1955 U.S. Open Golf Tournament Winner and Scores
The 1955 U.S. Open was the 55th time the tournament was played, and in a famous upset journeyman Jack Fleck beat Ben Hogan in a playoff.
Winner: Jack Fleck, 287
Where it was played: Olympic Club in San Francisco, California
Tournament dates: June 16-19, 1955
Leader after first round: Tommy Bolt, 67
Leader after second round: Tommy Bolt and Harvie Ward, 144
Leader after third round: Ben Hogan, 217
What Happened in the 1955 U.S. Open
The 1955 U.S. Open is the year that David slew Goliath: Little-known Jack Fleck defeated Ben Hogan in an 18-hole playoff for the championship.It was also a tournament with a significant last and a significant first. The last: Byron Nelson played in a U.S. Open for the final time. The first: Arnold Palmer made the cut in a U.S. Open for the first time.
Palmer played the 1953 and 1954 U.S. Opens, missing both cuts. Here, he finished 21st. Nelson had been retired from full-time tournament golf since the end of the 1946 season. His last PGA Tour win was in 1951, and he would win the 1955 French Open this year. But he never played the U.S. Open again after finishing 28th here.
Fleck and Hogan pulled away from the field in the final round, moving five strokes clear of runners-up Tommy Bolt and Sam Snead. But Hogan finished well before Fleck did, and most everyone assumed Hogan would win in regulation.
But when Hogan — trying to become the first five-time winner of the U.S. Open — posted his 287 total, Fleck was only on the 14th hole, and only a stroke behind. After a bogey to drop two behind, Fleck birdied the 16th, parred the 17th and birdied the last hole to tie Hogan and force the 18-hole playoff.
At the time, Fleck had never won on the PGA Tour, or won any other significant professional tournament. Most observers thought that, surely, Fleck couldn't stand up to the legendary Hogan in a head-to-head playoff. Except that he did, beating Hogan 69 to 72. Fleck led by one as they reached the 18th hole of the playoff, but Hogan hit a terrible drive after slipping during his swing and made double-bogey. Fleck was the winner. It is considered one of the biggest surprise wins in golf history.
Fleck went on to win two PGA Tour titles, and many years later won the 1979 Senior PGA Championship. Hogan never did achieve a fifth U.S. Open victory, although he came close a couple more times, and won only one more PGA Tour event after this.
1955 U.S. Open Final Scores
| Jack Fleck | 76-69-75-67—287 (69) |
| Ben Hogan | 72-73-72-70—287 (72) |
| Tommy Bolt | 67-77-75-73—292 |
| Sam Snead | 79-69-70-74—292 |
| Julius Boros | 76-69-73-77—295 |
| Bob Rosburg | 78-74-67-76—295 |
| Doug Ford | 74-77-74-71—296 |
| Bud Holscher | 77-75-71-73—296 |
| a-Harvie Ward | 74-70-76-76—296 |
| Jack Burke Jr. | 71-77-72-77—297 |
| Mike Souchak | 73-79-72-73—297 |
| Shelley Mayfield | 75-76-75-72—298 |
| Frank Stanahan | 80-71-76-71—298 |
| Walker Inman | 70-75-76-78—299 |
| Gene Littler | 76-73-73-78—300 |
| Al Mengert | 76-76-72-77—301 |
| Smiley Quick | 76-74-74-77—301 |
| Art Wall | 77-78-72-74—301 |
| Fred Hawkins | 73-78-75-76—302 |
| George Schnieter | 78-74-77-73—302 |
| Bob Harris | 77-71-78-77—303 |
| Cary Middlecoff | 76-78-74-75—303 |
| Arnold Palmer | 77-76-74-76—303 |
| Ernie Vossler | 77-76-76-74—303 |
| Marty Furgol | 76-77-78-73—304 |
| Leland Gibson | 76-78-76-74—304 |
| Billy Maxwell | 77-74-75-79—305 |
| Art Bell | 74-76-81-75—306 |
| Max Evans | 77-73-76-80—306 |
| Dow Finsterwald | 84-71-74-77—306 |
| Eric Monti | 76-76-78-76—306 |
| Byron Nelson | 77-74-80-75—306 |
| Charles Rotar | 76-75-80-75—306 |
| Errie Ball | 81-74-78-74—307 |
| Pete Cooper | 75-77-81-74—307 |
| Fred Haas | 75-76-79-77—307 |
| Chick Harbert | 77-75-80-75—307 |
| Johnny Palmer | 80-74-75-78—307 |
| Bud Ward | 76-76-80-77—309 |
| Zell Eaton | 81-74-78-77—310 |
| Babe Lichardus | 73-80-81-76—310 |
| Skee Riegel | 75-79-78-78—310 |
| Frank Harned | 78-77-80-76—311 |
| Ted Neist | 79-75-76-81—311 |
| Ed Furgol | 76-79-80-77—312 |
| Charles Scally | 77-76-79-80—312 |
| Ralph Blomquist | 79-76-79-79—313 |
| Dave Douglas | 79-75-76-83—313 |
| Ralph Evans | 76-78-78-81—313 |
| Elmer Reed | 74-79-81-79—313 |
| Bo Wininger | 75-79-75-84—313 |
| Al Zimmerman | 78-74-85-77—314 |
| Jerry Kesselring | 79-76-79-81—315 |
| George Puetz | 78-77-79-81—315 |
| Jimmy Ukauka | 76-76-82-81—315 |
| George Keyes | 80-75-79-82—316 |
| a-William Thornton | 79-75-82-81—317 |
| Fred Annon | 75-78-85-82—320 |
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