The 1937 PGA Championship was the 20th PGA Championship, held May 24–30 at Pittsburgh Field Club in Fox Chapel, Pennsylvania, a suburb northeast of Pittsburgh. Then a match play championship, Denny Shute won his second consecutive PGA Championship in less than seven months, defeating Jug McSpaden in 37 holes. The previous edition in 1936 was held in November at Pinehurst, North Carolina.

Shute was 3 holes up after the morning round of the finals, but McSpaden had the lead with nine holes remaining and was 2 up with three holes to go. McSpaden bogeyed the 34th and double-bogeyed the 35th to square up the match as they went to the 36th tee. McSpaden missed a four-foot (1.2 m) birdie putt to win and they halved the hole and went to an extra hole. McSpaden lipped out his par-saving putt from 8 feet (2.4 m) to end the match.

Shute was the last to successfully defend his title at the PGA Championship until Tiger Woods won consecutive titles in 1999 and 2000. It was Shute's third and final major title; his first was at the British Open in 1933 at St. Andrews.

Usually played later in the schedule, this PGA Championship was in late May, the first of three times it was held before the U.S. Open and British Open. Prior to World War II, the PGA Championship was most often played in September, but ranged from late May (1937, 1942) to early December (1929). Since 1969, it has been held in early to mid-August, except for 1971 (February) and 2016 (July).

The match play format at the PGA Championship in 1937 called for 12 rounds (216 holes) in seven days:

• Monday and Tuesday – 36-hole stroke play qualifier, 18 holes per day;
  • defending champion and top 63 professionals advanced to match play
• Wednesday – first two rounds, 18 holes each
• Thursday – third round – 36 holes
• Friday – quarterfinals – 36 holes
• Saturday – semifinals – 36 holes
• Sunday – final – 36 holes

Sunday, May 30, 1937

Place	Player	Money ($)
1	Denny Shute	1,000
2	Jug McSpaden	500
T3	Ky Laffoon	250
	Tony Manero
T5	Harry Cooper	200
	Jimmy Hines
	Byron Nelson
	Henry Picard

Source:

Quarter-finals May 28

Semi-finals May 29

Finals May 30

Denny Shute

4&3

Jimmy Hines

Denny Shute

3&2

Tony Manero

Tony Manero

1up

Harry Cooper

Denny Shute

37h

Jug McSpaden

Jug McSpaden

39h

Henry Picard

Jug McSpaden

2&1

Ky Laffoon

Ky Laffoon

2&1

Byron Nelson

Morning

Hole	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18
Par	4	4	5	3	5	3	4	4	4	4	4	5	4	3	5	3	4	4
Shute	5	4	5	3	5	2	3	5	3	5	5	4	3	3	6	3	3	3
McSpaden	3	4	4	3	4	3	^	5	4	5	4	5	4	4	5	3	^	4
Leader	M1	M1	M2	M2	M3	M2	M1	M1	–	–	M1	–	S1	S2	S1	S1	S2	S3

Afternoon

Hole	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18
Par	4	4	5	3	5	3	4	4	4	4	4	5	4	3	5	3	4	4
Shute	6	4	5	2	5	3	4	5	5	4	5	4	5	4	5	3	5	4
McSpaden	4	3	5	3	4	3	4	4	4	5	5	4	4	3	5	4	^	4
Leader	S2	S1	S1	S2	S1	S1	S1	–	M1	–	–	–	M1	M2	M2	M1	–	–

^ = picked up ball (hole concession)

Extra hole

Hole	1
Par	4
Shute	4
McSpaden	5
Leader	S1

• Source:

• PGA Media Guide 2012
• PGA.com – 1937 PGA Championship

40°30′47″N 79°53′24″W / 40.513°N 79.89°W / 40.513; -79.89