1925 U.S. Open (golf)

The 1925 U.S. Open was a golf competition held at Worcester Country Club. The Championship was won by Willie Macfarlane in a second 18 hole playoff over Bobby Jones. Macfarlane shot a U.S. Open record 67 in the second round, but nearly blew his chance at victory with a 78 in the final round. During the first round, Bobby Jones was getting set to hit an iron shot out of the rough on the 11th hole when he felt his club move the ball ever so slightly.^[1] No one else seemed to have seen this movement, but Jones called a penalty on himself. After officials were unable to confirm that the ball had actually moved, they allowed Jones to make his own ruling on whether or not he should be penalized. Jones said he was certain the ball had moved and penalized himself. The decision cost him the title, but forever added to Jones's legacy. Spectators praised him for his sportsmanship, but he would have none of it. He flatly replied, "You might as well praise me for not robbing a bank."^[1] Because there were so many players with a chance on the final nine of regulation and both playoff rounds were drama-filled, William D. Richardson of The New York Times called it "easily the greatest Open Championship of them all."^[2] The championship marked the end of a U.S. Open era, as the last to be condensed into two days.^[3]

Final Leaderboard

Macfarlane (75-72=147) defeated Jones (75-73=148) in second 18-hole playoff

References