1954 U.S. Open (golf)
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Dates | June 17–19, 1954 |
| Location | Springfield, New Jersey |
| Course(s) | Baltusrol Golf Club |
| Tour(s) | PGA Tour |
| Statistics | |
| Par | 70 |
| Length | 7,027 yards (6,425 m)[1] |
| Field | 159 players, 50 after cut |
| Cut | 151 (+11) |
| Prize fund | $23,280[2] |
| Winner's share | $6,000 |
| Champion | |
 Ed Furgol | |
| 284 (+4) | |
|
«1953 1955» | |
The 1954 U.S. Open was the 54th U.S. Open, held June 17–19 at Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield, New Jersey. Ed Furgol won his only major title, one stroke ahead of runner-up Gene Littler.[1]
Littler owned the 36-hole lead by two strokes over defending champion Ben Hogan and Furgol. After a 76 in the third round, Littler fell three strokes back of Furgol, who shot a 71 to take a one-stroke lead over Dick Mayer. Hogan made four bogeys at the first six holes and fell out of contention with a 76. In the final round, Littler rebounded with a 70, but it was not enough. Furgol was helped by a great recovery on the 18th. After hitting his drive into the trees, he played his escape shot onto the 18th fairway of Baltusrol's other course. From there he managed to make par, carding a 72 for a 284 total. Mayer was tied with Furgol as he played 18, but he double-bogeyed the hole to fall into third.[3][4]
This U.S. Open was the first to be nationally televised. It was also the first in which ropes were used to control the gallery. Prize money was increased by 20% over the previous year.[2]
Past champions in the field
Made the cut
| Player | Country | Year(s) won | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | Total | To par | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lloyd Mangrum | United States | 1946 | 72 | 71 | 72 | 71 | 286 | +6 | T3 |
| Ben Hogan | United States | 1948, 1950, 1951, 1953 | 71 | 70 | 76 | 72 | 289 | +9 | T6 |
| Cary Middlecoff | United States | 1949 | 72 | 71 | 72 | 75 | 290 | +10 | T11 |
| Julius Boros | United States | 1952 | 78 | 71 | 78 | 70 | 297 | +17 | T23 |
| Lew Worsham | United States | 1947 | 72 | 77 | 77 | 71 | 297 | +17 | T23 |
| Lawson Little | United States | 1940 | 78 | 73 | 73 | 77 | 301 | +21 | T35 |
Missed the cut
| Player | Country | Year won | R1 | R2 | Total | To par |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tony Manero | United States | 1936 | 77 | 80 | 157 | +17 |
| Johnny Farrell | United States | 1928 | 79 | 79 | 158 | +18 |
| Billy Burke | United States | 1931 | 82 | 86 | 168 | +28 |
| Gene Sarazen | United States | 1922, 1932 | 79 | WD | +9 |
Source:[5]
Final leaderboard
Saturday, June 19, 1954
| Place | Player | Country | Score | To par | Money ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ed Furgol | United States | 71-70-71-72=284 | +4 | 6,000 |
| 2 | Gene Littler | United States | 70-69-76-70=285 | +5 | 3,600 |
| T3 | Lloyd Mangrum | United States | 72-71-72-71=286 | +6 | 1,500 |
| Dick Mayer | United States | 72-71-70-73=286 | |||
| 5 | Bobby Locke |  South Africa | 74-70-74-70=288 | +8 | 960 |
| T6 | Tommy Bolt | United States | 72-72-73-72=289 | +9 | 570 |
| Fred Haas | United States | 73-73-71-72=289 | |||
| Ben Hogan | United States | 71-70-76-72=289 | |||
| Shelley Mayfield | United States | 73-75-72-69=289 | |||
| Billy Joe Patton (a) | United States | 69-76-71-73=289 | 0 |
- (a) denotes amateur
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Grimsley, Will (June 20, 1954). "Furgol wins Open in dramatic finish". Spokesman-Review. Associated Press. p. 1-sports.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "U.S. Open history:1954". USGA. Retrieved July 26, 2012.
- ↑ "Furgol wins Open, Mayer ties for third". St. Petersburg Times. June 20, 1954. p. 1C.
- ↑ Fraley, Oscar (June 20, 1954). "Ed Furgol wins US Open". Eugene Register-Guard. United Press. p. 1C.
- ↑ "National Open golf scores". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. June 19, 1954. p. 11.