1949 U.S. Open (golf)


The 1949 U.S. Open was the 49th U.S. Open, held June 9–11 at Medinah Country Club in Medinah, Illinois, a suburb northwest of Chicago. Cary Middlecoff won the first of his two U.S. Open titles, one stroke ahead of runners-up Clayton Heafner and Sam Snead. For Snead, it was the third of four second-place finishes at the only major championship he never won. Middlecoff, a dentist, won his second U.S. Open in 1956.
Middlecoff began the championship with a 75, but rebounded with scores of 67-69 in the next two rounds to take a one-shot lead over Buck White after 54 holes. In the final round, Middlecoff was paired with Heafner, and the two exchanged the lead several times during the round. Heafner went ahead by one after the 11th, then double-bogeyed 12 to give Middlecoff the lead. After a Heafner birdie at 13, the two were tied again. Heafner then bogeyed 14 to fall one behind, a deficit he would not be able to overcome after missing a 6-footer for birdie at 18 that would have forced a Sunday playoff. Snead also had a chance to force a playoff with a birdie at the last, but his approach shot missed the green and he could only save par.
Byron Nelson, the 1939 champion, came out of retirement but missed the cut. He played the U.S. Open six years later in 1955, then retired for good. Two-time champion Ralph Guldahl played in his final U.S. Open. Defending champion Ben Hogan missed the tournament after being severely injured in an automobile accident in February. He returned the following year and won three of the next four U.S. Opens.
This was the first U.S. Open at Medinah, which returned in 1975 and 1990, both ending in 18-hole playoffs. It later hosted the PGA Championship in 1999 and 2006, both won by Tiger Woods, and the Ryder Cup in 2012.

Past champions in the field

Made the cut

Missed the cut

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Round summaries

First round

Friday, June 9, 1949
PlacePlayerCountryScoreTo par
1Les Kennedy69−2
T2Herman Barron70−1
T2Al Brosch70−1
T2Charles Farlow70−1
T2Chick Harbert70−1
T6Pete Cooper71E
T6Bobby Cruickshank71E
T6Ralph Guldahl71E
T6Claude Harmon71E
T6Johnny Palmer71E
T6Bus Peele71E
T6Lew Worsham71E

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Second round

Saturday, June 10, 1949
PlacePlayerCountryScoreTo par
1Al Brosch70-71=141−1
T2Cary Middlecoff75-67=142E
T2Buck White74-68=142E
T4Claude Harmon71-72=143+1
T4Clayton Heafner72-71=143+1
T4Les Kennedy69-74=143+1
7Pete Cooper71-73=144+2
T8Bob Harris76-69=145+3
T8Bobby Locke74-71=145+3
T8Ellsworth Vines73-72=145+3

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Third round

Saturday, June 11, 1949
PlacePlayerCountryScoreTo par
1Cary Middlecoff75-67-69=211−2
2Buck White74-68-70=212−1
T3Al Brosch70-71-73=214+1
T3Clayton Heafner72-71-71=214+1
5Ellsworth Vines73-72-71=216+3
T6Dave Douglas74-73-70=217+4
T6Claude Harmon71-72-74=217+4
T6Eric Monti75-72-70=217+4
T6Sam Snead73-73-71=217+4
T6Jim Turnesa78-69-70=217+4

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Final round

Saturday, June 11, 1949
PlacePlayerCountryScoreTo parMoney
1Cary Middlecoff75-67-69-75=286+22,000
T2Clayton Heafner72-71-71-73=287+31,250
T2Sam Snead73-73-71-70=287+31,250
T4Bobby Locke74-71-73-71=289+5700
T4Jim Turnesa78-69-70-72=289+5700
T6Dave Douglas74-73-70-73=290+6450
T6Buck White74-68-70-78=290+6450
T8Pete Cooper71-73-74-73=291+7300
T8Claude Harmon71-72-74-74=291+7300
T8Johnny Palmer71-75-72-73=291+7300

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