1949 U.S. Open (golf)

1949 U.S. Open

Tournament information
Dates	June 9–11, 1949
Location	Medinah, Illinois
Course(s)	Medinah Country Club Course No. 3
Organized by	USGA
Tour(s)	PGA Tour
Statistics
Par	71
Length	6,981 yards (6,383 m)[1]
Field	159 players, 51 after cut
Cut	150 (+8)
Prize fund	$10,000[2]
Winner's share	$2,000
Champion
Cary Middlecoff
286 (+2)
← 1948 1950 →

Medinah CC

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Location in the United States

Medinah CC

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Location in Illinois

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.^[1]

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.

Friday, June 9, 1949

Place	Player	Score	To par
1	Les Kennedy	69	−2
T2	Herman Barron	70	−1
	Al Brosch
	Charles Farlow
	Chick Harbert
T6	Pete Cooper	71	E
	Bobby Cruickshank
	Ralph Guldahl
	Claude Harmon
	Johnny Palmer
	Bus Peele
	Lew Worsham

Source:^[3]

Saturday, June 10, 1949

Place	Player	Score	To par
1	Al Brosch	70-71=141	−1
T2	Cary Middlecoff	75-67=142	E
	Buck White	74-68=142
T4	Claude Harmon	71-72=143	+1
	Clayton Heafner	72-71=143
	Les Kennedy	69-74=143
7	Pete Cooper	71-73=144	+2
T8	Bob Harris	76-69=145	+3
	Bobby Locke	74-71=145
	Ellsworth Vines	73-72=145

Source:^[4]

Saturday, June 11, 1949 (morning)

Place	Player	Score	To par
1	Cary Middlecoff	75-67-69=211	−2
2	Buck White	74-68-70=212	−1
T3	Al Brosch	70-71-73=214	+1
	Clayton Heafner	72-71-71=214
5	Ellsworth Vines	73-72-71=216	+3
T6	Dave Douglas	74-73-70=217	+4
	Claude Harmon	71-72-74=217
	Eric Monti	75-72-70=217
	Sam Snead	73-73-71=217
	Jim Turnesa	78-69-70=217

Source:^[1][2]

Saturday, June 11, 1949 (afternoon)

Place	Player	Score	To par	Money ($)
1	Cary Middlecoff	75-67-69-75=286	+2	2,000
T2	Clayton Heafner	72-71-71-73=287	+3	1,250
	Sam Snead	73-73-71-70=287
T4	Bobby Locke	74-71-73-71=289	+5	700
	Jim Turnesa	78-69-70-72=289
T6	Dave Douglas	74-73-70-73=290	+6	450
	Buck White	74-68-70-78=290
T8	Pete Cooper	71-73-74-73=291	+7	300
	Claude Harmon	71-72-74-74=291
	Johnny Palmer	71-75-72-73=291

Source:^[1][2]

41°57′58″N 88°02′53″W / 41.966°N 88.048°W / 41.966; -88.048