1928 U.S. Open (golf) explained

1928 U.S. Open
Dates:June 21–24, 1928
Location:Olympia Fields, Illinois
Course:Olympia Fields Country Club
Course No. 4[1] [2]
Org:USGA
Format:Stroke play − 72 holes
Par:71[3]
Field:144 players,[4] 65 after cut
Cut:158 (+16)
Purse:$2,000
Winners Share:$500
Champion: Johnny Farrell
Score:294 (+10), playoff
Previous:1927
Next:1929

The 1928 U.S. Open was the 32nd U.S. Open, held June 21–24 at Course No. 4 of Olympia Fields Country Club in Olympia Fields, Illinois, a suburb south of Chicago. Johnny Farrell defeated noted amateur Bobby Jones in a 36-hole playoff to win his only major title.[5] For Jones, a two-time champion in 1923 and 1926, it was his second playoff loss at the U.S. Open in four years and his fourth finish as a runner-up. He won the next two in 1929 and 1930.

Jones jumped out to the 36-hole lead with rounds of 73-71, two shots ahead of George Von Elm and Bill Leach.[6] After a 73 in the third round, Jones took a two-stroke lead over Leach and Henry Ciuci into the final round. Five strokes behind Jones was Farrell, who had recorded rounds of 77-74-71. Farrell teed off well before Jones and shot 72 and a 294 total. With Jones still on the course with the lead, Farrell did not believe he had a chance of winning. In his final round, Jones was uncharacteristically erratic on holes six through ten, at seven-over-par for those five holes. He regrouped on the last eight holes and carded a 77 (+6) for 294 (+10).[7] [8] Gene Sarazen informed Farrell in the clubhouse that he and Jones were tied. Roland Hancock, age 21, would have won the championship by two strokes had he parred the final two holes, but he double-bogeyed 17 and bogeyed 18 to fall a shot out of the playoff.

This was the first year that the USGA implemented a 36-hole playoff. On the first 18, Farrell shot a 70 to Jones' 73. Beginning the second 18, however, Jones quickly got back to all square after two holes. Jones double-bogeyed the 4th to give Farrell a two-stroke lead once again, but three consecutive bogeys beginning at the 10th knocked Farrell out of the lead. Now trailing by one with six holes to play, Farrell nearly aced the par-3 13th, recording a birdie to tie up the match. At the 16th, Jones missed a short putt to give Farrell the lead. At 17, Farrell hit a superb approach to 3feet, while Jones was 20feet away. Jones made his birdie putt to put pressure on Farrell, who responded by holing out. At the par-5 18th, both Jones and Farrell recorded birdies, clinching a one-stroke victory for Farrell in the rain.[9]

The next playoff at the U.S. Open was the following year, won by Jones by 23 strokes. The playoff in 1931 was tied after 36 holes, resulting in a second 36-hole playoff, which caused the USGA to return to the 18-hole format. The next playoff in 1939 was reduced back to 18 holes, but the top two competitors were tied and it went another 18 holes. Sudden-death following the round was not introduced until the 1950s, and not needed until 1990; it was used again in 1994 and 2008.

The four 18-hole courses at Olympia Fields were reduced to two in the late 1940s when the club sold half of its property. Course No. 4 became the North course, and the South course is a composite of holes from the other three.[10]

Course layout

See main article: Olympia Fields Country Club. Course No. 4

Hole123456789Out101112131415161718InTotal
Yards5304554203683531634152204583,3824333873801304335551533834903,3446,726
Par544443434354443453453671
Source:[2] [3] [4]

Round summaries

First round

Thursday, June 21, 1928

PlacePlayerScoreTo par
T1 70 −1
Henry Ciuci
3 Leonard Schmutte 71 E
T4 72 +1
Johnny Golden
Bill Leach
Horton Smith
T8 73 +2
Bobby Jones (a)
Johnny Jones
Willie Hunter
Fred McLeod
Fred Morrison
Source:[11]

Second round

Friday, June 22, 1928

PlacePlayerScoreTo par
1 Bobby Jones (a) 73-71=144 +2
T2 Bill Leach 72-74=146 +4
George Von Elm (a) 74-72=146
T4 70-77=147 +5
75-72=147
73-74=147
T7 Waldo Crowder 74-74=148 +6
74-74=148
75-73=148
74-74=148
Source:[12]

