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1936 U.S. Open

Tournament information
Dates	June 4–6, 1936
Location	Springfield, New Jersey
Course(s)	Baltusrol Golf Club Upper Course
Organized by	USGA
Tour(s)	PGA Tour
Format	Stroke play − 72 holes
Statistics
Par	72
Length	6,866 yards (6,278 m)
Field	164 players, 76 after cut
Cut	151 (+7)
Prize fund	$5,000
Winner's share	$1,000
Champion
Tony Manero
282 (−6)
← 19351937 →

The 1936 U.S. Open was the 40th U.S. Open, held June 4–6 at Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield, New Jersey, west of New York City.

Tony Manero, a relatively unknown pro from New York playing out of North Carolina, surpassed third round leader Harry Cooper in the final round to claim his only major title. The purse was $5,000 and the winner's share was $1,000. The Upper Course was used for this championship; the Lower Course has been used for all subsequent majors at Baltusrol.

Entering the final round, Cooper led Manero by four strokes. Manero's final round 67 (−5) was a course record and gave him a 72-hole total of 282 (−6), two strokes ahead of Cooper, who shot 73 (+1) for 284. Manero's total of 282 set a new U.S. Open tournament record by four shots; the previous record of 286 was set in 1916.

Manero was fortunate to even be in the championship, because during sectional qualifying, he needed a chip-in on his final hole just to qualify. His victory was not without controversy. During the final round he was paired with Gene Sarazen, whose tournament scoring record he would break. Sarazen apparently requested the pairing as he believed he could help the notoriously high-strung Manero, a close friend, stay calm. Afterwards a complaint was filed with the USGA alleging that Sarazen was actually giving advice to Manero, a violation of the rules. After a meeting, the USGA ruled that there was no evidence of any wrongdoing, and Manero was allowed to keep the championship.

In contrast to the previous year, scoring conditions at the Open were ideal throughout the week. For the tournament, 38 players broke par and the scoring average was 76.04, both numbers setting U.S. Open records. Chuck Kocsis finished as low amateur in a tie for 14th place.

A record field of 1,278 entered the qualifying for this U.S. Open, up from 1,177 in 1935.

Course

Upper Course

Source:

• Note: The Lower Course has been used for all subsequent majors at Baltusrol.

Lengths of the courses for previous major championships at Baltusrol:

• 6,212 yards (5,680 m), par 74 - 1915 U.S. Open (Old Course)   The Old Course was plowed under in 1918
• 6,003 yards (5,489 m), par      - 1903 U.S. Open (Old Course)

Round summaries

First round

Thursday, June 4, 1936

Place	Player	Score	To Par
T1	Clarence Clark	69	−3
	Ray Mangrum
	Paul Runyan
T4	Vic Ghezzi	70	−2
	Tom Kerrigan
	Leslie Madison
	Frank Moore
	Henry Picard
	Johnny Revolta
T10	Johnny Bulla	71	−1
	Harry Cooper
	Ky Laffoon
	Ted Longworth
	Craig Wood

Source:

Second round

Friday, June 5, 1936

Place	Player	Score	To Par
T1	Vic Ghezzi	70-70=140	−4
	Ray Mangrum	69-71=140
T3	Harry Cooper	71-70=141	−3
	Henry Picard	70-71=141
	Johnny Revolta	70-71=141
	Denny Shute	72-69=141
7	Tony Manero	73-69=142	−2
T8	Ralph Guldahl	73-70=143	−1
	Chuck Kocsis (a)	72-71=143
T10	Clarence Clark	69-75=144	E
	Frank Moore	70-74=144
	Jack Munger (a)	74-70=144
	Paul Runyan	69-75=144

Source:

Third round

Saturday, June 6, 1936 (morning)

Place	Player	Score	To Par
1	Harry Cooper	71-70-70=211	−5
2	Vic Ghezzi	70-70-73=213	−3
3	Denny Shute	72-69-73=214	−2
T4	Clarence Clark	69-75-71=215	−1
	Ky Laffoon	71-74-70=215
	Tony Manero	73-69-73=215
	Henry Picard	70-71-74=215
T8	Herman Barron	73-74-69=216	E
	Ralph Guldahl	73-70-73=216
	Chuck Kocsis (a)	72-71-73=216
	Ray Mangrum	69-71-76=216

Source:

Final round

Saturday, June 6, 1936 (afternoon)

Place	Player	Score	To Par	Money ($)
1	Tony Manero	73-69-73-67=282	−6	1,000
2	Harry Cooper	71-70-70-73=284	−4	750
3	Clarence Clark	69-75-71-72=287	−1	650
4	Macdonald Smith	73-73-72-70=288	E	550
T5	Wiffy Cox	74-74-69-72=289	+1	350
	Ky Laffoon	71-74-70-74=289
	Henry Picard	70-71-74-74=289
T8	Ralph Guldahl	73-70-73-74=290	+2	137
	Paul Runyan	69-75-73-73=290
10	Denny Shute	72-69-73-77=291	+3	100

Source:

References

1. ^ "Parks eliminated in National Open". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. June 6, 1936. p. 16.
2. ^ "Par and yardage for Baltusrol". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. June 4, 1936. p. 17.
3. ^ "Here's how the $5,000 U.S. Open prize was distributed". Chicago Sunday Tribune. Associated Press. June 7, 1936. p. 6, part 2.
4. Kirksey, George (June 7, 1936). "Manero's dizzy dash down the stretch unequaled". Miami News. United Press. p. 12.
5. "Record field of 1,278 plays in U.S. 'Open'". Milwaukee Journal. United Press. May 7, 1936. p. 2-sports.
6. "First round scores in National Open tourney". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. June 5, 1936. p. 19.
7. "National Open scores". Chicago Daily Tribune. June 6, 1936. p. 22.
8. ^ "National Open scores". Chicago Sunday Tribune. June 7, 1936. p. 6, part 2.

External links

• USGA Championship Database
• USOpen.com - 1936

40°42′18″N 74°19′41″W / 40.705°N 74.328°W / 40.705; -74.328

• U.S. Open (golf)
• Golf tournaments in New Jersey
• Springfield Township, Union County, New Jersey
• 1936 in golf
• 1936 in American sports
• 1936 in sports in New Jersey
• June 1936 sports events