Los Angeles is located in the United States
Location in the United States
Los Angeles is located in California
Location in California
Hillcrest CC is located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area
Location in Los Angeles

The 1929 PGA Championship was the 12th PGA Championship, held December 2–7 at Hillcrest Country Club in Los Angeles, California. Then a match play championship, defending champion Leo Diegel defeated Johnny Farrell 6 and 4 in the finals to win the second of his two major titles.

Like the year before, Diegel defeated both Walter Hagen and Gene Sarazen on his way to the title; this year he won 3 and 2 over both, Sarazen in the quarterfinals and Hagen in the semifinals.

Prior to his loss to Diegel in the semifinals, five-time champion Hagen was 35–2 (.946) in match play at the PGA Championship in the 1920s, losing only to Sarazen in 38 holes in the 1923 finals, and Diegel 2 and 1 in the 1928 quarterfinals. Hagen's victory over Tony Manero in the 1929 quarterfinals was his last match win at the PGA Championship until 1940; he was winless in the 1930s with five first round losses.

This was the first major championship played in the western United States; it was originally scheduled to be played in Santa Barbara. The PGA Championship returned to the west a dozen years later in 1941 in Colorado.

In the Cheviot Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles, Hillcrest later hosted the Los Angeles Open on the PGA Tour in 1932 and 1942, the latter won by Ben Hogan in an 18-hole playoff.

Format

The match play format at the PGA Championship in 1929 called for 12 rounds (216 holes) in six days:

  • Monday – 36-hole stroke play qualifier top 32 professionals advanced to match play
  • Tuesday – first round – 36 holes
  • Wednesday – second round – 36 holes
  • Thursday – quarterfinals – 36 holes
  • Friday – semifinals – 36 holes
  • Saturday – final – 36 holes

Final results

Saturday, December 7, 1929

PlacePlayer
1United States Leo Diegel
2United States Johnny Farrell
T3United States Walter Hagen
United States Al Watrous
T5United States Al Espinosa
United States Tony Manero
United States Gene Sarazen
United States Craig Wood

Final eight bracket

Quarter-finals December 5Semi-finals December 6Finals December 7
Leo Diegel3&2
Gene Sarazen
Leo Diegel3&2
Walter Hagen
Walter Hagen6&5
Tony Manero
Leo Diegel6&4
Johnny Farrell
Johnny Farrell37h
Craig Wood
Johnny Farrell6&5
Al Watrous
Al Watrous2up
Al Espinosa

Final match scorecards

Morning

Hole123456789101112131415161718
Diegel434453454555545346
Farrell435574343453454335
LeaderD1D2D3D4D3D2D1D1D2D1D1D1D1D1F1

Afternoon

Hole123456789101112131415161718
Diegel33445344435334Diegel wins 6 and 4
Farrell53454444555445
LeaderD1D1D1D1D2D3D3D4D5D6
  • Source:

External links

  • – 1929 PGA Championship

34°03′04″N 118°24′25″W/34.051°N 118.407°W/ 34.051; -118.407