1938 U.S. Open (golf)
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Dates | June 9–11, 1938 |
| Location | Englewood, Colorado |
| Course(s) | Cherry Hills Country Club |
| Organized by | USGA |
| Tour(s) | PGA Tour |
| Statistics | |
| Par | 71 |
| Length | 6,888 yards (6,298 m)[1] |
| Field | 160 players, 60 after cut |
| Cut | 155 (+13) |
| Prize fund | $6,000[2] |
| Winner's share | $1,000 |
| Champion | |
 Ralph Guldahl | |
| 284 (E) | |
|
«1937 1939» | |
The 1938 U.S. Open was the 42nd U.S. Open, held June 9–11 at Cherry Hills Country Club in Englewood, Colorado, a suburb south of Denver. Defending champion Ralph Guldahl won his second straight U.S. Open title, six strokes ahead of runner-up Dick Metz.[3][4] It was the second of Guldahl's three major titles.
Metz owned a four-stroke lead over Guldahl after Saturday morning's third round, but Metz struggled in the afternoon and shot a 79 (+8) to finish at 290 (+6). Guldahl began his round with two birdies in his first six holes on his way to a 69 (–2) and an even-par 284 total, six strokes ahead of Metz.[5] His six-shot victory was the largest since Jim Barnes won by nine strokes in 1921. Guldahl became the fourth player to successfully defend at the U.S. Open, joining Willie Anderson, John McDermott, and Bobby Jones. There have only been two since: Ben Hogan in 1951 and Curtis Strange in 1989.
In the second round, Ray Ainsley set a dubious record by shooting a 19 on the par-4 16th hole.[2] Ainsley's ball landed in a creek, and instead of taking a drop he continued to play the ball out. He shot 96 (+25) for the round and missed the cut.
This was the first U.S. Open played in the western United States. The U.S. Open returned in 1960 and 1978, and the PGA Championship was played here in 1941 and 1985. The average elevation of the course exceeds 5,300 feet (1,620 m) above sea level.
Final leaderboard
Saturday, June 11, 1938
| Place | Player | Country | Score | To par | Money ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ralph Guldahl | United States | 74-70-71-69=284 | E | 1,000 |
| 2 | Dick Metz | United States | 73-68-70-79=290 | +6 | 800 |
| T3 | Harry Cooper |  England United States | 76-69-76-71=292 | +8 | 650 |
| Toney Penna |  Italy United States | 78-72-74-68=292 | |||
| T5 | Byron Nelson | United States | 77-71-74-72=294 | +10 | 412 |
| Emery Zimmerman | United States | 72-71-73-78=294 | |||
| T7 | Frank Moore | United States | 79-73-72-71=295 | +11 | 216 |
| Henry Picard | United States | 70-70-77-78=295 | |||
| Paul Runyan | United States | 78-71-72-74=295 | |||
| 10 | Gene Sarazen | United States | 74-74-75-73=296 | +12 | 106 |
References
- ↑ Kilgallen, James L. (June 9, 1938). "Golfers start Cherry Hills rounds today". Miami Daily News. INS. p. 1-B.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "U.S. Open history: 1938". USGA. Retrieved June 27, 2012.
- ↑ "Guldahl retains U.S. Open golf crown". Montreal Gazette. Associated Press. June 13, 1938. p. 14.
- ↑ Petrie, Kerr N. (June 12, 1938). "Metz second by six shots to Ralph's 284". Miami Daily News. (New York Herald Tribune). p. 1-C.
- ↑ McLemore, Henry (June 12, 1938). "Ralph Guldahl retains national open golf championship". Eugene Register-Guard. United Press. p. 10.