HAVERTOWN, Pa. -- With the 50th anniversary of the historic 1958 PGA Championship at Llanerch Country Club looming on the horizon in July, CBS Sports dispatched a three-person camera crew for two days of shooting and interviews this week. The efforts will result in a feature segment on Llanerch and its place in golf history during the PGA Championship Preview Show which will air on the weekend prior to the PGA Championship at Oakland Hills CC in Michigan, August 7-10.

“This has been a very exciting year leading up to the 50th anniversary of the PGA Championship that was held at Llanerch,” said Jack DelPizzo, club president. “The membership has been very supportive of our effort in putting together the celebration and the fact that CBS Sports was on the property for two days this week heightened the excitement.”

There are a few major championships that come to mind when talking about an event that changed the course of golf around the world but no event ever held more historical significance than the 1958 PGA Championship, played at Llanerch Country Club in the heart of suburban Philadelphia.

That 1958 PGA Championship, which was won by Dow Finsterwald, was the first major championship ever to be televised. It marked the beginning of the storied television golf career of CBS executive Frank Chirkinian.

It also marked the first time the PGA Championship was decided by stroke play competition, after 40 years of match play. The change was forged when Llanerch head professional Marty Lyons wrote a letter to the PGA of America, warning of the danger that the historic telecast might come on the air after the final match was completed. A rout in the final could have caused such a television gaff.

As a result, the PGA changed its championship format to accommodate television. Looking back, after years of extensive television coverage that has brought the game to millions around the world, the significance of the change can be appreciated.