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Year in Review

1937 in golf

Weeks

Eleven championships in our record: six majors (four men’s, two women’s), four amateur championships and one team cup.

1937, printed the way a newspaper of the day would print it: a halftone.

The year, week by week

Each dot is a championship at the week it finished. Click a dot for its front page, or a week to see it on the world.

This week

    Every championship of 1937 in our record, in full

    The majors

    4 Men’s majors

    1. Men's major

      Masters

      Augusta National Golf Club, Augusta, Georgia

      2 of 5 researched

      Winner

      Byron Nelson

      283Total
      −5To par
      2 strokesMargin

      Runner-up: Ralph Guldahl

      The golfer

      b. 1912-02-04, Waxahachie, Texas, USA; United States; age 25 at the win (year page); 1st major (card's count)

      Byron Nelson’s player card · Source

      Top 10

      Not yet researched

      What’s in the bag

      No bag on file yet

      From the papers

      No clipping yet

    2. Men's major

      PGA Championship

      Pittsburgh Field Club, Fox Chapel

      2 of 5 researched

      Winner

      Denny Shute

      won on 37th hole (36-hole final)Total

      Runner-up: Harold "Jug" McSpaden

      To par and margin not yet researched.

      The golfer

      b. 1904-10-25, Cleveland, Ohio, USA; United States; age 32 at the win (year page); 3rd major (card's count)

      Denny Shute’s player card · Source

      Top 10

      Not yet researched

      What’s in the bag

      No bag on file yet

      From the papers

      No clipping yet

    3. Men's major

      The Open

      Carnoustie Golf Links (Championship Course), Carnoustie

      2 of 5 researched

      Winner

      Henry Cotton

      290Total
      2 strokesMargin

      Runner-up: Reg Whitcombe

      To par not yet researched.

      The golfer

      b. 1907-01-26, Holmes Chapel, England; England; age 30 at the win (year page); 2nd major (card's count)

      Henry Cotton’s player card · Source

      Top 10

      Not yet researched

      What’s in the bag

      No bag on file yet

      From the papers

      No clipping yet

    4. Men's major

      U.S. Open

      Oakland Hills C.C., Birmingham

      2 of 5 researched

      Winner

      Ralph Guldahl

      281Total
      −7To par
      2 strokesMargin

      Runner-up: Sam Snead

      The golfer

      b. 1911-11-22, Dallas, Texas, USA; United States; 1st major (card's count)

      Ralph Guldahl’s player card · Source

      Top 10

      Not yet researched

      What’s in the bag

      No bag on file yet

      From the papers

      No clipping yet

    2 Women’s majors

    1. Women's major

      Titleholders Championship

      Augusta Country Club, Augusta

      2 of 5 researched

      Winner

      Patty Berg (an amateur)

      240Total
      +3To par
      3 strokesMargin

      Runner-up: Dorothy Kirby

      The golfer

      b. 1918-02-13, Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States; United States; age 18 at the win (year page); 1st major (card's count)

      Patty Berg (an amateur)’s player card · Source

      Top 10

      Not yet researched

      What’s in the bag

      No bag on file yet

      From the papers

      No clipping yet

    2. Women's major

      Women's Western Open

      Beverly Country Club, Chicago

      2 of 5 researched

      Winner

      Helen Hicks

      6 & 5Final

      Runner-up: Bea Barrett

      To par and margin not yet researched.

      The golfer

      b. 1911, Cedarhurst, New York, United States; United States; age 26 at the win (year page); 1st major (card's count)

      Helen Hicks’s player card · Source

      Top 10

      Not yet researched

      What’s in the bag

      No bag on file yet

      From the papers

      No clipping yet

    The amateurs

    2 Men’s amateur

    1. Men's amateur championship

      U.S. Amateur

      Alderwood Country Club, Portland

      2 of 5 researched

      Winner

      Johnny Goodman

      2 upFinal

      Runner-up: Ray Billows

      To par and margin not yet researched.

      The golfer

      b. 1909-12-28, South Omaha, Nebraska, USA; USA; age 27 at the win (year page)

      Johnny Goodman’s player card · Source

      Top 10

      Not yet researched

      What’s in the bag

      No bag on file yet

      From the papers

      No clipping yet

    2 Women’s amateur

    1. Women's amateur championship

      The Women's Amateur

      Turnberry, Turnberry

      2 of 5 researched

      Winner

      Jessie Valentine

      6 & 4 (36-hole final)Final

      Runner-up: Doris Park

      To par and margin not yet researched.

      The golfer

      b. 1915-03-18, Perth; Scotland; age 22 at the win (year page)

      Jessie Valentine’s player card · Source

      Top 10

      Not yet researched

      What’s in the bag

      No bag on file yet

      From the papers

      No clipping yet

    2. Women's amateur championship

      U.S. Women's Amateur

      Memphis (Tenn.) C.C., Memphis

      2 of 5 researched

      Winner

      Estelle Lawson Page

      7 & 6Final

      Runner-up: Patty Berg

      To par and margin not yet researched.

