1947 U.S. Open Tournament Winner and Scores

The 1947 U.S. Open was the 47th time the tournament was played. It ended with an 18-hole playoff.

Winner: Lew Worsham, 282

Where it was played: St. Louis Country Club in Ladue, Missouri

Tournament dates: June 12-15, 1947

Leader after first round: Chick Harbert and Henry Ransom, 67

Leader after second round: Chick Harbert and Dick Metz, 139

Leader after third round: Lew Worsham, 211

What Happened at the 1947 U.S. Open

Lew Worsham beat Sam Snead in a playoff to win his only major championship title, and deny Snead yet another U.S. Open. Snead never won a U.S. Open, and this was one of four times he finished second. In fact, it was the second of Snead's four runners-up in a U.S. Open, and it was also the second of Worsham's six career PGA Tour wins.

The two tied at 282 in regulation play. Snead and Bobby Locke began the final round one stroke behind Worsham, who closed with a 71. Locke shot 73 to fall three behind and tie for third, but Snead sank an 18-foot birdie putt on the 72nd hole to shoot 70 and tie Worsham.

That led to an 18-hole playoff the following day. Snead seemed in control of the playoff, leading his lesser-known foe by two strokes with three holes to play. But after a Worsham birdie and Snead bogey over the next two holes, they reached the 18th tied.

On the final green, Worsham chipped from just off the green, his ball hitting the cup and stopping about 29 inches past the hole. Snead had a birdie putt to win, but left it about the same distance short. Snead walked up to his ball and prepared to knock it into the hole without marking (continuation putting). But Worsham rushed in to stop him. Worsham wanted to know who was away, and a rules official was called in to measure. It was determined that Snead was out by a very small margin — his ball was about 30 inches from the hole.

Snead re-set himself, but, flustered over the Worsham moved, he missed. Worsham then knocked his par putt in to win the playoff and the trophy. Worsham and Snead were friends before this tournament (they had been stationed at the same Naval base during World War II), and remained lifelong friends after.

In the second round, amateur James McHale shot 65 to tie the then-tournament scoring record, and he set a new U.S. Open record with a 30 over nine holes. That 9-hole record wasn't bettered until 1995.

This tournament has the distinction of being the first golf tournament televised in the United States, although it was only shown locally in the St. Louis area. An estimated 500 television sets tuned in. Bud Ward earned low amateur honors by finishing fifth, the highest finish by an amateur until Jack Nicklaus was runner-up in 1961.

1947 U.S. Open Scores

Lew Worsham 70-70-71-71—282
Sam Snead 72-70-70-70—282
Bobby Locke 68-74-70-73—285
Ed Oliver 73-70-71-71—285
a-Bud Ward 69-72-73-73—287
Jim Ferrier 71-70-74-74—289
Vic Ghezzi 74-73-73-69—289
Leland Gibson 69-76-73-71—289
Ben Hogan 70-75-70-74—289
Johnny Palmer 72-70-75-72—289
Paul Runyan 71-74-72-72—289
Chick Harbert 67-72-81-70—290
Ed Furgol 70-75-72-74—291
Dutch Harrison 76-72-70-73—291
Dick Metz 69-70-78-74—291
Bill Nary 77-71-70-73—291
a-Frank Stranahan 73-74-72-72—291
Harry Todd 67-75-77-72—291
Claude Harmon 74-72-74-72—292
Gene Kunes 71-77-72-72—292
George Payton 71-75-75-71—292
Alfred Smith 70-73-76-73—292
Sam Byrd 72-74-70-77—293
Joe Kirkwood Sr. 72-73-70-78—293
Lloyd Mangrum 77-72-69-75—293
James McHale Jr. 79-72-65-77—293
Herman Barron 74-71-75-74—294
Billy Burke 74-75-71-74—294
Bob Hamilton 75-71-75-74—295
Henry Ransom 67-74-79-75—295
Fred Haas 74-73-76-73—296
Bob Kepler 76-72-69-79—296
Lawson Little 75-73-75-73—296
Toney Penna 74-73-74-75—296
Johnny Bulla 74-77-73-73—297
Pete Cooper 76-71-72-78—297
Lloyd Wadkins 76-73-74-74—297
Herschel Spears 73-75-75-75—298
Al Brosch 73-73-76-78—300
Jimmy Demaret 76-69-74-81—300
Dave Douglas 71-80-76-73—300
Gene Sarazen 72-75-74-79—300
Jimmy Thomson 74-75-75-76—300
Jim Turnesa 74-74-80-72—300
Patrick Abbott 75-71-80-75—301
Frank Moore 75-73-77-76—301
Harold West 77-72-75-77—301
Mike DeMassey 76-75-75-76—302
Art Doering 73-76-77-76—302
Otto Greiner 69-77-77-79—302
Skip Alexander 75-76-78-74—303
Jack Grout 71-80-78-74—303
a-Thomas Sheehan 73-74-78-78—303
Ellsworth Vines 76-74-74-79—303
Ralph Guldahl 74-77-76-77—304
Toby Lyons 77-74-76-77—304
John O'Donnell 74-74-81-75—304
Herman Scharlau 71-77-80-76—304
Fred Annon 77-73-80-75—305
George Fazio 76-75-74-80—305
a-Skee Riegel 75-75-73-82—305
Mike Turnesa 75-73-78-79—305
a-Jack Coyle 76-75-76-80—307
a-Robert Cochran 74-77-78-79—308
a-Robert Willits 75-76-79-79—309
a-Felice Torza 72-78-80-80—310
a-Frank Stafaci 72-79-81-79—311

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