1950 U.S. Open (golf)
The 1950 U.S. Open was the 50th U.S. Open, held June 8–11 at the East Course of Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, Pennsylvania, a suburb northwest of Philadelphia. In what became known as the "Miracle at Merion," 1948 champion Ben Hogan won the second of his four U.S. Open titles in an 18-hole playoff over 1946 champion Lloyd Mangrum and George Fazio, just 16 months after being severely injured in an automobile accident.[3][4] It was the fourth of Hogan's nine major titles.[5]
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Dates | June 8–11, 1950 |
| Location | Ardmore, Pennsylvania |
| Course(s) | Merion Golf Club, East Course |
| Organized by | USGA |
| Tour(s) | PGA Tour |
| Statistics | |
| Par | 70 |
| Length | 6,694 yards (6,121 m)[1] |
| Field | 150 players, 52 after cut |
| Cut | 149 (+9) |
| Prize fund | $15,000[2] |
| Winner's share | $4,000 |
| Champion | |
.svg.png){kind=small} | |
| 287 (+7), playoff | |
Lee Mackey established a new tournament record by shooting a 64 in the first round,[6][7][8] but followed that up with an 81 and finished in 25th place.[9] His score of 64 was not bettered in any other major championship for 23 years, until Johnny Miller closed with a 63 at the U.S. Open in 1973 to win at Oakmont. Tommy Armour, three-time major champion and winner in 1927, played in his final major and missed the cut.
This was the second U.S. Open played at Merion's East Course, which previously hosted sixteen years earlier in 1934, won by Olin Dutra. Opened in 1912, the course was the site of the U.S. Amateur in 1916, 1924, and 1930; the first was the debut of Bobby Jones at age 14 (quarterfinalist) and the latter two he won. The 1930 victory was the fourth and final leg of his grand slam.
Hogan made his U.S. Open debut at Merion in 1934 at age 21. He shot 79 (+9) twice[10] and missed the 36-hole cut by three strokes. He made his first cut at the U.S. Open in 1939 and did not miss another; his last was in 1967 at age 54.
Course
East Course
| Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Out | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | In | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yards | 360 | 555 | 195 | 595 | 425 | 435 | 360 | 367 | 185 | 3,477 | 335 | 378 | 400 | 133 | 443 | 395 | 445 | 230 | 458 | 3,217 | 6,694 |
| Par | 4 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 36 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 34 | 70 |
Source:[11]
Past champions in the field
Made the cut
| Player | Country | Year(s) won | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | Total | To par | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ben Hogan | | 1948 | 72 | 69 | 72 | 74 | 287 | +7 | 1 |
| Lloyd Mangrum | | 1946 | 72 | 70 | 69 | 76 | 287 | +7 | 2 |
| Cary Middlecoff | | 1949 | 71 | 71 | 71 | 79 | 292 | +12 | T10 |
| Gene Sarazen | | 1922, 1932 | 72 | 72 | 82 | 76 | 302 | +22 | T38 |
Source:[9]
Missed the cut
| Player | Country | Year won | R1 | R2 | Total | To par |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tommy Armour |  | 1927 | 75 | 75 | 150 | +10 |
| Tony Manero | | 1936 | 77 | 75 | 152 | +12 |
| Lawson Little | | 1940 | 79 | 74 | 153 | +13 |
| Craig Wood | | 1941 | 77 | 76 | 153 | +13 |
| Billy Burke | | 1931 | 78 | 79 | 157 | +17 |
| Lew Worsham | | 1947 | 82 | 76 | 158 | +18 |
| Johnny Farrell | | 1928 | 79 | 81 | 160 | +20 |
Round summaries
First round
Thursday, June 8, 1950
| Place | Player | Country | Score | To par |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lee Mackey | | 64 | –6 |