      The golfer

      b. 1907-03-22, East Orange, New Jersey, U.S.; United States; age 30 at the win (year page)

      Estelle Lawson Page’s player card · Source

      Top 10

      Not yet researched

      What’s in the bag

      No bag on file yet

      From the papers

      No clipping yet

    The team cups

    Our team-cup record so far: Ryder Cup.

    1 Team cups

    Year in Review

    1937 in golf: the year in review

    Eleven championships in our record: six majors (four men’s, two women’s), four amateur championships and one team cup.

    To be written The synopsis of 1937: 150 to 250 words on the season’s story, its turning points and why it mattered, written from sourced research.

    The men’s majors

    • Masters: Byron Nelson, Augusta National Golf Club, Augusta, Georgia
    • PGA Championship: Denny Shute, Pittsburgh Field Club, Fox Chapel
    • The Open: Henry Cotton, Carnoustie Golf Links (Championship Course), Carnoustie
    • U.S. Open: Ralph Guldahl, Oakland Hills C.C., Birmingham

    To be written How each was won: the leader after 54 holes, the decisive shot, the runner-up, the weather.

    The women’s majors

    • Titleholders Championship: Patty Berg, Augusta Country Club, Augusta
    • Women's Western Open: Helen Hicks, Beverly Country Club, Chicago

    To be written How each was won, and where the women’s game stood in 1937.

    The amateur championships

    • The Amateur: Robert Sweeny Jr., Royal St George's Golf Club, Sandwich
    • The Women's Amateur: Jessie Valentine, Turnberry, Turnberry
    • U.S. Amateur: Johnny Goodman, Alderwood Country Club, Portland
    • U.S. Women's Amateur: Estelle Lawson Page, Memphis (Tenn.) C.C., Memphis

    To be written The amateur season: champions, finals, and who went on to turn professional.

    Team golf

    • Ryder Cup: USA, Southport and Ainsdale Golf Club, Southport

    To be written The match: the captains, the score, the deciding points.

    Around the tours

    11 tour events are laid out week by week for 1937.

    To be written Money lists, players of the year, rookies and the shape of each tour’s season, from the tours’ own records.

    Players of the year

    To be written Who defined 1937: their wins, their near misses, and what the year meant for their career.

    Firsts, records and farewells

    To be written First-time major winners, scoring records, youngest and oldest champions, last appearances, events played for the first or last time.

    The game in 1937

    To be written Equipment, rules and course changes, prize money, television and the business of golf that year.

    Questions about 1937 in golf

    Who won the 1937 Masters?
    Byron Nelson won the 1937 Masters at Augusta National Golf Club, Augusta, Georgia.
    Who won the 1937 PGA Championship?
    Denny Shute won the 1937 PGA Championship at Pittsburgh Field Club, Fox Chapel.
    Who won the 1937 Ryder Cup?
    USA won the 1937 Ryder Cup at Southport and Ainsdale Golf Club, Southport.
    Who won the 1937 Amateur?
    Robert Sweeny Jr. won the 1937 Amateur at Royal St George's Golf Club, Sandwich.
    Who won the 1937 Open?
    Henry Cotton won the 1937 Open at Carnoustie Golf Links (Championship Course), Carnoustie.
    Who won the 1937 Women's Amateur?
    Jessie Valentine won the 1937 Women's Amateur at Turnberry, Turnberry.
    Who won the 1937 Titleholders Championship?
    Patty Berg won the 1937 Titleholders Championship at Augusta Country Club, Augusta.
    Who won the 1937 U.S. Amateur?
    Johnny Goodman won the 1937 U.S. Amateur at Alderwood Country Club, Portland.
    Who won the 1937 U.S. Open?
    Ralph Guldahl won the 1937 U.S. Open at Oakland Hills C.C., Birmingham.
    Who won the 1937 U.S. Women's Amateur?
    Estelle Lawson Page won the 1937 U.S. Women's Amateur at Memphis (Tenn.) C.C., Memphis.
    Who won the 1937 Women's Western Open?
    Helen Hicks won the 1937 Women's Western Open at Beverly Country Club, Chicago.
    How many majors were played in 1937?
    Six in our record: four men’s and two women’s.

    Every count above is from Golf Network News’s record; the parts marked “To be written” are filled only from sourced research.

    How this page works

    Every championship here comes from Golf Network News's own record: the rooms for the majors, the women's majors, the amateur championships and the team cups. A part that says it is not yet researched is exactly that. We fill it from sourced material, never with a guess.

    The picture at the top is drawn in code for each year. It is printed the way golf was printed that year: wood engravings before 1900, newsprint halftones to 1945, hand-tinted plates to 1969, colour film to 1999, and digital light since. The names engraved in the numerals are that year's champions.

    Every view has its own address: the year, the tours, the event and a traced champion are kept in the link, so you can share exactly what you see.