On this day in 1938, at Royal St. George's Golf Club in Sandwich, England, Reg Whitcombe survived in rough weather to win the Open Championship by two strokes over Jimmy Adams and three over defender Henry Cotton. The weather was even more diabolical than normal in 1938. The championship was supposed to be played in Deal at Royal Cinque Ports, but unusual high tides in February had damaged the course with flooding, forcing a switch to St. George's. The 36-hole final day was played in gale-force winds, which tore apart the exhibition tent. Whitcombe managed the mayhem the best, shooting 75-78.
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.
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!
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.
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 1946 after World War II.
Just a week or so since a major champion was crowned at the Women's PGA, 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.
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.
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 was enough to show the better player. Jones shot 72-69-141 to Espinosa's 84-80-164 to win his third National Open.
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 U.S. Women's Open at Winged Foot. At the end of play, everyone thought Pung had beaten Betsy Rawls by a shot. But the wrong score was recorded on Pung's scorecard in the final round 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.
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.
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.
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.
Greg Norman led by three shots entering the final round after shooting 67-64-65 and barely hung on to win after a 71 on this date in 1995. Dave Stockton Jr., Grant Waite and Kirk Triplett were two shots back.
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.
Popular Ken Duke won a playoff with Chris Stroud in the 2013 Travelers 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.
Kevin Streelman made one of the greatest charges on the weekend in tournament history, putting together back-to-back 64s to edge out Sergio Garcia and K.J. Choi by one shot in 2014.
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.
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.
Ben Hogan was denied his fifth U.S. Open on June 19, 1955, when unheralded Jack Fleck beat him in a playoff, 69-72, on the Olympic Club Lake Course. Fleck played well 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.