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Walter Burkemo

United States · born , Detroit, Michigan · died

1major championship

Summary

  • First major 1953 PGA Championship
  • Ryder Cup 1 Cups · 0-1-0 · 0 points (0.0%)
  • Runner-up in majors 2 times

Wins

  1. 1953 PGA Championship Birmingham Country Club · won the final 2 & 1 against Felice Torza

Near misses

  1. 1951 PGA Championship Oakmont Country Club · runner-up to Sam Snead · lost the final 7 & 6
  2. 1954 PGA Championship Keller Golf Club · runner-up to Chick Harbert · lost the final 4 & 3

Ryder Cup

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

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

Rivals

Beat him

Beaten in finals and playoffs

Felice TorzaLost the 1953 PGA Championship final to Walter Burkemo

Ryder Cup partners

Ryder Cup opponents

Next in the chain: Sam Snead's rivals →

Moments

  1. 1953 PGA Championship In the second round Dave Douglas sank a six-foot birdie putt on the first extra hole (19th) to eliminate Sam Snead.
  2. 1953 PGA Championship In the final Burkemo built a 4-up afternoon lead, bogeyed the 32nd and 34th, then won the 35th to close out Torza 2 & 1.

Records and firsts

  1. — PGA Championship second-biggest final margin · 7 & 6 (Sam Snead d. Walter Burkemo, 1951; Ben Hogan d. Mike Turnesa, 1948)
  2. 1951 PGA Championship PGA Championship match-play finals (finals, won, lost): 3 · 1 · 2 (1951; 1953; 1954)

Results by championship

    Best day

    1953 PGA Championship

    Birmingham Country Club, Birmingham, Michigan · won the final 2 & 1 against Felice Torza

    In the second round Dave Douglas sank a six-foot birdie putt on the first extra hole (19th) to eliminate Sam Snead.

    In the final Burkemo built a 4-up afternoon lead, bogeyed the 32nd and 34th, then won the 35th to close out Torza 2 & 1.

    Chosen by rule: his most recent major win. Year page: 1953.

    Career line, 1951–1954

    PGA Championship
    1951 PGA Championship: runner-up to Sam Snead1953 PGA Championship: won1954 PGA Championship: runner-up to Chick Harbert
    Ryder Cup
    1953 Ryder Cup (USA): 0-1-0
    19521954

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

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

    Walter Burkemo was born on October 9, 1918, in Detroit, Michigan. Burkemo won one major championship: the 1953 PGA Championship. Burkemo played in 1 Ryder Cup for USA (1953), winning 0, losing 1 and halving 0 of 1 match for 0 points.

    See Walter Burkemo 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 (1)

    1. 1953 PGA Championship Birmingham Country Club, Birmingham, Michigan · won the final 2 & 1 against Felice Torza

    Near misses

    1. 1951 PGA Championship Oakmont Country Club · runner-up to Sam Snead · lost the final 7 & 6
    2. 1954 PGA Championship Keller Golf Club · runner-up to Chick Harbert · lost the final 4 & 3

    Ryder Cup

    Burkemo played 1 Ryder Cups for USA: 1 matches, 0 won, 1 lost, 0 halved, 0 points (0.0% of those available). By format: foursomes 0-1-0, four-ball 0-0-0, singles 0-0-0 (won-lost-halved).

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

    Partners, with matches played together: Cary Middlecoff (1).

    PGA Championship match play

    Every recorded match in our bracket file, 1916–1957: 22 won, 6 lost, including 1 of 3 finals.

    1. 1951 Round of 64 beat Toby Lyons won on 20th hole
    2. 1951 Round of 32 beat Chick Harbert won on 19th hole
    3. 1951 Round of 16 beat Dick Shoemaker 2 & 1
    4. 1951 Quarterfinal beat Reggie Myles 1 up
    5. 1951 Semifinal beat Ellsworth Vines won on 37th hole
    6. 1951 Final lost to Sam Snead 7 & 6
    7. 1952 Round of 64 beat Iverson Martin 1 up
    8. 1952 Round of 32 beat Dave Douglas 1 up
    9. 1952 Round of 16 lost to Frank Champ 3 & 1
    10. 1953 Round of 64 beat Lou Barbaro 7 & 5
    11. 1953 Round of 32 beat Mike Turnesa 3 & 1
    12. 1953 Round of 16 beat Pete Cooper 3 & 2
    13. 1953 Quarterfinal beat Dave Douglas 2 up
    14. 1953 Semifinal beat Claude Harmon 1 up
    15. 1953 Final beat Felice Torza 2 & 1
    16. 1954 Round of 64 beat Dave Douglas 4 & 2
    17. 1954 Round of 32 beat Claude Harmon 2 & 1
    18. 1954 Round of 16 beat Johnny Revolta 5 & 4
    19. 1954 Quarterfinal beat Roberto De Vicenzo 5 & 4
    20. 1954 Semifinal beat Cary Middlecoff won on 37th hole
    21. 1954 Final lost to Chick Harbert 4 & 3
    22. 1955 Round of 64 lost to Cary Middlecoff 2 & 1
    23. 1956 Round of 32 beat Doug Ford unknown
    24. 1956 Round of 16 lost to Bill Johnston 5 & 3
    25. 1957 Round of 32 beat Tony Holguin 1 up
    26. 1957 Round of 16 beat Henry Ransom 5 & 4
    27. 1957 Quarterfinal beat Jay Hebert 2 & 1
    28. 1957 Semifinal lost to Lionel Hebert 3 & 1

    Records and firsts

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

    1. — PGA Championship second-biggest final margin · 7 & 6 (Sam Snead d. Walter Burkemo, 1951; Ben Hogan d. Mike Turnesa, 1948)
    2. 1951 PGA Championship PGA Championship match-play finals (finals, won, lost): 3 · 1 · 2 (1951; 1953; 1954)

    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 1953
    8. The Golf News Net history table (2026)
    9. Today's Golfer purse history
    10. Michigan Daily, 4 July 1953 (AP)
    11. Trenham, Philadelphia PGA history 1950–1959
    12. PGA of America 2013 media guide, p. 81
    13. Golf Compendium 1951
    14. Golf Compendium 1952
    15. Golf Compendium 1954
    16. Golf Compendium 1956
    17. Golf Compendium 1957
    18. GC: 1953 ryder cup
    19. Wikipedia: 1953 Ryder Cup