In Arnold Palmer's first full PGA Tour season of 1955, he was getting hot with the weather. On July 7 of '55, he shot a 65 in the first round of the St. Paul Open, one of his best rounds as a rookie. He would add rounds of 67-70-71 to tie for third and win $1,300. Six weeks later, on his fifth tour event after St. Paul, Palmer would win for the first time on tour at the Canadian Open. Also, in one of the finals that helped convince the PGA of America that the organization should change from match play to stroke play, the 1953 PGA Championship ended on this date at Birmingham Country Club in Michigan with two nondescript players in the final. Local man Walter Burkemo defeated Felize Torza, 2 & 1, to win the major. Top players such as Sam Snead and Cary Middlecoff did not get to the quarterfinals, and Ben Hogan did not play at all because the Open Championship at Carnoustie, which he won, was scheduled too close to the PGA to allow him to get back and play.
Summer's extra daylight was needed 87 years ago for the longest playoff in U.S. Open history when Billy Burke and George Von Elm tied after regulation on July 4, 1931, at the Inverness Club in Toledo, Ohio. This was the year after Bobby Jones had won the Grand Slam, and then retired from competition. When Burke and Von Elm played the 36-hole playoff on July 5, they ended in a 149-all tie. They played 36 more on July 6, and incredibly Von Elm shot 149 again, but this time Burke went just one shot better to win. So after 144 holes, the two were only separated by one stroke! Also on this date, in 1956, Australia’s Peter Thomson won his third straight Open Championship, at Royal Liverpool, by three shots over Flory Van Donck of Belgium. Thomson would win two more Opens.
LIke his fellow American Ben Hogan born in 1912, Sam Snead won the Open Championship one time. Snead did it on this date in 1946 at St. Andrews, winning at two under par, four shots ahead of Bobby Locke and Johnny Bulla. Snead famously groused about how the trip over to Scotland was so expensive that he lost money on the trek even though he was awarded the winner’s share of $600. Also, seven women have won back-to-back U.S. Open titles in its history under the USGA. One of them, Donna Caponi, did the second part of the feat on this date in 1970 at Muskogee (Okla.) Country Club. She finished the championship at one under par, a shot ahead of Sandra Haynie and Sandra Spuzich. The other six back-to-back winners were Mickey Wright (1958, 1959), Susie Berning (1972, 1973), Hollis Stacy (1977, 1978), Betsy King (1989, 1990), Annika Sorenstam (1995, 1996), and Karrie Webb (2000, 2001).
A past golf moment on Independence Day occurred in 1965 when Carol Mann, at age 24, won the U.S. Women's Open at Atlantic City Country Club in Northfield, N.J. She did it in grand style. Needing a par to win on the final hole in Round 4, she made a birdie instead and won by two over Kathy Cornelius, who had been the 1956 winner. And it’s July, the traditional Open Championship month. On this date in 1947, Irishman Fred Daly won the Open at Royal Liverpool, one shot ahead of American amateur Frank Stranahan and England’s Reg Horne.
The first women's national intercollegiate golf championship was completed on this date in 1941, at the Ohio State University Golf Course, which had opened the year before. Eleanor Dudley of the University of Alabama beat 25 other players, winning the championship final, 4 and 2, over Ed Dell Wortz. The tournament was not played again until after World War II in 1946. Two other major events took place on this date in the 1950s. In 1954, Babe Didrikson Zaharias won the U.S. Women’s Open at Salem Country Club in Peabody, Massachusetts, by a record 12 shots, 18 months after having colon cancer surgery. And in 1959, Gary Player won his first major championship, at age 23, winning the Open Championship at Muirfield by two strokes over Fred Bullock and Flory Van Donck.
On the day after a major champion was crowned at the U.S. Senior Open, we go back in history to this date in 1967. Catherine Lacoste of France won the U.S. Women's Open by two shots over Susie Maxwell and Beth Stone at Virginia Hot Springs Golf & Tennis Club. Lacoste, 22, became the second foreign-born player and the youngest winner of the Women's Open at the time. She still is the only amateur to win the championship. American legend Walter Hagen won the Western Open on this date in 1932 at Canterbury Golf Club near Cleveland. It was his fifth and final Western victory, coming 16 years after he won it the first time. He shot one-under-par 287 to win by one stroke over Olin Dutra.
