1928 U.S. Open Winner and Scores
Winner: Johnny Farrell, 294
Where it was played: Olympia Fields Country Club in Olympia Fields, Illinois
Tournament dates: June 21-24, 1928
Leader after first round: Henry Cuici and Frank Ball, 70
Leader after second round: Bobby Jones, 144
Leader after third round: Bobby Jones, 217
What Happened in the 1928 U.S. Open Tournament
In addition to his four wins in U.S. Opens, Bobby Jones also lost two of them in playoffs. At the 1928 U.S. Open, Johnny Farrell beat Jones by a stroke in a 36-hole playoff for the championship.Farrell was in the midst of an 11-year stretch in which he finished in the Top 10 at the U.S. Open eight times. He finished second in two other majors during the same time period, at the 1929 British Open and 1929 PGA Championship. And Farrell is credited with 22 PGA Tour victories.
So Farrell was definitely an accomplished player. But he had to be considered a heavy underdog against the legendary Jones entering that 36-hole playoff. Yet it was Farrell who got off to the better start, shooting 70 in the morning 18 to Jones' 73. Jones nearly reversed it in the afternoon 18, carding 71 to Farrell's 73.
Jones led Farrell by one shot with six holes left in the playoff, but Farrell birdied the 13th hole to even the score. Jones bogeyed No. 16 to fall one behind, and both golfers birdied the final two holes, making Farrell the winner by one, 143 to 144.
Jones probably should have won the tournament in regulation. He was the third-round leader by two, and Farrell was five strokes off the pace. But Farrell shot 72 early, then Jones struggled to a 77 (the following year, at the 1929 U.S. Open, Jones shot 79 in the final round to fall into another 36-hole playoff, but he won that one).
A little-known player named Roland Hancock was in position to win, leading with two holes to go. He needed fo finish bogey-par to win. Alas, Hancock instead went double bogey-bogey and finished in solo third, one stroke out of the playoff.
Future 3-time major winner Denny Shute finished tied for sixth place, his first Top 10 finish in a major. And Fred McLeod, winner of the 1908 U.S. Open, made the cut in this tournament for the final time (it was his final cut in any major, although he played the weekend in several Masters before that major instituted a cut), finishing tied for 41st.
1928 U.S. Open Final Scores
| Johnny Farrell | 77-74-71-72—294 (70-73-143) |
| a-Bobby Jones | 73-71-73-77—294 (73-71-144) |
| Roland Hancock | 74-77-72-72—295 |
| Walter Hagen | 75-72-73-76—296 |
| a-George Von Elm | 74-72-76-74—296 |
| Henry Ciuci | 70-77-72-80—299 |
| Waldo Crowder | 74-74-76-75—299 |
| Ed Dudley | 77-79-68-75—299 |
| Bill Leach | 72-74-73-80—299 |
| Gene Sarazen | 78-76-73-72—299 |
| Denny Shute | 75-73-79-72—299 |
| Macdonald Smith | 75-77-75-72—299 |
| Joe Turnesa | 74-77-74-74—299 |
| Al Espinosa | 74-74-77-75—300 |
| Willie Macfarlane | 73-74-73-80—300 |
| Tommy Armour | 76-75-77-73—301 |
| Jack Forrester | 77-76-75-74—302 |
| Billy Burke | 74-79-73-77—303 |
| Neil Christian | 80-78-74-71—303 |
| Leo Diegel | 72-79-75-77—303 |
| Charles Hilgendorf | 76-77-79-71—303 |
| Frank Ball | 70-81-78-75—304 |
| Archie Compston | 76-81-75-72—304 |
| a-Jimmy Johnston | 77-75-79-73—304 |
| Harry Hampton | 77-76-72-80—305 |
| Leonard Schmutte | 71-81-75-78—305 |
| Frank Walsh | 74-74-80-78—306 |
| Willie Hunter Jr. | 73-83-73-78—307 |
| Felix Serafin | 75-76-77-79—307 |
| Horton Smith | 72-79-76-80—307 |
| Jack Burke Sr. | 77-73-75-83—308 |
| Emmet French | 81-73-80-74—308 |
| a-Rudolph Knepper | 81-74-77-76—308 |
| Irwin Ottman | 75-81-78-74—308 |
| Johnny Golden | 72-78-75-84—309 |
| James Barnes | 73-80-78-79—310 |
| Aubrey Boomer | 75-77-80-78—310 |
| George Christ | 78-75-82-75—310 |
| Eddie Loos | 80-77-76-77—310 |
| Sonny Rouse | 78-79-78-75—310 |
| Jock Hutchison | 76-81-75-79—311 |
| Joe Kirkwood | 80-78-77-76—311 |
| Tony Manero | 80-77-81-73—311 |
| Fred McLeod | 73-76-84-78—311 |
| Al Watrous | 77-75-78-81—311 |
| Willie Klein | 79-77-77-79—312 |
| Jack Tarrant | 76-79-84-73—312 |
| Craig Wood | 79-70-82-81—312 |
| Al Ciuci | 76-78-79-80—313 |
| Bill Mehlhorn | 80-77-86-70—313 |
| Charles Guest | 80-75-79-80—314 |
| a-Rial Rolfe | 82-74-79-79—314 |
| Francis Gallett | 78-77-78-82—315 |
| Johnny Jones | 73-79-82-81—315 |
| Ralph Kingsrud | 77-78-80-80—315 |
| Jack Gordon | 79-78-77-82—316 |
| P.O. Hart | 76-80-79-81—316 |
| Walter Kossman | 77-81-78-80—316 |
| a-Clarence Wolff | 75-78-79-85—317 |
| Fred Morrison | 73-82-77-86—318 |
| Chick Trout | 79-79-83-78—319 |
| Chet Beer | 76-82-77-90—325 |
| Paul Runyan | 78-80-88-81—327 |
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