 Prior to the finals, Diegel defeated both Walter Hagen and Gene Sarazen, the winners of the previous seven PGA Championships, in the two preceding matches.He prevailed 2 & 1 over nemesis Hagen in the quarterfinals and 9 & 8 over Sarazen in the semifinals.Diegel had lost to Hagen in the 1925 quarterfinals (40 holes) and the 1926 finals.