1956 PGA Championship
| Dates | July 20–24, 1956 |
|---|---|
| Location | Canton, Massachusetts |
| Course(s) | Blue Hill Country Club |
| Organized by | PGA of America |
| Tour(s) | PGA Tour |
| Format | Match play - 7 rounds |
| Par | 71 |
| Length | 6,634 yards (6,066 m) |
| Field | 128 players (all match play) |
| Prize fund | $40,000 |
| Winner's share | $5,000 |
 Jack Burke Jr.
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| def. Ted Kroll, 3 & 2 | |
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«1955
1957»
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The 1956 PGA Championship was the 38th edition of the professional golf competition, held at Blue Hill Country Club in Canton, Massachusetts, a suburb southwest of Boston. Jack Burke Jr. won his second major championship of 1956, a 3 & 2 victory over Ted Kroll; Burke won the Masters in April. It was the penultimate PGA Championship as a match play competition; stroke play was introduced two years later in 1958. This was the tenth and final year the PGA Championship was scheduled for a Tuesday finish.
Defending champion Doug Ford was stopped in the third round by 1953 champion Walter Burkemo, 5 & 3.
Blue Hill was not highly regarded as a championship venue and calls increased for a change in format to stroke play. Also, a five-year membership in the PGA of America was necessary to compete in the PGA Championship at the time; this excluded young professionals Arnold Palmer, Dow Finsterwald, Gene Littler, and Mike Souchak.
Burke was the second to win the Masters and PGA Championship in the same calendar year, following Sam Snead in 1949. Through 2016, it has only been accomplished four times, with the latter two by Jack Nicklaus in 1963 and 1975.
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