Ranking The Best PGA Championship Competitors Of All-Time
By Bill Felber
PGA Championship Era: 1930 to 1939
In stark contrast with the 1920s, the professional game lacked any single standard-bearer through the decade of the Depression. Eight different figures split the decade’s 10 championships. Four of the 10 titles were decided on the final hole, three of those four going to sudden death.
The decade’s only two multiple champions were Paul Runyan (1934-38) and Denny Shute (1936-37), and neither of them delivered the sustained excellence needed to propel them to the decade’s top spot.
That honor goes to the 1935 champion, John Revolta. A 24-year-old who had only started playing professionally a couple of years earlier, Revolta eliminated Hagen in the first round that year, polished off a succession of lesser-known figures, and found himself pitted against former champion Tommy Armour in the 36-hole final, which Revolta took 5 and 4.
Here’s the full decade’s top 10:
1. John Revolta, -1.40
2. Denny Shute, -1.00
3. Bill Mehlhorn, -0.90
4. Ky Laffoon, -0.80
5. Gene Sarazen, -0.76
6. Olin Dutra, -0.74
7. Paul Runyan, -0.73
8. Willie Goggin, -0.69
9. Tommy Armour, -0.58
10. Henry Picard, -0.46
Decade by decade, the best of the Masters. light. Also
Revolta’s victory in the decade is partly a product of the standard deviation formula, which rewards dominance, especially in isolated matches. Between 1933 and 1936 – his PGA Championship peak – Revolta’s match record was 9-3; that’s nice, but hardly overwhelming considering that five of those eight match wins came on the way to his 1935 title.
But when Revolta won, he destroyed his opponents, whereas when he lost it was a nail-biter. All three of Revolta’s losses during that stretch were by scores of 2 & 1 or 1-up, while four of his eight wins came by scores of 5 & 4 or worse.
None of the era’s three legendary names – Byron Nelson, Sam Snead, and Ben Hogan – debuted in time to make the five starts necessary to be considered for the 1930s list. Craig Wood, aside from Sarazen probably the decade’s biggest star, only competed four times.
Henry Picard, the 1938 Masters, and 1939 PGA champion did compete regularly. He reached the quarter-finals in 1937 and 1938. But his overall showing simply wasn’t good enough to elevate him higher than 10th place.