1936 PGA Championship: Denny Shute wins at Pinehurst Resort (No. 2)
Denny Shute won the 1936 PGA Championship at Pinehurst Resort (No. 2) in Pinehurst, North Carolina, beating Jimmy Thomson 3 & 2 in the final.
Updated October 23, 2026
See 1936 in Wanamaker Avenue, the PGA Championship room, or every year on the PGA Championship winners list.
- Dates
- November 16, 1936 to November 22, 1936
- Course
- Pinehurst Resort (No. 2), Pinehurst, North Carolina
- Edition
- 19th PGA Championship
- Format
- match play
- Par
- 72
- Field
- 64
- Match-play field
- 64 · 18 (rounds of 64 and 32); 36 from round of 16
- Stroke-play medalist
- Fay Coleman (143)
- Purse
- $9,200 · winner's share $1,000
- Champion
- Denny Shute · age 32 · United States · born Cleveland, Ohio
- Champion's title
- 1st PGA Championship
- Final
- 3 & 2 (36-hole final)
- Runner-up
- Jimmy Thomson
The draw as recorded: Round of 64 to final (complete).
The final, 1936 PGA Championship
| Winner | Beaten | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Denny Shute | def. | Jimmy Thomson | 3 & 2 |
Semifinals, 1936 PGA Championship
| Winner | Beaten | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Denny Shute | def. | Bill Mehlhorn | 1 up |
| Jimmy Thomson | def. | Craig Wood | 4 & 3 |
Quarterfinals, 1936 PGA Championship
| Winner | Beaten | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Denny Shute | def. | Horton Smith | 3 & 2 |
| Bill Mehlhorn | def. | Jimmy Hines | 4 & 2 |
| Jimmy Thomson | def. | Jug McSpaden | 1 up |
| Craig Wood | def. | Tony Manero | 5 & 4 |
Round of 16, 1936 PGA Championship
| Winner | Beaten | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jug McSpaden | def. | Leo Walper | 4 & 3 |
| Jimmy Thomson | def. | Henry Picard | 4 & 2 |
| Craig Wood | def. | Harry Cooper | 2 & 1 |
| Tony Manero | def. | Bobby Cruickshank | 4 & 2 |
| Horton Smith | def. | Willie Goggin | 2 & 1 |
| Denny Shute | def. | Billy Burke | 2 & 1 |
| Bill Mehlhorn | def. | Ed Dudley | 6 & 4 |
| Jimmy Hines | def. | Vic Ghezzi | 4 & 3 |
Round of 32, 1936 PGA Championship
| Winner | Beaten | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Denny Shute | def. | Al Zimmerman | 3 & 2 |
| Harold McSpaden | def. | Johnny Revolta | won on 19th hole |
| Leo Walper | def. | Clarence Hackney | 2 & 1 |
| Jimmy Thomson | def. | Willie Klein | 3 & 2 |
| Henry Picard | def. | Alvin Krueger | 5 & 4 |
| Harry Cooper | def. | Clarence Doser | 3 & 2 |
| Craig Wood | def. | Frank Walsh | 1 up |
| Bobby Cruickshank | def. | Errie Ball | 2 & 1 |
| Tony Manero | def. | Mortie Dutra | 6 & 5 |
| Horton Smith | def. | Jack Patroni | 6 & 5 |
| Willie Goggin | def. | Les Madison | 5 & 4 |
| Billy Burke | def. | Ky Laffoon | 4 & 3 |
| Bill Mehlhorn | def. | Dick Metz | won on 23rd hole |
| Ed Dudley | def. | Tom LoPresti | 2 & 1 |
| Jimmy Hines | def. | Ray Mangrum | 2 & 1 |
| Vic Ghezzi | def. | Fay Coleman | 1 up |
Round of 64, 1936 PGA Championship
| Winner | Beaten | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Denny Shute | def. | Alex Gerlak | 5 & 4 |
| Johnny Revolta | def. | Marshall Crischton | 6 & 5 |
| Harold McSpaden | def. | Joe Belfore | 6 & 4 |
| Leo Walper | def. | Walter Kozak | 5 & 3 |
| Clarence Hackney | def. | Orm Beaupre | won on 21st hole |
| Willie Klein | def. | Ralph Beach | 2 & 1 |
| Jimmy Thomson | def. | Rod Munday | 5 & 4 |
| Alvin Krueger | def. | Eddie Schultz | 2 & 1 |
| Henry Picard | def. | Leo Mallory | 2 up |
| Harry Cooper | def. | Ted Luther | 2 & 1 |
| Clarence Doser | def. | Paul Runyan | 2 & 1 |
| Craig Wood | def. | John Kinder | 2 & 1 |
| Frank Walsh | def. | Ian Robertson | 5 & 4 |
| Errie Ball | def. | Ralph Stonehouse | won on 19th hole |
| Bobby Cruickshank | def. | Matt Kowal | 4 & 3 |
| Mortie Dutra | def. | Tommy Armour | 4 & 3 |
| Tony Manero | def. | Jimmy Demaret | won on 23rd hole |
| Horton Smith | def. | Jack Forrester | 1 up |
| Jack Patroni | def. | Gene Sarazen | 1 up |
| Willie Goggin | def. | Louis Chiapetta | 3 & 2 |
| Les Madison | def. | Radar Jewett | 3 & 2 |
| Al Zimmerman | def. | Bill Jelliffe | 1 up |
| Billy Burke | def. | Francis Gallett | 1 up |
| Ky Laffoon | def. | Walter Pursey | 4 & 3 |
| Bill Mehlhorn | def. | Neil Christian | 6 & 5 |
| Dick Metz | def. | Les Bolstad | 2 up |
| Ed Dudley | def. | Herman Barron | 3 & 2 |
| Tom LoPresti | def. | Clarence Yockey | 5 & 4 |
| Jimmy Hines | def. | Ted Turner | 2 up |
| Ray Mangrum | def. | Abe Espinosa | 2 & 1 |
| Vic Ghezzi | def. | Mike Turnesa | 5 & 4 |
| Fay Coleman | def. | Ben Richter | 1 up |
What happened at the 1936 PGA Championship
Thomson outdrove Shute by about 60 yards in the final, but Shute got up and down from bunkers nine times.
Byron Nelson, in his first PGA Championship, failed to get through the stroke-play qualifier.
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).