1957 PGA Championship: Lionel Hebert wins at Miami Valley Golf Club
Lionel Hebert won the 1957 PGA Championship at Miami Valley Golf Club in Dayton, Ohio, beating Dow Finsterwald 2 & 1 in the final.
Updated October 23, 2026
See 1957 in Wanamaker Avenue, the PGA Championship room, or every year on the PGA Championship winners list.
- Dates
- July 17, 1957 to July 21, 1957
- Course
- Miami Valley Golf Club, Dayton, Ohio
- Edition
- 39th PGA Championship
- Format
- match play
- Par
- 71
- Field
- 128
- Match-play field
- 128 · 18 (rounds of 128 to 16); 36 from quarterfinal
- Purse
- $42,100 · winner's share $8,000
- Champion
- Lionel Hebert · age 29 · United States · born Lafayette, Louisiana
- Champion's title
- 1st PGA Championship
- Final
- 2 & 1 (36-hole final)
- Runner-up
- Dow Finsterwald
The draw as recorded: Round of 32 (16 of 16 matches) to final.
The final, 1957 PGA Championship
| Winner | Beaten | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lionel Hebert | def. | Dow Finsterwald | 2 & 1 |
Semifinals, 1957 PGA Championship
| Winner | Beaten | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lionel Hebert | def. | Walter Burkemo | 3 & 1 |
| Dow Finsterwald | def. | Don Whitt | 2 up |
Quarterfinals, 1957 PGA Championship
| Winner | Beaten | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lionel Hebert | def. | Claude Harmon | 2 & 1 |
| Walter Burkemo | def. | Jay Hebert | 2 & 1 |
| Don Whitt | def. | Dick Mayer | unknown |
| Dow Finsterwald | def. | Charles Sheppard | 2 up |
Round of 16, 1957 PGA Championship
| Winner | Beaten | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lionel Hebert | def. | Mike Souchak | 2 & 1 |
| Claude Harmon | def. | Tommy Bolt | 1 up |
| Walter Burkemo | def. | Henry Ransom | 5 & 4 |
| Jay Hebert | def. | Doug Ford | 3 & 2 |
| Don Whitt | def. | Milon Marusic | 2 & 1 |
| Dick Mayer | def. | Ted Kroll | 1 up |
| Charles Sheppard | def. | Warren Smith | 4 & 3 |
| Dow Finsterwald | def. | Sam Snead | 2 & 1 |
Round of 32, 1957 PGA Championship
| Winner | Beaten | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mike Souchak | def. | Brien Charter | 4 & 3 |
| Lionel Hebert | def. | Charles Farlow | 3 & 1 |
| Claude Harmon | def. | Charles Bassler | 4 & 3 |
| Tommy Bolt | def. | Eldon Briggs | 7 & 6 |
| Henry Ransom | def. | Herman Keiser | 5 & 3 |
| Walter Burkemo | def. | Tony Holguin | 1 up |
| Jay Hebert | def. | Charles Harper Jr. | 1 up |
| Doug Ford | def. | Bob Gajda | 4 & 2 |
| Milon Marusic | def. | Mike Krak | 2 & 1 |
| Don Whitt | def. | Ellsworth Vines | 4 & 3 |
| Ted Kroll | def. | Ewing Pomeroy | 4 & 3 |
| Dick Mayer | def. | Al Smith | 5 & 3 |
| Warren Smith | def. | Skee Riegel | 3 & 2 |
| Charles Sheppard | def. | Buck White | 1 up |
| Sam Snead | def. | John Thoren | 3 & 2 |
| Dow Finsterwald | def. | Joe Kirkwood Jr. | 2 & 1 |
What happened at the 1957 PGA Championship
All square after 31 holes, Hebert took a 1-up lead with a 15-foot birdie putt on the 32nd.
On the 34th Finsterwald drove into the rough and hit his six-iron into the creek fronting the green; Hebert closed out the last match-play final on the 35th green.
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).