1937 PGA Championship: Denny Shute wins at Pittsburgh Field Club
Denny Shute won the 1937 PGA Championship at Pittsburgh Field Club in Fox Chapel, Pennsylvania, beating Harold "Jug" McSpaden won on 37th hole in the final.
Updated October 23, 2026
See 1937 in Wanamaker Avenue, the PGA Championship room, or every year on the PGA Championship winners list.
- Dates
- May 24, 1937 to May 30, 1937
- Course
- Pittsburgh Field Club, Fox Chapel, Pennsylvania
- Edition
- 20th PGA Championship
- Format
- match play
- Field
- 64
- Match-play field
- 64 · 18 (rounds of 64 and 32); 36 from round of 16
- Stroke-play medalist
- Byron Nelson (139)
- Purse
- $9,200 · winner's share $1,000
- Champion
- Denny Shute · age 32 · United States · born Cleveland, Ohio
- Champion's title
- 2nd PGA Championship
- Final
- won on 37th hole (36-hole final)
- Runner-up
- Harold "Jug" McSpaden
The draw as recorded: Round of 64 to final (complete).
The final, 1937 PGA Championship
| Winner | Beaten | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Denny Shute | def. | Jug McSpaden | won on 37th hole |
Semifinals, 1937 PGA Championship
| Winner | Beaten | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Denny Shute | def. | Tony Manero | 1 up |
| Jug McSpaden | def. | Ky Laffoon | 2 up |
Quarterfinals, 1937 PGA Championship
| Winner | Beaten | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Denny Shute | def. | Jimmy Hines | 4 & 3 |
| Tony Manero | def. | Harry Cooper | 1 up |
| Jug McSpaden | def. | Henry Picard | won on 39th hole |
| Ky Laffoon | def. | Byron Nelson | 2 up |
Round of 16, 1937 PGA Championship
| Winner | Beaten | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Denny Shute | def. | Ed Dudley | 3 & 2 |
| Jimmy Hines | def. | Paul Runyan | 2 & 1 |
| Harry Cooper | def. | Jim Foulis | 5 & 4 |
| Tony Manero | def. | Vic Ghezzi | 3 & 1 |
| Byron Nelson | def. | Johnny Farrell | 5 & 4 |
| Ky Laffoon | def. | Jimmy Thomson | 4 & 3 |
| Jug McSpaden | def. | Sam Snead | 2 up |
| Henry Picard | def. | Horton Smith | 4 & 3 |
Round of 32, 1937 PGA Championship
| Winner | Beaten | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Denny Shute | def. | Olin Dutra | 3 & 2 |
| Ed Dudley | def. | Pat Wilcox | 4 & 3 |
| Paul Runyan | def. | Willie Goggin | 2 & 1 |
| Jimmy Hines | def. | Al Espinosa | 1 up |
| Harry Cooper | def. | Johnny Revolta | 1 up |
| Jim Foulis | def. | Gene Sarazen | 1 up |
| Vic Ghezzi | def. | Sam Parks Jr. | 1 up |
| Tony Manero | def. | Willie Macfarlane | 4 & 3 |
| Byron Nelson | def. | Craig Wood | 4 & 2 |
| Johnny Farrell | def. | Charles Schneider | 1 up |
| Ky Laffoon | def. | Billy Burke | 2 & 1 |
| Jimmy Thomson | def. | Ralph Guldahl | 2 & 1 |
| Harold McSpaden | def. | Bunny Torpey | won on 20th hole |
| Sam Snead | def. | Alvin Kreuger | 2 up |
| Henry Picard | def. | Sam Bernardi | 1 up |
| Horton Smith | def. | Al Watrous | won on 19th hole |
Round of 64, 1937 PGA Championship
| Winner | Beaten | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Denny Shute | def. | Joe Turnesa | 2 & 1 |
| Olin Dutra | def. | Clarence Doser | 3 & 2 |
| Ed Dudley | def. | Herman Barron | 5 & 3 |
| Pat Wilcox | def. | Bruce Coltart | 2 & 1 |
| Paul Runyan | def. | Levi Lynch | 4 & 3 |
| Willie Goggin | def. | Sam Schneider | 6 & 4 |
| Jimmy Hines | def. | Clarence Owens | 6 & 4 |
| Al Espinosa | def. | Clark Morse | 3 & 1 |
| Harry Cooper | def. | Ben Richter | 4 & 3 |
| Johnny Revolta | def. | Sal DiBuono | 4 & 3 |
| Gene Sarazen | def. | Eddie Schultz | 3 & 2 |
| Jim Foulis | def. | George Kerrigan | 5 & 4 |
| Vic Ghezzi | def. | Mike Turnesa | 3 & 2 |
| Sam Parks Jr. | def. | Jimmy Demaret | 2 & 1 |
| Tony Manero | def. | Lloyd Gullickson | 2 & 1 |
| Willie Macfarlane | def. | Bud Oakley | 1 up |
| Byron Nelson | def. | Leo Diegel | 2 & 1 |
| Craig Wood | def. | Joe Belfore | 1 up |
| Charles Schneider | def. | Neil Christian | 4 & 3 |
| Johnny Farrell | def. | George Schneiter | 2 up |
| Ky Laffoon | def. | John Shimkonis | 5 & 4 |
| Billy Burke | def. | Steve Zappe | 5 & 4 |
| Jimmy Thomson | def. | Dan Galgano | 3 & 1 |
| Ralph Guldahl | def. | John Kinder | 6 & 4 |
| Harold McSpaden | def. | Clarence Clark | 3 & 2 |
| Bunny Torpey | def. | Ted Longworth | 3 & 2 |
| Sam Snead | def. | Jack Sabol | 4 & 3 |
| Alvin Kreuger | def. | George Diffenbaugh | 3 & 2 |
| Sam Bernardi | def. | Tommy Armour | 1 up |
| Henry Picard | def. | Perry Del Vecchio | 5 & 4 |
| Horton Smith | def. | Harry Nettlebladt | 3 & 2 |
| Al Watrous | def. | Bill Mehlhorn | won on 23rd hole |
What happened at the 1937 PGA Championship
In the final McSpaden missed a four-foot birdie putt on the 36th green that would have won the title.
On the 37th hole McSpaden's roughly eight-foot putt lipped out, giving Shute his second straight PGA title.
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).