1956 U.S. Open Golf Tournament
The 1956 U.S. Open was the 56th time the tournament was played. A steady Cary Middlecoff held off Ben Hogan and Julius Boros for the victory.
Winner: Cary Middlecoff, 281
Where it was played: Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, New York
Tournament dates: June 14-16, 1956
Leader after first round: Bob Rosburg, 68
Leader after second round: Peter Thomson, 139
Leader after third round: Cary Middlecoff, 211
What Happened in the 1956 U.S. Open
Cary Middlecoff held off Julius Boros and Ben Hogan to win the 1956 U.S. Open, Middlecoff's second win in this tournament and his third major championship victory overall.Middlecoff and Hogan both stumbled down the stretch, while Boros let an opportunity slide by. Middlecoff, who began the final round with a 2-stroke lead, bogeyed the 16th and 17th holes. But Boros lipped out a birdie putt on the final hole that would have tied it. Hogan, meanwhile, began the final round in second place. But his hopes came to an end when he missed a 2½-foot par putt on the 71st hole.
But aside from those two late bogeys, Middlecoff was the picture of consistency through the tournament. He opened with 71, then strung together three consecutive rounds of 70. Middlecoff took a one-stroke lead after 54 holes.
Australian Peter Thomson finished tied for fourth after holding the 36-hole lead. Thomson won the British Open five times, but rarely played in America. His fourth-place showing here was his best finish in any of the other three majors.
A couple months earlier, amateur Ken Venturi lost the 1956 Masters when he shot an 80 in the final round. He lost the 1956 U.S. Open when he shot 77 in the first round. But Venturi followed with three good scores to earn low amateur honors, finishing eighth.
Finishing one spot in front of Venturi was Arnold Palmer, playing in his fourth U.S. Open and posting his first Top 10 in this tournament.
Billy Casper made his major championship debut in the 1956 U.S. Open and finished 14th. Meanwhile, English great Henry Cotton made the last of his two appearances in a U.S. Open, finishing 17th. Defending champion Jack Fleck, who beat Hogan in a playoff a year earlier, missed the cut.
Tony Lema — later known as "Champagne Tony" — made his major championship debut here, making the cut and finishing 50th. At the time, Lema was not yet a PGA Tour player; he was an assistant pro in California. He wouldn't play in another major until 1962, but became one of the best players on Tour in the mid-1960s and won the 1964 British Open. He died in a plane crash in 1966.
1956 U.S. Open Final Scores
| Cary Middlecoff | 71-70-70-70—281 |
| Julius Boros | 71-71-71-69—282 |
| Ben Hogan | 72-68-72-70—282 |
| Ed Furgol | 71-70-73-71—285 |
| Ted Kroll | 72-70-70-73—285 |
| Peter Thomson | 70-69-75-71—285 |
| Arnold Palmer | 72-70-72-73—287 |
| a-Ken Venturi | 77-71-68-73—289 |
| Jerry Barber | 72-69-74-75—290 |
| Wes Ellis | 71-70-71-78—290 |
| Doug Ford | 71-75-70-74—290 |
| Billy Maxwell | 72-71-76-72—291 |
| a-Billy Joe Patton | 75-73-70-74—292 |
| Billy Casper | 75-71-71-76—293 |
| Pete Cooper | 73-74-76-70—293 |
| Fred Haas | 72-71-72-78—293 |
| Henry Cotton | 74-72-73-75—294 |
| Dutch Harrison | 72-76-72-74—294 |
| Jay Hebert | 71-76-73-74—294 |
| Bill Ogden | 76-73-76-69—294 |
| Bob Toski | 76-71-74-73—294 |
| Errie Ball | 71-75-73-76—295 |
| Tommy Bolt | 74-71-73-77—295 |
| Johnny Bulla | 77-72-73-74—296 |
| Robert Kay | 75-74-76-71—296 |
| Sam Snead | 75-71-77-73—296 |
| Roberto De Vicenzo | 76-69-77-75—297 |
| Doug Higgins | 74-75-72-76—297 |
| Walter Burkemo | 73-74-76-75—298 |
| Mike Dietz | 73-74-70-81—298 |
| Shelley Mayfield | 75-71-75-77—298 |
| Mike Souchak | 78-71-72-77—298 |
| a-Frank Taylor Jr. | 72-71-80-75—298 |
| Dave Douglas | 72-76-78-73—299 |
| Gene Littler | 75-74-74-76—299 |
| Frank Stanahan | 76-71-75-77—299 |
| Al Brosch | 72-74-77-77—300 |
| Mickey Homa | 74-75-79-72—300 |
| a-William Hyndman | 72-76-76-76—300 |
| Tony Holguin | 74-73-78-76—301 |
| Dick Mayer | 76-73-78-75—302 |
| Paul O'Leary | 76-73-77-76—302 |
| Ed "Porky" Oliver | 74-74-76-78—302 |
| Buck White | 75-74-76-78—303 |
| Walker Inman | 77-72-79-76—304 |
| Bob Rosburg | 68-76-79-81—304 |
| a-Harvie Ward | 74-73-81-77—305 |
| Jack Isaacs | 77-70-78-81—306 |
| Bo Wininger | 74-75-77-80—306 |
| Tony Lema | 77-71-79-81—308 |
| a-John Garrett | 77-72-76-84—309 |
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