The 1951 U.S. Open was the 51st U.S. Open, held June 14–16 at the South Course of Oakland Hills Country Club in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, a suburb northwest of Detroit. Ben Hogan won his second consecutive U.S. Open title, two strokes ahead of runner-up Clayton Heafner. Hogan missed the 1949 U.S. Open due to an automobile accident; this was his third title in his last three attempts.[1]
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Dates | June 14–16, 1951 |
| Location | Bloomfield Hills, Michigan |
| Course(s) | Oakland Hills Country Club South Course |
| Organized by | USGA |
| Tour(s) | PGA Tour |
| Statistics | |
| Par | 70 |
| Length | 6,927 yards (6,334 m)[1] |
| Field | 160 players, 55 after cut |
| Cut | 152 (+12) |
| Winner's share | $4,000 |
| Champion | |
 Ben Hogan | |
| 287 (+7) | |
The South Course, dubbed "The Monster," played exceptionally tough for the first three rounds. No player was able to break par the first two days, and Jimmy Demaret's 70 was the only score to equal par in Saturday morning's third round. Sam Snead owned the first round lead at 71 (+1), while Bobby Locke led after the second round at 144 (+4) and shared the lead with Demaret after the third at 218 (+8).
Two strokes back after a 71 in the third round on Saturday morning, Hogan played one of the finest rounds in U.S. Open history that afternoon. Even-par on the front nine, he birdied the 10th and 13th holes. After a bogey at 14, he responded with another birdie at 15. At the 72nd hole, Hogan hit his approach shot on the par-4 to 15 feet (5 m) and sank the birdie putt to post a 67 (−3), the lowest round of the week, one of two sub-par rounds for the round (and championship).[2] His 287 (+7) was two ahead of Heafner, who shot 69, the only other round under 70. At the trophy presentation, Hogan uttered the famous quote: "I'm glad I brought this course—this monster—to its knees."[3]
This was the first U.S. Open that was notably toughened up by the USGA with narrow fairways and deep rough, attributing to "The Monster" nickname. The course also underwent a redesign by Robert Trent Jones prior to the championship, modifying the original Donald Ross design.[4]
The South Course previously hosted the U.S. Open in 1924 and 1937; the winning score in 1937 was 281, sixteen strokes less than in 1924.[4] It later hosted in 1961, 1985, and 1996, and the PGA Championship in 1972, 1979, and 2008.
Since Hogan repeated as champion in 1951, only Curtis Strange (1988, 1989) and Brooks Koepka (2017, 2018) have won consecutive U.S. Open titles.
Round summaries
editFirst round
editThursday, June 14, 1951
| Place | Player | Score | To par |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sam Snead |
71 | +1 |
| T2 | Al Besselink |
72 | +2 |
| Clayton Heafner
| |||
| T4 | Sam Bernardi |
73 | +3 |
| Al Brosch
| |||
| Sammy Byrd
| |||
| Dutch Harrison
| |||
| Charles Klein
| |||
 Bobby Locke
| |||
| Johnny Palmer
| |||
| Smiley Quick
| |||
| Paul Runyan
| |||
| Denny Shute
|
Source:[5]
Second round
editFriday, June 15, 1951
| Place | Player | Score | To par |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bobby Locke |
73-71=144 | +4 |
| 2 | Dave Douglas |
75-70=145 | +5 |
| 3 | Bo Wininger (a) |
75-71=146 | +6 |
| T4 | Al Brosch |
73-74=147 | +7 |
| Clayton Heafner |
72-75=147 | ||
| Charles Klein |
73-74=147 | ||
| Paul Runyan |
73-74=147 | ||
| Lew Worsham |
76-71=147 | ||
| T9 | Julius Boros |
74-74=148 | +8 |
| Jimmy Demaret |
74-74=148 | ||
| Fred Hawkins |
76-72=148 | ||
| George Kinsman |
75-73=148 | ||
| Henry Ransom |
74-74=148 | ||
| Earl Stewart |
74-74=148 | ||
| Craig Wood |
76-72=148 |
Source:[6]
Third round
editSaturday, June 16, 1951 (morning)
| Place | Player | Score | To par |
|---|---|---|---|
| T1 | Jimmy Demaret |
74-74-70=218 | +8 |
| Bobby Locke |
73-71-74=218 | ||
| T3 | Julius Boros |
74-74-71=219 | +9 |
| Paul Runyan |
73-74-72=219 | ||
| T5 | Dave Douglas |
75-70-75=220 | +10 |
| Clayton Heafner |
72-75-73=220 | ||
| Ben Hogan |
76-73-71=220 | ||
| 8 | Al Besselink |
72-77-72=221 | +11 |
| T9 | Johnny Revolta |
78-72-72=222 | +12 |
| Skee Riegel |
75-76-71=222 |
Source:[7]
Final round
editSaturday, June 16, 1951 (afternoon)
| Place | Player | Score | To par | Money ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ben Hogan |
76-73-71-67=287 | +7 | 4,000 |
| 2 | Clayton Heafner |
72-75-73-69=289 | +9 | 2,000 |
| 3 | Bobby Locke |
73-71-74-73=291 | +11 | 1,500 |
| T4 | Julius Boros |
74-74-71-74=293 | +13 | 700 |
| Lloyd Mangrum |
75-74-74-70=293 | |||
| T6 | Al Besselink |
72-77-72-73=294 | +14 | 387 |
| Dave Douglas |
75-70-75-74=294 | |||
| Fred Hawkins |
76-72-75-71=294 | |||
| Paul Runyan |
73-74-72-75=294 | |||
| T10 | Al Brosch |
73-74-76-72=295 | +15 | 187 |
| Smiley Quick |
73-76-74-72=295 | |||
| Skee Riegel |
75-76-71-73=295 | |||
| Sam Snead |
71-78-72-74=295 |
Source:[7]
References
edit- ^ a b "Hogan fires 3-under 67 to win third Open crown". Milwaukee Sentinel. Associated Press. June 17, 1951. p. 1B.
- ^ "Mighty Hogan baffles par to cop Open". Eugene Register-Guard. Oregon. Associated Press. June 17, 1951. p. 14.
- ^ Owosso, Michigan (July 26, 1991). "Still a 'monster'". Argus-Press. Associated Press. p. 11.
- ^ a b Garrity, John (June 10, 1996). "Making the Monster". Sports Illustrated. p. G32.
- ^ "Nation Open golf scores". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. June 15, 1951. p. 22.
- ^ "National Open tourney scores". Youngtown Vindicator. Ohio. Associated Press. June 16, 1951. p. 7.
- ^ a b "National Open tourney scores". Youngtown Vindicator. Ohio. Associated Press. June 17, 1951. p. D-1.