1926 U.S. Open (golf)
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Dates | July 8–10, 1926 |
| Location | Columbus, Ohio |
| Course(s) | Scioto Country Club |
| Tour(s) | PGA Tour |
| Statistics | |
| Par | 72 [1] |
| Field | 134 players, 63 after cut |
| Cut | 159 (+15) |
| Prize fund | $2,000 |
| Winner's share | ($500) |
| Champion | |
 Bobby Jones (a) | |
| 293 (+5) | |
|
«1925 1927» | |
The 1926 U.S. Open was the 30th U.S. Open, held July 8–10 at Scioto Country Club in Columbus, Ohio. Bobby Jones, already the British Open champion, won the second of his four U.S. Opens, one stroke ahead of runner-up Joe Turnesa.[2]
After rounds of 70-79-71, Jones was three strokes behind third round leader Turnesa. After a front-nine 37 in the final round on Saturday afternoon, Turnesa began to unravel on the back, bogeying 12, 13, 14, 16, and 17. He managed to birdie 18 for a 77 and 294 total. Jones got off to a slow star, with bogeys at three of his first five holes, then birdied the 7th and ran off a streak of nine consecutive fours. Needing a birdie on the par-5 18th to win, Jones hit a 310-yard (283 m) tee shot, then followed with an approach to the green, leaving 15 feet (5 m) for eagle. After two-putting, Jones carded a 73 and bested Turnesa by a shot.[2]
Jones became the first player to win the U.S. Open and British Open in the same year. He later won both in 1930, during his grand slam year. While Turnesa never won a major, he did finish second twice and his brother Jim later won the 1952 PGA Championship. Another brother, Willie, won the U.S. Amateur twice and the British Amateur once. In total, eight Turnesa brothers would eventually play on the PGA Tour.
This was also the first year that the tournament was extended to three days, because of the number of entries and the size of the gallery. The first two rounds were now played over two days, Thursday and Friday, with a 36-hole cut. The final two rounds continued to be played on one day, Saturday. This format continued through 1964.
Scioto later hosted the Ryder Cup in 1931 and the PGA Championship in 1950. It is also noteworthy as the club where Jack Nicklaus learned to play as a youth in the 1950s.
Final leaderboard
Saturday, July 10, 1926
| Place | Player | Country | Score | To par | Money ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bobby Jones (a) | United States | 70-79-71-73=293 | +5 | 0 |
| 2 | Joe Turnesa | United States | 71-74-72-77=294 | +6 | 500 |
| T3 | Leo Diegel | United States | 72-76-75-74=297 | +9 | 188 |
| Johnny Farrell | United States | 76-79-69-73=297 | |||
| Bill Mehlhorn | United States | 68-75-76-78=297 | |||
| Gene Sarazen | United States | 78-77-72-70=297 | |||
| 7 | Walter Hagen | United States | 73-77-74-74=298 | +10 | 90 |
| 8 | Willie Hunter |  Scotland United States | 75-77-69-79=300 | +12 | 80 |
| T9 | Tommy Armour | Scotland United States | 76-76-74-75=301 | +13 | 68 |
| Willie Klein | United States | 76-74-75-76=301 | |||
| Macdonald Smith | Scotland United States | 82-76-68-75=301 | |||
| Dan Williams | United States | 72-74-80-75=301 |
- (a) denotes amateur
References
- ↑ "Bobby Jones wins National Open golf title". Youngstown Vindicator. July 10, 1926. p. 1C.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Sixty, Billy (July 11, 1926). "Jones wins National Open title by one stroke". Milwaukee Journal. p. 1-sports.