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1952 U.S. Open

Tournament information
Dates	June 12–14, 1952
Location	Dallas, Texas
Course(s)	Northwood Club
Organized by	USGA
Tour(s)	PGA Tour
Statistics
Par	70
Length	6,764 yards (6,185 m)
Field	142 players, 53 after cut
Cut	151 (+11)
Winner's share	$4,000
Champion
Julius Boros
281 (+1)
← 19511953 →

The 1952 U.S. Open was the 52nd U.S. Open, held June 12–14 at Northwood Club in Dallas, Texas. Julius Boros captured the first of his three major titles, four strokes ahead of runner-up Ed Oliver.

Two-time defending champion Ben Hogan, raised in nearby Fort Worth, attempted to become the second to win three consecutive U.S. Opens, and with two rounds of 69 he had the 36-hole lead, two strokes ahead of George Fazio. But consecutive rounds of 74 in the Saturday heat dropped Hogan back to third place, five strokes behind. Boros carded a third-round 68 to take a two-stroke lead, then shot a 71 for a 281 total and waited in the clubhouse to see if anyone would catch him, but none did. The closest was Oliver with a 72 to finish at 285, four behind Boros. Temperatures reached 98 °F (37 °C) under sunny skies on Saturday, with a gallery estimated at 15,000.

Hogan was admittedly affected by the heat, and his final round included an out-of-bounds approach shot on the dogleg par-4 sixth hole and numerous three-putts. Boros successfully scrambled during both rounds on Saturday, chipping close and making lengthy putts. Hogan told Boros he was "a magician."

It was Boros' first win on the PGA Tour at the age of 32; just three years earlier he reached the quarterfinals of the U.S. Amateur. Boros won 17 more times as a professional, including a second U.S. Open in 1963. Five years later he won the PGA Championship in 1968 at age 48, the oldest ever to win a major championship until surpassed by Phil Mickelson in 2021.

Hogan regained the title in 1953 for four U.S. Open wins in five attempts (he won his first in 1948 and did not enter in 1949 due to a near-fatal automobile accident). Through 2015, Willie Anderson remains the only winner of three consecutive U.S. Opens, with titles in 1903, 1904, and 1905. The only repeat winners since 1951 are Curtis Strange in 1989 and Brooks Koepka in 2018.

The PGA Championship in 1952 was played the following week in Louisville, Kentucky. Boros was not eligible as he had been a pro less than five years, but received a special invitation from the PGA of America. He withdrew before his start time of the stroke-play qualifier on Wednesday after dissension from other players.

Boros' wife had died the previous September during the birth of their only child, son Jay.

Round summaries

First round

Thursday, June 12, 1952

Place	Player	Score	To par
1	Al Brosch	68	−2
2	Ben Hogan	69	−1
T3	Sam Snead	70	E
	Dick Metz
	Horton Smith
T6	Charlie Bassler	71	+1
	Julius Boros
	Clarence Doser
	Zell Eaton
	Charles Farlow
	George Fazio
	Dutch Harrison
	Ted Kroll
	Stanton Mosel
	Ed Oliver
	Harry Todd

Second round

Friday, June 13, 1952

Place	Player	Score	To par
1	Ben Hogan	69-69=138	−2
2	George Fazio	71-69=140	E
3	Johnny Bulla	73-68=141	+1
4	Julius Boros	71-71=142	+2
T5	Ed Oliver	71-72=143	+3
	Horton Smith	70-73=143
	Lew Worsham	72-71=143
T8	Clarence Doser	71-73=144	+4
	Dick Metz	70-74=144
T10	Charles Scally	72-73=145	+5
	Sam Snead	70-75=145
	Bill Trombley	72-73=145

Source:

Third round

Saturday, June 14, 1952 (morning)

Place	Player	Score	To par
1	Julius Boros	71-71-68=210	E
2	Ben Hogan	69-69-74=212	+2
3	Ed Oliver	71-72-70=213	+3
4	Johnny Bulla	73-68-73=214	+4
5	George Fazio	71-69-75=215	+5
T6	Clarence Doser	71-73-73=217	+7
	Lew Worsham	72-71-74=217
T8	Tommy Bolt	72-76-71=219	+9
	Horton Smith	70-73-76=219
	Bo Wininger	78-72-69=219

Final round

Saturday, June 14, 1952 (afternoon)

Place	Player	Score	To par	Money ($)
1	Julius Boros	71-71-68-71=281	+1	4,000
2	Ed Oliver	71-72-70-72=285	+5	2,500
3	Ben Hogan	69-69-74-74=286	+6	1,000
4	Johnny Bulla	73-68-73-73=287	+7	800
5	George Fazio	71-69-75-75=290	+10	600
6	Dick Metz	70-74-76-71=291	+11	500
T7	Tommy Bolt	72-76-71-73=292	+12	350
	Ted Kroll	71-75-76-70=292
	Lew Worsham	72-71-74-75=292
T10	Lloyd Mangrum	75-74-72-72=293	+13	200
	Sam Snead	70-75-76-72=293
	Earl Stewart	76-75-70-72=293

Source:

References

1. Einstein, Charles (June 12, 1952). "Hogan 'man to beat' as U.S. Open meet starts today". Milwaukee Sentinel. INS. p. 3-part 2.
2. ^ "Boros wins Open with 281; Oliver 2nd". Milwaukee Sentinel. Associated Press. June 15, 1952. p. 1B.
3. ^ Fraley, Oscar (June 15, 1952). "Boros cops Open title, Hogan 3rd". Eugene-Register-Guard. United Press. p. 13.
4. "Hogan's 138 takes Open lead". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. June 14, 1952. p. 10.
5. ^ "Confident Boros wins Open title". Spokane Daily Chronicle. United Press. June 16, 1952. p. 13.
6. ^ "Boros rally shatters Hogan's golf dynasty". Palm Beach Post. United Press. June 15, 1952. p. 19.
7. "Unknown leads qualifiers in PGA". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. June 19, 1952. p. 15.
8. "Boros out of PGA meet, Harmon fires sparking 68". Palm Beach Post. United Press. June 19, 1952. p. 14.
9. "National Open qualifiers". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. June 14, 1952. p. 10.
10. "How they finished". Milwaukee Sentinel. Associated Press. June 15, 1952. p. 1B.

External links

• USGA Championship Database
• USOpen.com – 1952
• Course map – from Eugene Register-Guard

32°55′55″N 96°47′33″W / 32.932°N 96.7925°W / 32.932; -96.7925

• U.S. Open (golf)
• Golf tournaments in Texas
• Sports competitions in Dallas
• 1952 in golf
• 1952 in American sports
• 1952 in Texas
• June 1952 sports events in the United States