Mickey Wright, the greatest women's golfer of all-time, won her third U.S. Women's Open on this date in 1961. The San Diego native won at Baltusrol Golf Club by six shots over Betsy Rawls, shooting 72-80-69-72-293. Wright won another National Open in 1964 and won 82 LPGA Tour titles in her career. Also on this date in 1920, George Duncan completed a comeback of trailing by 13 strokes after 36 holes to win the 55th Open Championship at Royal Cinque Ports Golf Club. He finished with 303, two shots ahead of fellow Scotsman Sandy Herd.
Bobby Jones made history on this date in 1929 at Winged Foot. Jones tied Al Espinosa after 72 holes in the U.S. Open, despite a final-round 79, and the two played a 36-hole playoff on Sunday, June 30, but 18 holes would have been enough to show the better player. Jones shot 72-69-141 to Espinosa's 84-80-164 to win his third National Open. Also on this date, in 1916, another legendary amateur, Charles (Chick) Evans, won the U.S. Open at the Minikahda Golf Club, two shots ahead of Jock Hutchison. Evans also won the U.S. Amateur in 1916, making him the first amateur to win both titles in the same year.
Hawaiian legend Jackie Pung, who died in March 2017 at age 95, had an incredible career as a golf champion and ambassador but will foremost be known for the scoring mistake that took place on this date in 1957 in the final round of the U.S. Women's Open at Winged Foot. At the end of play, everyone thought Pung had beaten Betsy Rawls by a shot with a six-over 298. But the wrong score was recorded on Pung's scorecard on the fourth hole by her fellow competitor, Betty Jameson, who had put down a 5 instead of the 6 she really had. The rules called for Pung to be disqualified for turning in a lower score on the fourth hole than she actually shot, and Rawls was declared the winner with 299.
The recently completed Travelers Championship began its life in 1952 as the Insurance City Open, a fitting name for a tournament held near insurance capitol Hartford. On this date in 1956, Arnold Palmer shot a 66 at Wethersfield Country Club to take control of the tournament and never let go, adding 69–68–71 for 274. That score tied Ted Kroll, the inaugural champion, after 72 holes, and Arnie ended up winning a two-hole, sudden-death playoff and top prize of $4,000. On this date in 1953, Betsy Rawls won the U.S. Women’s Open at the Country Club of Rochester, taking an 18-hole playoff by six shots over runner-up Jackie Pung, 71-77.
Scotland's Willie Anderson was the 1901 U.S. Open champion and was tied for fifth in 1902, but soon after he became a National Open legend. On this date in 1903, Anderson finished in a tie for first and then on the next day won the first of three in a row, defeating David Brown in an 18-hole playoff, 82-84. Anderson is still the lone golfer to have won three in a row. This date is also loaded with Walter Hagen moments. In 1924, he won his second of four Open Championships, by one stroke over Ernest Whitcombe at Royal Liverpool. In 1931, Hagen captained the U.S. team to a 9-3 victory in the Ryder Cup at Scioto Country Club, for a second captain win. And in 1933 he was captain at Southport when the Americans lost by a 6.5 to 5.5 count.
David Frost of South Africa was never too far from Greg Norman in the 1994 Canon Greater Hartford Open. After two rounds, Frost was one ahead. They both shot 66 in Round 3 to stay one stroke apart, and when they matched 69s on this date in ’94, Frost came out ahead for his ninth tour victory. Also on this date in 1911, John McDermott made history by becoming the first American-born champion of the U.S. Open when he defeated George Simpson and Mike Brady in a playoff at Chicago Golf Club.
Greg Norman led by three shots entering the final round on this date in the 1995 Travelers. That came after shooting 67-64-65. He then hung on to win after a 71. Dave Stockton, Jr., Grant Waite and Kirk Triplett were two shots back. Also, the 61st Open Championship ended on this date in 1926 with Bobby Jones winning his first Open title, at Royal Lytham and St. Annes, two strokes ahead of Al Watrous.
