1931 PGA Championship: Tom Creavy wins at Wannamoisett Country Club

Tom Creavy won the 1931 PGA Championship at Wannamoisett Country Club in Rumford, Rhode Island, beating Denny Shute 2 & 1 in the final.

Updated October 23, 2026

See 1931 in Wanamaker Avenue, the PGA Championship room, or every year on the PGA Championship winners list.

Dates: September 14, 1931 to September 19, 1931
Course: Wannamoisett Country Club, Rumford, Rhode Island
Edition: 14th PGA Championship
Format: match play
Par: 69
Field: 32
Match-play field: 32 · 36 every round
Stroke-play medalist: Gene Sarazen (145)
Purse: $7,200 · winner's share $1,000
Champion: Tom Creavy · age 20 · United States · born Tuckahoe, New York
Champion's title: 1st PGA Championship
Final: 2 & 1 (36-hole final)
Runner-up: Denny Shute

The draw as recorded: Round of 32 to final (complete).

The final, 1931 PGA Championship

Winner		Beaten	Result
Tom Creavy	def.	Denny Shute	2 & 1

Semifinals, 1931 PGA Championship

Winner		Beaten	Result
Tom Creavy	def.	Gene Sarazen	5 & 3
Denny Shute	def.	Billy Burke	1 up

Quarterfinals, 1931 PGA Championship

Winner		Beaten	Result
Tom Creavy	def.	Cyril Walker	3 & 1
Gene Sarazen	def.	Horton Smith	5 & 4
Denny Shute	def.	Tommy Armour	3 & 1
Billy Burke	def.	Abe Espinosa	5 & 3

Round of 16, 1931 PGA Championship

Winner		Beaten	Result
Gene Sarazen	def.	Paul Runyan	7 & 6
Horton Smith	def.	Willie Macfarlane	6 & 5
Cyril Walker	def.	Johnny Golden	5 & 4
Tom Creavy	def.	Peter O'Hara	2 up
Billy Burke	def.	Bob Crowley	5 & 4
Abe Espinosa	def.	Bill Mehlhorn	2 & 1
Denny Shute	def.	Jim Foulis	2 & 1
Tommy Armour	def.	Walter Murray	5 & 3

Round of 32, 1931 PGA Championship

Winner		Beaten	Result
Paul Runyan	def.	Arthur Gusa	3 & 2
Gene Sarazen	def.	Al Espinosa	9 & 8
Willie MacFarlane	def.	Henry Ciuci	3 & 2
Horton Smith	def.	Walter Bemish	7 & 6
Cyril Walker	def.	Ed Dudley	3 & 2
John Golden	def.	Alfred Sargent	3 & 2
Peter O’Hara	def.	Walter Hagen	4 & 3
Tom Creavy	def.	Jack Collins	5 & 4
Bob Crowley	def.	Pat Circelli	1 up
Billy Burke	def.	Dave Hackney	5 & 3
Abe Espinosa	def.	Vincent Eldred	4 & 3
Bill Mehlhorn	def.	Leo Diegel	3 & 2
Denny Shute	def.	Tony Butler	won on 38th hole
Jim Foulis	def.	Johnny Farrell	2 up
Tommy Armour	def.	Joe Kirkwood	2 & 1
Walter Murray	def.	Eddie Schultz	6 & 5

What happened at the 1931 PGA Championship

20-year-old Creavy beat Gene Sarazen 5 & 3 in the semifinals.

Shute reached the final by beating Billy Burke 1 up in the semifinals, then lost 2 & 1 to Creavy.

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).