1947 U.S. Open (golf)
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Dates | June 12–15 |
| Location | Ladue, Missouri |
| Course(s) | St. Louis Country Club |
| Statistics | |
| Par | 71 |
| Length | 6,532 yards (5,973 m)[1] |
| Field | 146 players, 75 after cut |
| Cut | 151 (+9) |
| Prize fund | $10,000[2] |
| Winner's share | $2,500 |
| Champion | |
 Lew Worsham | |
| 282 (–2), playoff | |
|
«1946 1948» | |
The 1947 U.S. Open was the 47th U.S. Open. The golf tournament was held June 12–15, 1947, at St. Louis Country Club in Ladue, Missouri, a suburb west of St. Louis. Lew Worsham denied Sam Snead his elusive U.S. Open title by prevailing in an 18-hole playoff. For Snead, it was his second of four career runner-up finishes at the Open.
Final round
Worsham began the final round with a stroke lead over Snead and Bobby Locke. A front-nine 33 kept him in the lead, but after three bogeys on the back he had to settle for a 71 and a 282 total. Snead overcame two early bogeys with birdies at 5, 6, and 15. After a bogey at 17, Snead needed a birdie on the 72nd hole to tie Worsham and force a playoff the next day. His approach shot left him 18 feet (5.5 m) away, which he rolled in for final-round 70. Locke shot 73 to finish three strokes back, in a tie for third place.[3]
Playoff
In the 18-hole playoff on Sunday morning, Snead led Worsham by two strokes with just three holes remaining. Worsham birdied the par-3 16th with a 28-foot (8.5 m) putt and Snead bogeyed 17 after he missed the fairway and overshot the green from the rough. The match was all-even at the tee of the 90th hole, a par-4 of 419 yards (383 m). Both put lengthy drives in the fairway, and Snead's approach shot stopped pin-high and 15 feet (5 m) left of the hole. Worsham was long and lay 40 feet (12 m) feet past the cup on the apron of the green. His chip rolled into and bounced out of the cup, ending up 29 inches (74 cm) from the hole, which left Snead his birdie putt for the win. He left it well short and as he prepared to hole out in continuation, Worsham called for an official to determine who was further away. With a tape measure, it was determined that it remained Snead's turn, who was visibly flustered with the unnecessary interruption and delay. He missed the 30.5-inch (77 cm) putt, as it hit the side of the cup and stopped an inch away. Worsham then rolled in his par-saving putt for a 69 and the title, which averted an additional 18-hole playoff in the afternoon.[4][5][6]
In the second round, amateur James McHale tied the tournament record with a 65, and he established a new record with a 30 over nine holes. That mark would not be broken until 1995.
The total purse was $10,000 with a winner's share of $2,000 and $1,500 for the runner-up.[2] Both playoff participants received a $500 bonus.[6]
Course layout
| Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Out | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | In | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yards | 395 | 233 | 187 | 421 | 545 | 325 | 150 | 347 | 537 | 3,140 | 349 | 399 | 180 | 576 | 416 | 500 | 188 | 365 | 419 | 3,392 | 6,532 |
| Par | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 35 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 36 | 71 |
Final leaderboard
Saturday, June 14, 1947
| Place | Player | Country | Score | To par | Money ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T1 | Lew Worsham | United States | 70-70-71-71=282 | –2 | Playoff |
| Sam Snead | United States | 72-70-70-70=282 | |||
| T3 | Bobby Locke |  South Africa | 68-74-70-73=285 | +1 | 900 |
| Ed Oliver | United States | 73-70-71-71=285 | |||
| 5 | Bud Ward (a) | United States | 69-72-73-73=287 | +3 | 0 |
| T6 | Jim Ferrier |  Australia United States | 71-70-74-74=289 | +5 | 400 |
| Vic Ghezzi | United States | 74-73-73-69=289 | |||
| Leland Gibson | United States | 69-76-73-71=289 | |||
| Ben Hogan | United States | 70-75-70-74=289 | |||
| Johnny Palmer | United States | 72-70-75-72=289 | |||
| Paul Runyan | United States | 71-74-72-72=289 |
- (a) denotes amateur
Playoff
Sunday, June 15, 1947
| Place | Player | Country | Score | To par | Money ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lew Worsham | United States | 35-34=69 | –2 | 2,500 |
| 2 | Sam Snead | United States | 34-36=70 | –1 | 2,000 |
- Prize money includes $500 playoff bonus for each.[6]
Scorecard
| Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Par | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 |
| Worsham | E | E | E | E | E | E | E | +1 | E | –1 | –1 | –2 | –2 | –2 | –1 | –2 | –2 | –2 |
| Snead | –1 | –1 | –1 | –1 | –2 | E | E | –1 | –1 | –2 | –2 | –2 | –3 | –3 | –3 | –3 | –2 | –1 |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Liska, Jerry (June 16, 1947). "Worsham captures national open title". Youngstown Vindicator. Associated Press. p. 7.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "U.S. Open history: 1947". USGA. Retrieved June 25, 2012.
- ↑ Mockler, Stan (June 15, 1947). "Sammy Snead, Lew Worsham end in dead heat for golfdom's top prize". Eugene Register-Guard. United Press. p. 22.
- ↑ McGeorge, Dick (June 16, 1947). "Worsham outsmarts Snead and wins national open". Toledo Blade. p. 34.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Worsham wins U.S. Open as Sam Snead misses short putt on last hole". Spokesman-Review. Associated Press. June 16, 1947. p. 8.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 "Lew Worsham wins U.S. Open golf: beats Snead by one shot in playoff". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. June 16, 1947. p. 14.