| 2 | Al Brosch | | 67 | –3 |
| T3 | Skip Alexander | | 68 | –2 |
| Julius Boros | | |||
| T5 | Harold Williams | | 69 | –1 |
| Henry Williams, Jr. | | |||
| T7 | Pat Abbott | | 71 | +1 |
| John Barnum | | |||
| Al Besselink | | |||
| Jim Ferrier | .svg.png){kind=small} | |||
| Claude Harmon | | |||
| Loddie Kempa | | |||
| Joe Kirkwood, Jr. | | |||
| Jack Mallon | | |||
| Cary Middlecoff | | |||
| Henry Picard | | |||
| Denny Shute | |
Scorecard
| Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Par | 4 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 |
| E | E | E | −1 | −1 | −1 | −2 | −3 | −3 | −3 | −4 | −4 | −5 | −5 | −6 | −6 | −5 | −6 |
Source:[8]
Second round
Friday, June 9, 1950
| Place | Player | Country | Score | To par |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dutch Harrison | | 72-67=139 | –1 |
| T2 | Julius Boros | | 68-72=140 | E |
| Johnny Bulla |  | 74-66=140 | ||
| Jim Ferrier | | 71-69=140 | ||
| 5 | Ben Hogan | | 72-69=141 | +1 |
| T6 | Skip Alexander | | 68-74=142 | +2 |
| Lloyd Mangrum | | 72-70=142 | ||
| Cary Middlecoff | | 71-71=142 | ||
| Henry Picard | | 71-71=142 | ||
| Skee Riegel | | 73-69=142 | ||
| Bob Toski | | 73-69=142 |
Third round
Saturday, June 10, 1950 (morning)
| Place | Player | Country | Score | To par |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lloyd Mangrum | | 72-70-69=211 | +1 |
| 2 | Dutch Harrison | | 72-67-73=212 | +2 |
| T3 | Ben Hogan | | 72-69-72=213 | +3 |
| Cary Middlecoff | | 71-71-71=213 | ||
| Johnny Palmer | | 73-70-70=213 | ||
| 6 | Jim Ferrier | | 71-69-74=214 | +4 |
| 7 | Henry Ransom | | 72-71-73=216 | +6 |
| T8 | Julius Boros | | 68-72-77=217 | +7 |
| George Fazio | | 73-72-72=217 | ||
| Bill Nary | | 73-70-74=217 |
Source:
Final round
Saturday, June 10, 1950 (afternoon)
Mangrum began the final round with a one-shot lead over Dutch Harrison and a two-stroke lead over Hogan, defending champion Cary Middlecoff, and Johnny Palmer. Fazio was the first to post 287 (+7) after an even-par 70. Mangrum struggled early in his round, carding six bogeys on the first seven holes and shot 76 (+6), which also left him at 287. Hogan had a chance to win the tournament in regulation but missed a short putt for par at 15 and then bogeyed the par-3 17th. In a three-way tie for the lead going to the difficult 18th, Hogan hit one of his most famous shots, a 1-iron approach to 40 feet (12 m).[14] He two-putted for par to join Mangrum and Fazio in the Sunday playoff.[15][16] Middlecoff and Palmer both shot 79 and fell to tenth place.
| Place | Player | Country | Score | To par | Money ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T1 | Ben Hogan | | 72-69-72-74=287 | +7 | Playoff |
| Lloyd Mangrum | | 72-70-69-76=287 | |||
| George Fazio | | 73-72-72-70=287 | |||
| 4 | Dutch Harrison | | 72-67-73-76=288 | +8 | 800 |
| T5 | Jim Ferrier | | 71-69-74-75=289 | +9 | 500 |
| Joe Kirkwood, Jr. | | 71-74-74-70=289 | |||
| Henry Ransom | | 72-71-73-73=289 | |||
| 8 | Bill Nary | | 73-70-74-73=290 | +10 | 350 |
| 9 | Julius Boros | | 68-72-77-74=291 | +11 | 300 |
| T10 | Cary Middlecoff | | 71-71-71-79=292 | +12 | 225 |
| Johnny Palmer | | 73-70-70-79=292 |
Scorecard
| Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Par | 4 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 |
| +3 | +3 | +4 | +4 | +4 | +4 | +4 | +4 | +4 | +4 | +4 | +5 | +5 | +5 | +6 | +6 | +7 | +7 |
| +2 | +3 | +2 | +3 | +4 | +5 | +6 | +6 | +6 | +6 | +6 | +6 | +6 | +6 | +7 | +7 | +7 | +7 |
| +7 | +6 | +7 | +7 | +7 | +7 | +8 | +8 | +8 | +8 | +8 | +8 | +7 | +8 | +7 | +7 | +7 | +7 |
