The PGA Championship switched from match play to stroke play in 1958.
The 1958 PGA Championship was the first edition played as a 72-hole stroke-play tournament over four days. Competitors played rounds on Thursday through Sunday, with the lowest total score winning. Dow Finsterwald captured the title at Llanerch Country Club in Pennsylvania, finishing at 276, four under par, and beating Billy Casper by two strokes.
Before 1958, the PGA Championship was one of professional golf’s major match-play events. The field was reduced through successive rounds, and the final match traditionally covered 36 holes. The 1957 championship, won by Lionel Hebert, was the last played under that format. The change reflected the growing importance of television, scheduling practicality, and the popularity of cumulative scoring in modern professional tournaments.
The format switch also changed the type of champion the event rewarded. Match play emphasizes head-to-head tactics and winning individual holes, while stroke play rewards the lowest aggregate score across the entire field. The PGA Championship has remained a stroke-play major ever since, although match play continues in other major golf competitions and team events.