Marc Leishman blitzed the TPC River Highlands course in 62 on this date in 2012, and he won by a shot over Bubba Watson and Charley Hoffman. It was the first PGA Tour victory for the Australian. Also on this date, four-time Travelers Championship winner Billy Casper was born in 1931. Regarding a major, the 50th Open Championship ended on this date in 1910 with James Braid winning for his fifth and final time, by four strokes over Sandy Herd at the Old Course in St. Andrews, Scotland.
Popular Ken Duke won a Travelers playoff with Chris Stroud in the 2013 tournament and earned the nearly $1.1 million payday. A disciple of legendary teacher Bob Toski, Duke shot 65-66 on the weekend to finish at 12 under par. Also today, one of Arnold Palmer’s rough days in golf took place on this date in 1963. He lost the second of three U.S. Open playoffs in his career. Julius Boros won at The Country Club in Massachusetts, shooting 70. Jacky Cupit was second with 73 and Arnold third with 76.
Kevin Streelman made one of the greatest charges on the weekend in Travelers Championship tournament history, putting together back-to-back 64s to edge out Sergio Garcia and K.J. Choi by one shot in 2014. Elsewhere on this date, the rain-plagued 2009 U.S. Open ended on this date at Bethpage State Park Black Course on Long Island, with Lucas Glover winning his only major by two shots over Phil Mickelson, Ricky Barnes and David Duval.
Davis Love III shot a 64 to tie for the second-round lead in the 2002 Canon Greater Hartford Open with Jonathan Kaye and Briny Baird. The eventual winner, Phil Mickelson, was four behind but would shoot 66-64 on the weekend to win. And one of golf history’s milestones took place on this date in 1965 when South African Gary Player defeated Australian star Kel Nagle, 71-74, in a playoff at Bellerive Country Club west of St. Louis to win the U.S. Open. The victory completed the career Grand Slam for Player at age 29. He had led by two shots after 54 holes over Frank Beard and Nagle, but Nagle shot 69 to Player’s 71 to force the playoff. Player led by three shots after nine holes of the playoff and kept that advantage to the end.
On this date in 2013, Charley Hoffman shot an incredible nine-under-par 61 in the first round of the Travelers, but it was just good enough for a one-shot lead. Alas, Charley couldn't keep up such strong play and in the end Ken Duke was the winner in a playoff with Chris Stroud. Also, of the many times the U.S. Open ended on this date, here are some of the highly memorable winners: Alex Smith winning a playoff in 1910 at the Philadelphia Cricket Club; Tom Watson pitching in on 17 in 1982 at Pebble Beach; Ken Venturi surviving searing heat at Congressional in 1964; Arnold Palmer losing a playoff to Billy Casper in 1966 at the Olympic Club; Larry Nelson making a bomb at 16 in 1983 at Oakmont to win over Watson on a Monday; Curtis Strange winning a playoff in 1988 at The Country Club over Nick Faldo; Lee Janzen shooting sub-70 all week at Baltusrol in 1993; Ernie Els winning a playoff in 1994 at Oakmont; Retief Goosen taking the title in 2004 at Shinnecock Hills; Graeme McDowell surviving over Gregory Havret at Pebble Beach in 2010. Elsewhere, Bobby Jones also won the 1930 Open Championship on this date at Royal Liverpool.
One of golf history’s unfathomable results took place on this date in 1955 when major underdog Jack Fleck defeated Ben Hogan in an 18-hole playoff by three shots, at the Olympic Club Lake Course in San Francisco, thereby denying Hogan of a record fifth U.S. Open victory. The scores were 69-72. Fleck was the last obstacle standing in Hogan’s way for victory and he played steady at the end of regulation to tie Hogan, who had finished ahead of him and seemed secure as the champion. He was so sure, in fact, he gave the USGA's Joe Dey his golf ball after finishing his round and said it was meant to go in the USGA's museum at Golf House.
Rory McIlroy almost made a comeback on Sunday to win the U.S. Open at Pinehurst but couldn’t hang onto the lead. Today's date in Open history makes note of a legendary player 7 shots back entering the final round of the U.S. Open on June 18, 1960. Arnold Palmer made his famous charge to victory with a 65, having started the final round 7 shots back of the leader Mike Souchak. Arnie boldly drove the green on the first hole, made birdie, and the charge was on, ending in a two-stroke victory over amateur Jack Nicklaus. You can see the view from behind that first hole on the home page; it's the photo used for This Day in Golf History.