Sporting Highlights for 1958
Here are some of the sporting highlights in the world of sport for 1958. The major events of the year were the FIFA World Cup, with Brazil beating Sweden 5-2, and also the Commonwealth Games (then called the British Empire and Commonwealth Games).
It was the year of the sixth FIFA World Cup held in Sweden. Brazil defeated the host Sweden in the finals to win the cup. Pelé, the greatest player in the history of soccer, made his debut in the tournament but was largely unknown at the time.
Ashley Cooper, who won the Australian Open in 1957 defended his title for his second grand slam title. He also won two more grand slam titles that year, Wimbledon and the US Open, for his third and fourth slams. Cooper could not extend his success in future years and finished his career with four slams. Althea Gibson who won Wimbledon and the US Open the previous year defended both the titles for the fourth and her fifth and final grand slam title.
Up until this year, the USPGA was a match play event, changed to stroke play for the 1958 tournament.
Arnold Palmer, a seven time major winner, won the Masters Tournament for the first major title of his career. Peter Thomson won The British Open for the fourth time in his career. He won the event again in 1965 for his fifth major all of it coming in The British Open.
The all-time winningest player in women's golf, Patty Berg, won her 15th and final major at the Women's Western Open. The end of one great was the start of another great women's golf player, Mickey Wright, who won two majors that year and a total of 13 major titles in her career.
This was also the year of the Munich Air Disaster. In February 6, 1958, a plane carrying the Manchester United football team along with a number of supporters and journalists, crashed at takeoff from Munich Airport, West Germany. 23 of the 44 people on board the aircraft died, including eight Manchester United players.
Below is a timeline of some significant results in the world of sport for the year 1958.
| Date | Results |
|---|---|
| Jan | Tennis Australia Open won by Ashley Cooper and Angela Mortimer |
| April | Golf Masters won by Arnold Palmer (1st win) |
| May | Tennis French Open won by Mervyn Rose and Susi Kormoczi |
| June | Golf US Open won by Tommy Bolt |
| June 8-29 | FIFA World Cup (Football) tournament was held in Sweden, won by Brazil. |
| July | the Cycling Tour de France won by Charly Gaul. |
| July | Tennis Wimbledon won by Ashley Cooper and Althea Gibson |
| July | Golf The Open Championship won by Peter Thomson |
| July 18-26 | Commonwealth Games held in Cardiff, Wales. |
| Aug | Golf US PGA won by Dow Finsterwald |
| Sep | Tennis US National Championship won by Ashley Cooper and Althea Gibson |
| Oct | The Baseball World Series won by New York Yankees |
Please note that the dates for past events are not always known, and are sometimes just placed in the month that the current event is held. If no exact date is listed, then it is just an estimated month that it was held.
If you have a correction or know of events that should be included here, please let me know.
Related Pages
- Ballon D'or Winners for 1958
- Timeline (all years) in the world of sport
- For future sporting events, see the Calendar of Major Sporting Events
- More about the World of Sport
Any comments, suggestions, or corrections? Please let us know.
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