Third round

Saturday, June 23, 1928 (morning)

PlacePlayerScoreTo par
1 Bobby Jones (a) 73-71-73=217 +4
T2 70-77-72=219 +6
Bill Leach 72-74-73=219
T4 75-72-73=220 +7
73-74-73=220
T6 77-74-71=222 +9
George Von Elm (a) 74-72-76=222
8 Roland Hancock 74-77-72=223 +10
T9 Waldo Crowder 74-74-76=224 +11
77-79-68=224
Source:[7] [13]

Final round

Saturday, June 23, 1928 (afternoon)

PlacePlayerScoreTo parMoney ($)
T1 77-74-71-72=294 +10 Playoff
Bobby Jones (a) 73-71-73-77=294
3 Roland Hancock 74-77-72-72=295 +11 300
T4 75-72-73-76=296 +12 200
George Von Elm (a) 74-72-76-74=296 0
T6 70-77-72-80=299 +15 74
Waldo Crowder 74-74-76-75=299
77-79-68-75=299
Bill Leach 72-74-73-80=299
78-76-73-72=299
75-73-79-72=299
75-77-75-72=299
74-77-74-74=299
Source:[7] [13]

(a) denotes amateur

Scorecard

Final round

Hole123456789101112131415161718
Par544443434444345345
Farrell +9  +9  +9  +9 +10+10+10+10+10+11+10+10+10+10+11+11+11+10
Jones+4+4+4+4+3+5+7+8+9+9+10+10+10+10+9+10+10+10
Cumulative tournament scores, relative to par
Source:[7]

Playoff

Sunday, June 24, 1928   (36 holes)

PlacePlayerScoreTo parMoney ($)
1 Johnny Farrell 70-73=143 +1500
2 Bobby Jones (a) 73-71=144 +20

Scorecards

Morning round

Hole 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 101112131415161718
Par544443434444345345
FarrellE+1+1+1+1E+1+2+2+1+2+2+2+3+2+1E−1
Jones−1E+2+2+2+2+2+2+3+3+3+3+3+3+2+2+2+2

Afternoon round

Hole123456789101112131415161718
Par544443434444345345
FarrellE+1+1EEE+1+1+1+2+3+4+3+3+3+3+2+1
Jones+1+1+3+2+1+1+1+1+3+3+3+3+3+3+3+4+3+2
Cumulative playoff scores, relative to par
EagleBirdieBogeyDouble bogeyTriple bogey+
Source:[5]

External links

41.521°N -87.687°W

Notes and References

  1. News: Bobby Jones turns in 70 card at Olympia Fields. Milwaukee Journal. Associated Press. June 20, 1928 . 4-sec 2.
  2. News: National Open tourney starts today at Olympia. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette . Associated Press . June 21, 1928 . 14.
  3. News: Favorites lag behind two 'dark horses'. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. June 22, 1928. 14.
  4. News: 144 start play today for U.S. Open golf title . Chicago Daily Tribune . Rohm . Harold . June 21, 1928 . 19.
  5. News: Farrell wins playoff from Jones by one stroke. Milwaukee Journal. Sixty. Billy. June 25, 1928. 4-part 2.
  6. News: Jones' 144 leads Open by 2 strokes . Chicago Daily Tribune . Rohm . Harland . June 23, 1928 . 17.
  7. News: Bobby Jones shows 5,000 how to do the impossible . Chicago Sunday Tribune . Maxwell . Don . June 24, 1928 . 1, part 2 .
  8. News: Jones and Farrell in tie at finish of National Open golf championship . Reading Eagle. (Pennsylvania). Associated Press. June 24, 1928. 15 .
  9. News: Farrell wins over Jones in golf playoff . Pittsburgh Post-Gazette . Associated Press . June 25, 1928 . 1 .
  10. News: Olympia Fields acres expected to be homesites . Chicago Daily Tribune . Chase . Al . June 23, 1946 . B, part 3.
  11. News: Ball and Ciuci, with 70, tie for lead in Open golf . Chicago Daily Tribune . Rohm . Harland . June 22, 1928 . 17.
  12. News: What they shot . Chicago Daily Tribune . June 23, 1928 . 17.
  13. News: Final scores in National Open meet . Chicago Sunday Tribune . June 24, 1928 . 2, sec. 2.