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Jim Turnesa

United States · born , New York City, New York · died

1major championship

Summary

  • First major 1952 PGA Championship
  • Ryder Cup 1 Cups · 1-0-0 · 1 points (100.0%)
  • Runner-up in majors 1 time

Wins

  1. 1952 PGA Championship Big Spring Country Club · won the final 1 up against Chick Harbert

Near misses

  1. 1942 PGA Championship Seaview Country Club · runner-up to Sam Snead · lost the final 2 & 1
  2. 1954 The Open Royal Birkdale Golf Club · finished T5 · 286

Ryder Cup

1 Cups, 1 matches: 1 won, 0 lost, 0 halved, 1 points. Foursomes 0-0-0, four-ball 0-0-0, singles 1-0-0.

  1. 1953 Wentworth Club (course not named in sources found) USA · USA won 6.5–5.5 · 1-0-0, 1 point · automatic (major or match-play champion berth)

Rivals

Beat him

Beaten in finals and playoffs

Ryder Cup opponents

Next in the chain: Sam Snead's rivals →

Moments

  1. 1952 PGA Championship Defending champion Snead lost in the first round to Lew Worsham, who squared their match on the 17th and birdied the 19th.
  2. 1952 PGA Championship Turnesa was 3 down after the morning 18 of the final and squared it on the 32nd; he never led until the 36th, where an errant drive cost Harbert a bogey.
  3. 1953 Ryder Cup Peter Alliss, after going out of bounds at the 17th, fluffed a chip at the 18th (36th) and lost 1 up to Jim Turnesa, guaranteeing the USA retained the Cup.

Results by championship

    Best day

    1952 PGA Championship

    Big Spring Country Club, Louisville, Kentucky · won the final 1 up against Chick Harbert

    Defending champion Snead lost in the first round to Lew Worsham, who squared their match on the 17th and birdied the 19th.

    Turnesa was 3 down after the morning 18 of the final and squared it on the 32nd; he never led until the 36th, where an errant drive cost Harbert a bogey.

    Chosen by rule: his most recent major win. Year page: 1952.

    Career line, 1942–1954

    PGA Championship
    1942 PGA Championship: runner-up to Sam Snead1952 PGA Championship: won
    The Open
    1954 The Open: finished T5
    Ryder Cup
    1953 Ryder Cup (USA): 1-0-0
    194519501955

    4 results. Hover or tap a mark; click it for the year.

    • Major win
    • Runner-up
    • Top 10
    • Ryder Cup, USA

    Jim Turnesa was born on December 9, 1912, in New York City, New York. Turnesa won one major championship: the 1952 PGA Championship. Turnesa played in 1 Ryder Cup for USA (1953), winning 1, losing 0 and halving 0 of 1 match for 1 point.

    See Jim Turnesa in our rooms: The Open, Greatest Golfer by State and Every Ground.

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    The record

    Wins in the majors (1)

    1. 1952 PGA Championship Big Spring Country Club, Louisville, Kentucky · won the final 1 up against Chick Harbert

    Near misses

    Top-10 finishes are listed for The Open, the one championship with a full top 10 every year.

    1. 1942 PGA Championship Seaview Country Club · runner-up to Sam Snead · lost the final 2 & 1
    2. 1954 The Open Royal Birkdale Golf Club · finished T5 · 286

    Ryder Cup

    Turnesa played 1 Ryder Cups for USA: 1 matches, 1 won, 0 lost, 0 halved, 1 points (100.0% of those available). By format: foursomes 0-0-0, four-ball 0-0-0, singles 1-0-0 (won-lost-halved).

    1. 1953 Wentworth Club (course not named in sources found) USA · USA won 6.5–5.5 · 1-0-0, 1 point · automatic (major or match-play champion berth)

    PGA Championship match play

    Every recorded match in our bracket file, 1916–1957: 20 won, 10 lost, including 1 of 2 finals.

    1. 1942 Round of 32 beat Dutch Harrison 6 & 5
    2. 1942 Round of 16 beat Jug McSpaden 1 up
    3. 1942 Quarterfinal beat Ben Hogan 2 & 1
    4. 1942 Semifinal beat Byron Nelson won on 37th hole
    5. 1942 Final lost to Sam Snead 2 & 1
    6. 1945 Round of 32 beat Byron Harcke 9 & 7
    7. 1945 Round of 16 lost to Claude Harmon 8 & 7
    8. 1946 Round of 64 beat Ewing Pomeroy 5 & 4
    9. 1946 Round of 32 beat Henry Ransom 1 up
    10. 1946 Round of 16 beat Dick Shoemaker 5 & 4
    11. 1946 Quarterfinal lost to Jimmy Demaret 6 & 5
    12. 1947 Round of 64 beat Al Watrous won on 20th hole
    13. 1947 Round of 32 beat Walter Ambo 4 & 3
    14. 1947 Round of 16 lost to Vic Ghezzi 4 & 3
    15. 1948 Round of 64 lost to Armand Farina won on 22nd hole
    16. 1949 Round of 64 beat Al Smith 7 & 5
    17. 1949 Round of 32 beat Johnny Bulla 1 up
    18. 1949 Round of 16 lost to Jimmy Demaret 5 & 3
    19. 1951 Round of 64 beat Chandler Harper won on 23rd hole
    20. 1951 Round of 32 lost to Charles Bassler 5 & 4
    21. 1952 Round of 64 beat Bob Toski 4 & 2
    22. 1952 Round of 32 beat Chandler Harper 3 & 1
    23. 1952 Round of 16 beat Roberto De Vicenzo 5 & 4
    24. 1952 Quarterfinal beat Clarence Doser 2 & 1
    25. 1952 Semifinal beat Ted Kroll 2 & 1
    26. 1952 Final beat Chick Harbert 1 up
    27. 1953 Round of 64 beat Max Evans 6 & 4
    28. 1953 Round of 32 lost to Felice Torza 4 & 3
    29. 1954 Round of 64 lost to Bob Toski 5 & 4
    30. 1956 Round of 16 lost to Ted Kroll 1 up

    Sources

    Every fact on this page comes from Golf Network News data sets compiled in October 2026 (Masters, PGA Championship, The Open, U.S. Women's Open, Ryder Cup, PGA Tour 2024–2026, major host sites, Champions Dinner menus, and the U.S. Open and state rooms). These are the sources those rows cite.

    1. where2golf
    2. PGA Tour
    3. Golf Compendium PGA Tour career wins
    4. Golf Compendium winners list
    5. WP: List of American Ryder Cup golfers
    6. PGA of America winners & venues
    7. Golf Compendium 1952
    8. The Golf News Net history table (2026)
    9. Today's Golfer purse history
    10. Trenham, Philadelphia PGA history 1950–1959
    11. Golfers Go To, 1952 Big Spring
    12. PGA of America 2013 media guide, p. 80
    13. R&A 1954
    14. Golf Compendium 1942
    15. Golf Compendium 1945
    16. Golf Compendium 1946
    17. Golf Compendium 1947
    18. Golf Compendium 1949
    19. Golf Compendium 1953
    20. Michigan Daily, 4 July 1953 (AP)
    21. Golf Compendium 1956
    22. GC: 1953 ryder cup
    23. Wikipedia: 1953 Ryder Cup