Final match scorecards
Morning
Afternoon
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