1926 PGA Championship: Walter Hagen wins at Salisbury Country Club
Walter Hagen won the 1926 PGA Championship at Salisbury Country Club in East Meadow, New York, beating Leo Diegel 5 & 3 in the final.
Updated October 23, 2026
See 1926 in Wanamaker Avenue, the PGA Championship room, or every year on the PGA Championship winners list.
- Dates
- September 20, 1926 to September 25, 1926
- Course
- Salisbury Country Club, East Meadow, New York
- Edition
- 9th PGA Championship
- Format
- match play
- Par
- 72 · 6,632 yards
- Field
- 32
- Match-play field
- 32 · 36 every round
- Stroke-play medalist
- Walter Hagen (140)
- Purse
- $11,100 · winner's share $1,000
- Champion
- Walter Hagen · age 33 · United States · born Rochester, New York
- Champion's title
- 4th PGA Championship
- Final
- 5 & 3 (36-hole final)
- Runner-up
- Leo Diegel
The draw as recorded: Round of 32 to final (complete).
The final, 1926 PGA Championship
| Winner | Beaten | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walter Hagen | def. | Leo Diegel | 5 & 3 |
Semifinals, 1926 PGA Championship
| Winner | Beaten | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walter Hagen | def. | Johnny Farrell | 6 & 5 |
| Leo Diegel | def. | Johnny Golden | 1 up |
Quarterfinals, 1926 PGA Championship
| Winner | Beaten | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walter Hagen | def. | Pat Doyle | 6 & 5 |
| Johnny Farrell | def. | Harry Hampton | 3 & 1 |
| Leo Diegel | def. | Abe Espinosa | 3 & 2 |
| Johnny Golden | def. | George Christ | 7 & 6 |
Round of 16, 1926 PGA Championship
| Winner | Beaten | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pat Doyle | def. | Marshall Crichton | 3 & 2 |
| Walter Hagen | def. | Dick Grout | 7 & 6 |
| Johnny Farrell | def. | Dick Linnars | 6 & 5 |
| Harry Hampton | def. | Tom Harmon Jr. | 6 & 5 |
| Abe Espinosa | def. | Mike Brady | 1 up |
| Leo Diegel | def. | Neal McIntyre | 6 & 5 |
| Johnny Golden | def. | Gene Sarazen | 4 & 3 |
| George Christ | def. | Bill Leach | won on 38th hole |
Round of 32, 1926 PGA Championship
| Winner | Beaten | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gene Sarazen | def. | Jim Barnes | 5 & 4 |
| Marshall Crichton | def. | Francis Gallett | 1 up |
| Pat Doyle | def. | Willie Maguire | 2 & 1 |
| Dick Grout | def. | Jock Hendry | 4 & 3 |
| Walter Hagen | def. | Joe Turnesa | 3 & 2 |
| Dick Linnars | def. | Fred McLeod | 5 & 4 |
| Johnny Farrell | def. | Al Watrous | 6 & 5 |
| Harry Hampton | def. | Larry Nabholtz | 6 & 5 |
| Tom Harmon Jr. | def. | Al Espinosa | 6 & 4 |
| Abe Espinosa | def. | Gunnar Nelson | 7 & 6 |
| M.J. Brady | def. | George Aulbach | won on 37th hole |
| Leo Diegel | def. | Mike Patton | 8 & 7 |
| Neal McIntyre | def. | Bobby Cruickshank | 4 & 2 |
| John Golden | def. | Harry Cooper | 5 & 3 |
| Bill Leach | def. | Laurie Ayton Sr. | 3 & 2 |
| George Christ | def. | Leo Shea | 3 & 2 |
What happened at the 1926 PGA Championship
In the final, Diegel's ball came to rest in a rut under a car on a road at the 19th hole; he lost the hole and fell 3 down.
Hagen closed out the final on the 33rd hole after a Diegel double bogey, becoming the first three-straight PGA winner.
How this was built
Every value is shown as recorded in GNN's PGA Championship data. A value no source confirmed is left out; nothing is estimated. Where sources disagree, the organizer's own record is used.
Data: pga.json (the PGA Championship room's data: Tables 1A–1H and 2B, every recorded match).