1949 PGA Championship: Sam Snead wins at Hermitage Country Club
Sam Snead won the 1949 PGA Championship at Hermitage Country Club in Richmond, Virginia, beating Johnny Palmer 3 & 2 in the final.
Updated October 23, 2026
See 1949 in Wanamaker Avenue, the PGA Championship room, or every year on the PGA Championship winners list.
- Dates
- May 25, 1949 to May 31, 1949
- Course
- Hermitage Country Club, Richmond, Virginia
- Edition
- 31st PGA Championship
- Format
- match play
- Par
- 71
- Field
- 64
- Match-play field
- 64 · 18 (rounds of 64 and 32); 36 from round of 16
- Stroke-play medalist
- Ray Hill (136)
- Purse
- $17,700 · winner's share $3,500
- Champion
- Sam Snead · age 37 · United States · born Ashwood, Virginia
- Champion's title
- 2nd PGA Championship
- Final
- 3 & 2 (36-hole final)
- Runner-up
- Johnny Palmer
The draw as recorded: Round of 64 to final (complete).
The final, 1949 PGA Championship
| Winner | Beaten | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sam Snead | def. | Johnny Palmer | 3 & 2 |
Semifinals, 1949 PGA Championship
| Winner | Beaten | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sam Snead | def. | Jim Ferrier | 3 & 2 |
| Johnny Palmer | def. | Lloyd Mangrum | 6 & 5 |
Quarterfinals, 1949 PGA Championship
| Winner | Beaten | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sam Snead | def. | Jimmy Demaret | 4 & 3 |
| Jim Ferrier | def. | Clayton Heafner | 3 & 2 |
| Johnny Palmer | def. | Henry Williams Jr. | 7 & 6 |
| Lloyd Mangrum | def. | Ray Hill | 7 & 6 |
Round of 16, 1949 PGA Championship
| Winner | Beaten | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ray Hill | def. | Walter Romans | 5 & 4 |
| Lloyd Mangrum | def. | Herman Barron | 4 & 3 |
| Johnny Palmer | def. | Lew Worsham | 2 & 1 |
| Henry Williams Jr. | def. | Al Brosch | 7 & 6 |
| Sam Snead | def. | Dave Douglas | 1 up |
| Jimmy Demaret | def. | Jim Turnesa | 5 & 3 |
| Clayton Heafner | def. | Jack Patroni | 5 & 4 |
| Jim Ferrier | def. | Marty Furgol | 8 & 6 |
Round of 32, 1949 PGA Championship
| Winner | Beaten | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ray Hill | def. | Jack Issacs | 3 & 2 |
| Walter Romans | def. | Frank Moore | 4 & 2 |
| Herman Barron | def. | Jimmy Thomson | 2 & 1 |
| Lloyd Mangrum | def. | Bob Hamilton | 3 & 2 |
| Johnny Palmer | def. | Clay Gaddie | 8 & 6 |
| Lew Worsham | def. | George Schneiter | 5 & 4 |
| Henry Williams Jr. | def. | Jack Harden | 1 up |
| Al Brosch | def. | Horton Smith | 5 & 4 |
| Sam Snead | def. | Henry Ransom | 3 & 1 |
| Dave Douglas | def. | Mike DeMassey | 3 & 2 |
| Jimmy Demaret | def. | George Fazio | 3 & 1 |
| Jim Turnesa | def. | Johnny Bulla | 1 up |
| Clayton Heafner | def. | Claude Harmon | 2 & 1 |
| Jack Patroni | def. | Jimmy Johnson | 1 up |
| Jim Ferrier | def. | Skip Alexander | 1 up |
| Marty Furgol | def. | Eddie Burke | 2 & 1 |
Round of 64, 1949 PGA Championship
| Winner | Beaten | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ray Hill | def. | Ted Neist | 2 & 1 |
| Jack Issacs | def. | Lawson Little | 1 up |
| Frank Moore | def. | Ed Oliver | won on 19th hole |
| Walter Romans | def. | Jack Ryan | 2 & 1 |
| Jimmy Thomson | def. | Howard Schmidt | 4 & 3 |
| Herman Barron | def. | Milon Marusic | 3 & 2 |
| Lloyd Mangrum | def. | Denny Shute | 6 & 5 |
| Bob Hamilton | def. | Chandler Harper | 2 & 1 |
| Johnny Palmer | def. | Mike Turnesa | won on 20th hole |
| Clay Gaddie | def. | Andy Gaspar | 1 up |
| George Schneiter | def. | Frank Staszowski | 2 up |
| Lew Worsham | def. | Stan Staszowski | 6 & 5 |
| Henry Williams Jr. | def. | Gene Sarazen | 2 & 1 |
| Jack Harden | def. | Craig Wood | 1 up |
| Al Brosch | def. | John Thoren | 3 & 1 |
| Horton Smith | def. | Herman Keiser | 6 & 4 |
| Sam Snead | def. | Jack Burke Jr. | 3 & 2 |
| Henry Ransom | def. | Ray Gafford | 1 up |
| Dave Douglas | def. | Pete Cooper | 1 up |
| Mike DeMassey | def. | Matt Kowal | 2 & 1 |
| George Fazio | def. | Errie Ball | 1 up |
| Jimmy Demaret | def. | Harold Oatman | 1 up |
| Johnny Bulla | def. | Ellsworth Vines | 1 up |
| Jim Turnesa | def. | Al Smith | 7 & 5 |
| Clayton Heafner | def. | Tony Manero | 6 & 5 |
| Claude Harmon | def. | Clarence Doser | 1 up |
| Jack Patroni | def. | Eric Monti | 1 up |
| Jimmy Johnson | def. | Charles Sheppard | 3 & 2 |
| Jim Ferrier | def. | Andy LaPola | 4 & 2 |
| Skip Alexander | def. | Bill Nary | 5 & 4 |
| Eddie Burke | def. | George Stuhler | 6 & 5 |
| Marty Furgol | def. | William Heinlein | 2 & 1 |
What happened at the 1949 PGA Championship
Snead beat Jim Ferrier 3 & 2 in the semifinal, after beating Jimmy Demaret 4 & 3 in the quarterfinal.
Palmer reached the final by routing Lloyd Mangrum 6 & 5 in the semifinal, then lost 3 & 2 as Snead became the first to win the Masters and PGA in the same year.
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).