The 1959 PGA Championship was the 41st PGA Championship played from July 30 to August 2 at Minneapolis Golf Club in St. Louis Park, Minnesota, a suburb west of Minneapolis.

Six strokes back at the start of the final round, Bob Rosburg shot a 66 (−4) to win his only major championship at one stroke ahead of runners-up Jerry Barber and Doug Sanders. Rosburg had managed only five birdies in the first three rounds, but had five in the first nine on Sunday to go out in 30, then a record. Barber shot a 65 on Friday and was the 36-hole and 54-hole leader at 205 (−5), with Sanders a stroke back. Barber won the title two years later, in a Monday playoff in 1961. Tied for fourteenth at 286 (+6) was

This was the second year of stroke play at the PGA Championship, a match play event through 1957. Daily admission was three dollars on Thursday and Friday, and five dollars per day on the weekend. The winner's share was increased fifty per cent to $8,250; two years earlier, it was $8,000 for the final match play competition.

The Open Championship was played several weeks earlier in Scotland at Muirfield; only four Americans (two amateurs) were in the field and none made the cut.

Round summaries First round Thursday, July 30, 1959 PlacePlayerScoreTo parT1 Jerry Barber 69 −1 Jackson Bradley Walter Burkemo Billy Casper Dick Hart Chuck Klein Mike Krak Gene Littler Mike Souchak T10 Jack Burke Jr. 70 E Buster Cupit Don Fairfield Al Feminelli Billy Maxwell Herman Scharlau Don Shock Ken Venturi Art Wall Jr. Source:

Second round Friday, July 31, 1959 PlacePlayerScoreTo par1 Jerry Barber 69-65=134 −6 2 Mike Souchak 69-67=136 −4 3 Doug Sanders 72-66=138 −2 T4 Dow Finsterwald 71-68=139 −1 Gene Littler 69-70=139T6 Billy Casper 69-71=140 E Lionel Hebert 71-69=140 Cary Middlecoff 72-68=140 T9 Walter Burkemo 69-71=141 +1 Fred Hawkins 72-69=141 Bob Goalby 72-69=141 Source:

Third round Saturday, August 1, 1959 PlacePlayerScoreTo par1 Jerry Barber 69-65-71=205 −5 2 Doug Sanders 72-66-68=206 −43 Mike Souchak 69-67-71=207 −3T4 Dow Finsterwald 71-68-71=210 E Cary Middlecoff 72-68-70=210T6 Jay Hebert 72-70-69=211 +1 Gene Littler 69-70-72=211 Bob Rosburg 71-72-68=211 T9 Tommy Jacobs 73-71-68=212 +2 Sam Snead 71-73-68=212 Ken Venturi 70-72-70=212 Source:

Final round Sunday, August 2, 1959 PlacePlayerScoreTo parMoney ($)1 Bob Rosburg 71-72-68-66=277 −3 8,250T2 Jerry Barber 69-65-71-73=278 −2 3,563 Doug Sanders 72-66-68-72=2784 Dow Finsterwald 71-68-71-70=280 E 2,500T5 Bob Goalby 72-69-72-68=281 +1 2,000 Mike Souchak 69-67-71-74=281 Ken Venturi 70-72-70-69=281T8 Cary Middlecoff 72-68-70-72=282 +2 1,600 Sam Snead 71-73-68-70=28210 Gene Littler 69-70-72-73=284 +4 1,450 Source:

Scorecard Final round Hole123456789101112131415161718Par445343444 344445344 Rosburg +1E−1−1−2−2−2−3−4−4−4−3−3−3−3−3−3−3 Barber −5−5−5−5−5−5−5−4−4−4−4−3−3−3−4−4−3−2 Sanders −4−4−4−3−2−2−2−2−3−3−3−2−2−2−2−2−1−2 Cumulative tournament scores, relative to par Double EagleEagle -->BirdieBogeyDouble bogey Source:

References

External links PGA.com – 1959 PGA Championship