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Paul Runyan

United States · born , Hot Springs, Arkansas · died

2major championships

Summary

  • First major 1934 PGA Championship
  • Last major 1938 PGA Championship
  • Ryder Cup 2 Cups · 2-2-0 · 2 points (50.0%)

Wins

  1. 1934 PGA Championship The Park Country Club · won the final won on 38th hole against Craig Wood
  2. 1938 PGA Championship Shawnee Country Club · won the final 8 & 7 against Sam Snead

Ryder Cup

2 Cups, 4 matches: 2 won, 2 lost, 0 halved, 2 points. Foursomes 1-1-0, four-ball 0-0-0, singles 1-1-0.

  1. 1933 Southport and Ainsdale Golf Club USA · GB won 6.5–5.5 · 0-2-0, 0 points
  2. 1935 Ridgewood Country Club USA · USA won 9–3 · 2-0-0, 2 points

Rivals

Beaten in finals and playoffs

Ryder Cup partners

Ryder Cup opponents

Next in the chain: Craig Wood's rivals →

Moments

  1. 1934 PGA Championship Both players holed 12-foot par putts on the 36th hole, and Wood missed an 8-foot eagle putt to win on the 37th.
  2. 1934 PGA Championship Runyan won the 38th hole with a par to Wood's bogey, beating the man who had been his golf teacher.
  3. 1938 PGA Championship Runyan beat Snead 8 & 7, the largest winning margin in any PGA Championship final.
  4. 1938 PGA Championship Snead won only one of the 29 holes played in the final.
  5. 1935 Ryder Cup Paul Runyan and Horton Smith beat Bill Cox and Ted Jarman 9 & 8 in foursomes.

Records and firsts

  1. — PGA Championship biggest final margin · 8 & 7 (Paul Runyan d. Sam Snead, 1938)

Results by championship

    Best day

    1938 PGA Championship

    Shawnee Country Club, Smithfield Township, Pennsylvania · won the final 8 & 7 against Sam Snead

    Runyan beat Snead 8 & 7, the largest winning margin in any PGA Championship final.

    Snead won only one of the 29 holes played in the final.

    Chosen by rule: his most recent major win. Year page: 1938.

    Career line, 1933–1938

    PGA Championship
    1934 PGA Championship: won1938 PGA Championship: won
    Ryder Cup
    1933 Ryder Cup (USA): 0-2-01935 Ryder Cup (USA): 2-0-0
    193419361938

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

    • Major win
    • Ryder Cup, USA

    Paul Runyan was born on July 12, 1908, in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Runyan won 2 major championships: 2 PGA Championships (1934, 1938). Runyan played in 2 Ryder Cups for USA (1933, 1935), winning 2, losing 2 and halving 0 of 4 matches for 2 points.

    See Paul Runyan in our rooms: Greatest Golfer by State and Every Ground.

    Cards you pull this visit stack here. Tap one to go back to it.

    The record

    Wins in the majors (2)

    1. 1934 PGA Championship The Park Country Club, Williamsville, New York · won the final won on 38th hole against Craig Wood
    2. 1938 PGA Championship Shawnee Country Club, Smithfield Township, Pennsylvania · won the final 8 & 7 against Sam Snead

    Ryder Cup

    Runyan played 2 Ryder Cups for USA: 4 matches, 2 won, 2 lost, 0 halved, 2 points (50.0% of those available). By format: foursomes 1-1-0, four-ball 0-0-0, singles 1-1-0 (won-lost-halved).

    1. 1933 Southport and Ainsdale Golf Club USA · GB won 6.5–5.5 · 0-2-0, 0 points
    2. 1935 Ridgewood Country Club USA · USA won 9–3 · 2-0-0, 2 points

    Partners, with matches played together: Craig Wood (1), Horton Smith (1).

    PGA Championship match play

    Every recorded match in our bracket file, 1916–1957: 25 won, 10 lost, including 2 of 2 finals.

    1. 1931 Round of 32 beat Arthur Gusa 3 & 2
    2. 1931 Round of 16 lost to Gene Sarazen 7 & 6
    3. 1932 Round of 32 lost to Vincent Eldred won on 38th hole
    4. 1933 Round of 32 beat Al Houghton 6 & 5
    5. 1933 Round of 16 beat Johnny Revolta 2 & 1
    6. 1933 Quarterfinal lost to Willie Goggin 6 & 5
    7. 1934 Round of 32 beat Johnny Farrell 8 & 6
    8. 1934 Round of 16 beat Vic Ghezzi 2 & 1
    9. 1934 Quarterfinal beat Dick Metz 1 up
    10. 1934 Semifinal beat Gene Kunes 4 & 2
    11. 1934 Final beat Craig Wood won on 38th hole
    12. 1935 Round of 64 beat Louis Chiapetta 5 & 3
    13. 1935 Round of 32 beat Mortie Dutra 3 & 2
    14. 1935 Round of 16 beat Tony Manero 9 & 8
    15. 1935 Quarterfinal lost to Al Zimmerman 3 & 2
    16. 1936 Round of 64 lost to Clarence Doser 2 & 1
    17. 1937 Round of 64 beat Levi Lynch 4 & 3
    18. 1937 Round of 32 beat Willie Goggin 2 & 1
    19. 1937 Round of 16 lost to Jimmy Hines 2 & 1
    20. 1938 Round of 64 beat Levi Lynch 5 & 4
    21. 1938 Round of 32 beat Tony Manero 3 & 2
    22. 1938 Round of 16 beat Ray Mangrum won on 37th hole
    23. 1938 Quarterfinal beat Horton Smith 4 & 3
    24. 1938 Semifinal beat Henry Picard 4 & 3
    25. 1938 Final beat Sam Snead 8 & 7
    26. 1939 Round of 64 beat Mortie Dutra 3 & 1
    27. 1939 Round of 32 beat Frank Champ 3 & 2
    28. 1939 Round of 16 beat Ben Hogan 3 & 2
    29. 1939 Quarterfinal lost to Dick Metz 2 & 1
    30. 1940 Round of 64 beat Al Zimmerman 1 up
    31. 1940 Round of 32 beat Al Watrous 3 & 2
    32. 1940 Round of 16 beat Ed Dudley 4 & 3
    33. 1940 Quarterfinal lost to Jug McSpaden 8 & 6
    34. 1941 Round of 64 lost to Horton Smith 1 up
    35. 1950 Round of 64 lost to Claude Harmon 2 & 1

    Records and firsts

    Rows from our record tables that name this player, worded as the tables word them.

    1. — PGA Championship biggest final margin · 8 & 7 (Paul Runyan d. Sam Snead, 1938)

    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. World Golf Hall of Fame
    4. Golf Compendium PGA Tour career wins
    5. Golf Compendium winners list
    6. WP: List of American Ryder Cup golfers
    7. PGA of America winners & venues
    8. Golf Compendium 1934
    9. The Golf News Net history table (2026)
    10. Today's Golfer purse history
    11. Trenham, Philadelphia PGA history 1930–1939
    12. PGA of America 2013 media guide, p. 97
    13. Golf Compendium 1938
    14. Trenham, four majors in five years
    15. Golf Compendium tournament records
    16. Golf Compendium 1931
    17. Golf Compendium 1933
    18. Golf Compendium 1935
    19. Golf Compendium 1937
    20. Golf Compendium 1939
    21. Golf Compendium 1940
    22. GC: 1933 ryder cup
    23. Wikipedia: 1933 Ryder Cup
    24. GC: 1935 ryder cup
    25. Wikipedia: 1935 Ryder Cup