| +3 | +2 | +4 | +5 | +5 | +5 | +5 | +6 | +7 | +7 | +7 | +8 | +8 | +8 | +8 | +8 | +8 | +8 |
| +7 | +6 | +7 | +7 | +7 | +7 | +8 | +8 | +8 | +8 | +9 | +9 | +9 | +9 | +10 | +9 | +9 | +9 |
| +3 | +4 | +4 | +5 | +7 | +7 | +7 | +6 | +6 | +8 | +8 | +8 | +8 | +8 | +9 | +11 | +12 | +12 |
| +4 | +4 | +5 | +5 | +7 | +8 | +8 | +8 | +8 | +8 | +9 | +10 | +11 | +11 | +11 | +11 | +11 | +12 |
Cumulative tournament scores, relative to par
Source:[11]
Playoff
Sunday, June 11, 1950
The three players were within one stroke of each other as late as the 13th hole, with Hogan at even par and Fazio and Mangrum at one-over. Fazio bogeyed four of the last five holes to fall out of contention, while Hogan led Mangrum by a single stroke through 15. Mangrum's tee shot at 16 went into heavy rough but his third shot stopped 15 feet (4.6 m) from the hole. As he putted to save par, he picked up his ball to remove a bug that had landed on it, a violation of the rules (then rule 10, paragraph 2).[3] Mangrum rolled it in, but was assessed a two-stroke penalty at the next tee; the double-bogey allowed Hogan to cruise to a four-stroke victory.[1][3] Hogan had just one bogey, while Fazio had seven and Mangrum four, plus the double-bogey for the rules violation.
| Place | Player | Country | Score | To par | Money ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ben Hogan | | 69 | −1 | 4,000 |
| 2 | Lloyd Mangrum | | 73 | +3 | 2,500 |
| 3 | George Fazio | | 75 | +5 | 1,000 |
- This was the final three-way playoff at the U.S. Open that determined a third-place finisher; at the next in 1963, non-winners tied for second.
References
- "Hogan shoots 69, one under, to win Open golf". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. June 12, 1950. p. 19.
- "U.S. Open history: 1950". USGA. Archived from the original on June 18, 2013. Retrieved June 23, 2012.
- Bartlett, Charles (June 12, 1950). "Hogan wins Open title on 69 in playoff". Chicago Daily Tribune. p. 1, part 6.
- Trostel, Michael (May 28, 2013). "Looking Back...1950 U.S. Open at Merion". USGA. Archived from the original on June 15, 2013. Retrieved May 29, 2013.
- "Defining Moment". Golf Digest. June 2013. Retrieved June 11, 2013.
- Bernstein, Ralph (June 9, 1950). "Harold Williams has good chance to win Open". Tuscaloosa News. Alabama. Associated Press. p. 11.
- "Lee Mackey, Jr., shoots 64 to lead National Open". Wilmington Morning Star. North Carolina. Associated Press. June 9, 1950. p. 12.
- Bartlett, Charles (June 9, 1950). "Record 64 by golf unknown leads Open". Chicago Daily Tribune. p. 1, part 4.
- "Top U.S. Open scorers". Milwaukee Sentinel. June 11, 1950. p. 2-B.
- Cavagnaro, Bob (June 9, 1934). "Bobby Cruickshank has three-stroke lead as 64 golfers battle for Open title". Youngstown Vindicator. Ohio. Associated Press. p. 6.
- "1950 U.S. Open news, cards, pairings, scores" (PDF). Trenham Golf History. Retrieved May 8, 2013.
- Bartlett, Charles (June 10, 1950). "Harrison shoots 67; leads Open with 139". Chicago Daily Tribune. p. 1, part 2.
- "National Open tourney scores". Youngtown Vindicator. Ohio. Associated Press. June 10, 1950. p. 7.
- Balicki, Ron (September 11, 2009). "Remembering the 1-iron at Merion". Golfweek. Retrieved December 6, 2012.
- Talbot, Gayle (June 11, 1950). "Hogan, Mangrum, Fazio tie; Ben's legs give out". Milwaukee Sentinel. Associated Press. p. 1-B.
- Bartlett, Charles (June 11, 1950). "Hogan limps into U.S. Open tie with 287". Chicago Sunday Tribune. p. 1, part 2.
External links
- About.com – 1950 U.S. Open
- USGA Championship Database
- USOpen.com – 1950
- Trenham Golf History – 1950 U.S. Open