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Ralph Guldahl

United States · born , Dallas, Texas, USA · died

3major championships

Summary

  • First major 1937 U.S. Open
  • Last major 1939 The Masters
  • Ryder Cup 1 Cups · 2-0-0 · 2 points (100.0%)
  • Runner-up in majors 3 times

Wins

  1. 1937 U.S. Open Oakland Hills C.C. · 281 (-7) · by 2 strokes from Sam Snead
  2. 1938 U.S. Open Cherry Hills C.C. · 284 (E) · by 6 strokes from Dick Metz
  3. 1939 The Masters Augusta National Golf Club · 279 (-9) · by 1 stroke from Sam Snead

Near misses

  1. 1933 U.S. Open North Shore C.C. · runner-up to Johnny Goodman
  2. 1937 The Masters Augusta National Golf Club · runner-up to Byron Nelson · 285
  3. 1938 The Masters Augusta National Golf Club · runner-up to Henry Picard · 287

Ryder Cup

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

  1. 1937 Southport and Ainsdale Golf Club USA · USA won 8–4 · 2-0-0, 2 points

Rivals

Beat him

Ryder Cup partners

Ryder Cup opponents

Next in the chain: Byron Nelson's rivals →

Moments

  1. 1939 Masters 1939 was the first year the event was officially called the Masters Tournament rather than the Augusta National Invitation Tournament.
  2. 1939 Masters Guldahl's 279 set a 72-hole tournament record that stood until 1953, after he had finished second in each of the two previous Masters.

Results by championship

    Best day

    1938 U.S. Open

    Cherry Hills C.C., Englewood, CO · 284 (E) · by 6 strokes from Dick Metz

    Chosen by rule: his widest winning margin in a major. Year page: 1938.

    Career line, 1933–1939

    Masters
    1937 Masters: runner-up to Byron Nelson1938 Masters: runner-up to Henry Picard1939 Masters: won
    U.S. Open
    1933 U.S. Open: runner-up to Johnny Goodman1937 U.S. Open: won1938 U.S. Open: won
    Ryder Cup
    1937 Ryder Cup (USA): 2-0-0
    1934193619381940

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

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

    Ralph Guldahl was born on November 22, 1911, in Dallas, Texas, USA. Guldahl won 3 major championships: 1 Masters (1939) and 2 U.S. Opens (1937, 1938). Guldahl played in 1 Ryder Cup for USA (1937), winning 2, losing 0 and halving 0 of 2 matches for 2 points.

    See Ralph Guldahl in our rooms: The Masters, U.S. Open, 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 (3)

    1. 1937 U.S. Open Oakland Hills C.C., Birmingham, MI · 281 (-7) · by 2 strokes from Sam Snead
    2. 1938 U.S. Open Cherry Hills C.C., Englewood, CO · 284 (E) · by 6 strokes from Dick Metz
    3. 1939 The Masters Augusta National Golf Club · 279 (-9) · by 1 stroke from Sam Snead

    Near misses

    1. 1933 U.S. Open North Shore C.C. · runner-up to Johnny Goodman
    2. 1937 The Masters Augusta National Golf Club · runner-up to Byron Nelson · 285
    3. 1938 The Masters Augusta National Golf Club · runner-up to Henry Picard · 287

    U.S. Open top-10 finishes in his career: 7 (GNN U.S. Open room data).

    Ryder Cup

    Guldahl played 1 Ryder Cups for USA: 2 matches, 2 won, 0 lost, 0 halved, 2 points (100.0% of those available). By format: foursomes 1-0-0, four-ball 0-0-0, singles 1-0-0 (won-lost-halved).

    1. 1937 Southport and Ainsdale Golf Club USA · USA won 8–4 · 2-0-0, 2 points

    Partners, with matches played together: Tony Manero (1).

    PGA Championship match play

    Every recorded match in our bracket file, 1916–1957: 9 won, 5 lost.

    1. 1937 Round of 64 beat John Kinder 6 & 4
    2. 1937 Round of 32 lost to Jimmy Thomson 2 & 1
    3. 1938 Round of 64 beat John Malutic 4 & 2
    4. 1938 Round of 32 lost to Dick Metz 1 up
    5. 1939 Round of 64 beat Clarence Owens 4 & 3
    6. 1939 Round of 32 lost to Clarence Doser 2 up
    7. 1940 Round of 64 beat George Picard 3 & 2
    8. 1940 Round of 32 beat John Kinder 6 & 5
    9. 1940 Round of 16 beat Jim Foulis 5 & 3
    10. 1940 Quarterfinal beat Ben Hogan 3 & 2
    11. 1940 Semifinal lost to Byron Nelson 1 up
    12. 1941 Round of 64 beat Jim Fogerty 7 & 6
    13. 1941 Round of 32 beat Gene Kunes 2 & 1
    14. 1941 Round of 16 lost to Byron Nelson 4 & 3

    Sources

    Elsewhere: Wikipedia.

    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. golfcompendium.com: masters winners
    2. golfcompendium.com: us open winners
    3. golfcompendium.com: british open winners
    4. golfcompendium.com: pga championship winners
    5. Wikipedia: Ralph Guldahl
    6. golfcompendium.com: pga tour career wins
    7. golfcompendium.com: 1937 masters tournament
    8. golfcompendium.com: 1938 masters
    9. Wikipedia: Masters Tournament
    10. pga.com: list masters champions
    11. WP: List of American Ryder Cup golfers
    12. GNN U.S. Open room (champions data)
    13. golfcompendium.com: 1939 masters
    14. Wikipedia: 1939 Masters Tournament
    15. golf.com: masters purse masters winners payouts alltime
    16. todays-golfer.com: how the masters prize money has changed over the years
    17. pgatour.com: what is the cut at the masters tournament augusta national (archived copy; the original link no longer works)
    18. todays-golfer.com: cut rules
    19. golfcompendium.com: 1957 masters
    20. liveabout.com: what are the yardages at augusta national during the masters 1564592
    21. PGA of America 2013 media guide, p. 94
    22. Golf Compendium 1940
    23. Golf Compendium 1941
    24. GC: 1937 ryder cup
    25. Wikipedia: 1937 Ryder Cup