1930 PGA Championship: Tommy Armour wins at Fresh Meadow Country Club
Tommy Armour won the 1930 PGA Championship at Fresh Meadow Country Club in Flushing, New York, beating Gene Sarazen 1 up in the final.
Updated October 23, 2026
See 1930 in Wanamaker Avenue, the PGA Championship room, or every year on the PGA Championship winners list.
- Dates
- September 8, 1930 to September 13, 1930
- Course
- Fresh Meadow Country Club, Flushing, New York
- Edition
- 13th PGA Championship
- Format
- match play
- Field
- 32
- Match-play field
- 32 · 36 every round
- Stroke-play medalist
- Johnny Farrell and Horton Smith (tie) (145)
- Purse
- $10,300 · winner's share $1,000
- Champion
- Tommy Armour · age 34 · Scotland / United States · born Edinburgh, Scotland
- Champion's title
- 1st PGA Championship
- Final
- 1 up (36-hole final)
- Runner-up
- Gene Sarazen
The draw as recorded: Round of 32 to final (complete).
The final, 1930 PGA Championship
| Winner | Beaten | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tommy Armour | def. | Gene Sarazen | 1 up |
Semifinals, 1930 PGA Championship
| Winner | Beaten | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tommy Armour | def. | Charles Lacey | 1 up |
| Gene Sarazen | def. | Joe Kirkwood | 5 & 4 |
Quarterfinals, 1930 PGA Championship
| Winner | Beaten | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tommy Armour | def. | Johnny Farrell | 2 & 1 |
| Charles Lacey | def. | Harold Sampson | 4 & 3 |
| Gene Sarazen | def. | Al Espinosa | 2 & 1 |
| Joe Kirkwood | def. | Horton Smith | 1 up |
Round of 16, 1930 PGA Championship
| Winner | Beaten | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charles Lacey | def. | Al Watrous | 5 & 4 |
| Harold Sampson | def. | Leo Diegel | won on 38th hole |
| Tommy Armour | def. | Bob Shave | 7 & 5 |
| Johnny Farrell | def. | Denny Shute | 1 up |
| Gene Sarazen | def. | Bob Crowley | 7 & 6 |
| Al Espinosa | def. | Harry Cooper | 4 & 3 |
| Joe Kirkwood | def. | J. S. Collins | won on 37th hole |
| Horton Smith | def. | Laurie Ayton Sr. | 5 & 4 |
Round of 32, 1930 PGA Championship
| Winner | Beaten | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Al Watrous | def. | Eric Seavall | 3 & 1 |
| Charles Lacey | def. | Charles Guest | 3 & 2 |
| Harold Sampson | def. | Clarence Ehresman | 4 & 3 |
| Leo Diegel | def. | Henry Ciuci | 8 & 7 |
| Tommy Armour | def. | Clarence Hackney | 11 & 10 |
| Bob Shave | def. | Joseph Kenny | 1 up |
| Denny Shute | def. | Joe Frank | 8 & 6 |
| Johnny Farrell | def. | Norman Smith | 7 & 5 |
| Gene Sarazen | def. | Charles Schneider | 1 up |
| Bob Crowley | def. | Wiffy Cox | 4 & 3 |
| Harry Cooper | def. | Bill Mehlhorn | 2 & 1 |
| Al Espinosa | def. | Mark Fry | 2 & 1 |
| Joe Kirkwood | def. | Gunnar Johnson | 8 & 7 |
| J.S. Collins | def. | John Golden | 5 & 4 |
| Horton Smith | def. | Billy Burke | 2 & 1 |
| Laurie Ayton Sr. | def. | Earl Fry | 4 & 3 |
What happened at the 1930 PGA Championship
All square at the 36th, both players were in a greenside bunker and blasted to about 10–12 feet; Armour holed his putt and Sarazen missed.
Harold Sampson beat two-time defending champion Leo Diegel on the 38th hole in the round of 16.
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).