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 |
