The 1924 U.S. Open was the 28th U.S. Open, held June 5–6 at Oakland Hills Country Club in Birmingham, Michigan, a suburb northwest of Detroit. Cyril Walker, a relatively unknown Englishman, won his only major title at the South Course, three strokes ahead of runner-up Bobby Jones, the defending champion.[3][4]
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Dates | June 5–6, 1924 |
| Location | Birmingham, Michigan |
| Course(s) | Oakland Hills Country Club South Course |
| Organized by | USGA |
| Format | Stroke play − 72 holes |
| Statistics | |
| Par | 72 |
| Length | 6,874 yards (6,286 m)[1][2] |
| Field | 84 |
| Cut | none |
| Winner's share | $500 |
| Champion | |
 Cyril Walker | |
| 297 (+9) | |
After the first two rounds of play on Thursday, Jones shared the lead with Bill Mehlhorn, with Walker a shot back.[1] Walker shot a third consecutive 74 in the third round to tie Jones after 54 holes, with Mehlhorn one back. Jones and Mehlhorn, playing ahead of Walker in the final round, both played poorly, each carding 78. Leading by three on the 15th, Walker made bogey but then responded with a birdie on 16. He parred the final two holes to secure the championship.
This was the high point of Walker's golf career. He never won another significant title, and it was his only top ten finish in the U.S. Open; his next best finish in a major was the semifinals of the PGA Championship in 1921. A heavy drinker, Walker wound up working as a caddy and a dishwasher; unable to afford a room, he died in a New Jersey jail cell of pneumonia in 1948 at age 56.[5][6][7]
This was the first of nine major championships held at the South Course through 2017; six U.S. Opens and three PGA Championships.
Course layout
editSouth Course
| Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Out | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | In | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yards | 436 | 490 | 198 | 418 | 407 | 353 | 384 | 450 | 237 | 3,403 | 450 | 403 | 552 | 142 | 461 | 412 | 384 | 191 | 476 | 3,471 | 6,874 |
| Par | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 35 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 37 | 72 |
Source:[1]
Round summaries
editFirst round
editThursday, June 5, 1924 (morning)
| Place | Player | Score | To par |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Bill Mehlhorn |
72 | E |
| T2 | Eddie Loos |
73 | +1 |
| Dave Robertson
| |||
| T4 | Bobby Jones (a) |
74 | +2 |
| Gene Sarazen
| |||
| Herbert Lagerblade
| |||
| Cyril Walker
| |||
| T8 | Mike Brady |
75 | +3 |
| Johnny Golden
| |||
| Walter Hagen
| |||
| Willie Ogg
|
Source:[1]
Second round
editThursday, June 5, 1924 (afternoon)
| Place | Player | Score | To par |
|---|---|---|---|
| T1 | Bobby Jones (a) |
74-73=147 | +3 |
| Bill Mehlhorn |
72-75=147 | ||
| 3 | Cyril Walker |
74-74=148 | +4 |
| T4 |  Bobby Cruickshank |
77-72=149 | +5 |
| Dave Robertson |
73-76=149 | ||
| T6 | Walter Hagen |
75-75=150 | +6 |
| Macdonald Smith[8] |
78-72=150 | ||
| 8 | Abe Espinosa |
80-71=151 | +7 |
| T9 | Mike Brady |
75-77=152 | +8 |
| Tom Kerrigan |
75-77=152 |
Source:[1]
Third round
editFriday, June 6, 1924 (morning)
| Place | Player | Score | To par |
|---|---|---|---|
| T1 | Bobby Jones (a) |
74-73-75=222 | +6 |
| Cyril Walker |
74-74-74=222 | ||
| 3 | Bill Mehlhorn |
72-75-76=223 | +7 |
| 4 | Bobby Cruickshank |
77-72-76=225 | +9 |
| T5 | Walter Hagen |
75-75-76=226 | +10 |
| Dave Robertson |
73-76-77=226 | ||
| 7 | Macdonald Smith |
78-72-77=227 | +11 |
| T8 | Abe Espinosa |
80-71-77=228 | +12 |
| Tommy Armour |
77-76-75=228 | ||
| T10 | Peter O'Hara |
76-79-74=229 | +13 |
| Mike Brady |
75-77-77=229 | ||
| Eddie Loos |
73-81-75=229 |
Source:[4]
Final round
editFriday, June 6, 1924 (afternoon)
| Place | Player | Score | To par | Money ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cyril Walker |
74-74-74-75=297 | +9 | 500 |
| 2 | Bobby Jones (a) |
74-73-75-78=300 | +12 | 0 |
| 3 | Bill Mehlhorn |
72-75-76-78=301 | +13 | 300 |
| T4 | Bobby Cruickshank |
77-72-76-78=303 | +15 | 150 |
| Walter Hagen |
75-75-76-77=303 | |||
| Macdonald Smith |
78-72-77-76=303 | |||
| T7 | Abe Espinosa |
80-71-77-77=305 | +17 | 85 |
| Peter O'Hara |
76-79-74-76=305 | |||
| 9 | Mike Brady |
75-77-77-77=306 | +18 | 75 |
| T10 | Chick Evans (a) |
77-77-76-77=307 | +19 | 0 |
| Eddie Loos |
73-81-75-78=307 | 63 | ||
| Dave Robertson |
73-76-77-81=307 |
Source:[4]
Amateurs: Jones (+12), Evans (+19), Guilford (+29), Sweet (+55).
References
edit- ^ a b c d e Davis, Joe (June 6, 1924). "Jones, Mehlhorn low with 147 in National Open". Chicago Daily Tribune. p. 25.
- ^ "Jones divides National Open lead". Miami News. Associated Press. June 6, 1924. p. 8.
- ^ "Cyril Walker wrests National Open golf title from Jones". Miami News. Associated Press. June 7, 1924. p. 8.
- ^ a b c Davis, Joe (June 7, 1924). "Walker wins National Open, Jones second". Chicago Daily Tribune. p. 13.
- ^ "Cyril Walker dies; beat Bobby Jones". Toledo Blade. Ohio. United Press. August 7, 1948. p. 10.
- ^ "Cyril Walker a pocket-sized Ben Hogan of his golfing day". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. August 23, 1948. p. 8.
- ^ Carroll, Dick (July 2, 1955). "The tragedy of Cyril Walker". Montreal Gazette. p. 8.
- ^ According to his naturalization certificate (available at Ancestry.com) Smith became a U.S. citizen in 1923