| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Dates | June 16–19, 1955 |
| Location | San Francisco, California |
| Course(s) | Olympic Club, Lake Course |
| Organized by | USGA |
| Tour(s) | PGA Tour |
| Statistics | |
| Par | 70 |
| Length | 6,700 yards (6,126 m)[1][2] |
| Field | 158 players, 58 after cut |
| Cut | 155 (+15)[2] |
| Winner's share | $6,000 |
| Champion | |
 Jack Fleck | |
| 287 (+7), playoff | |
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The 1955 U.S. Open was the 55th U.S. Open, held June 16–19 at the Lake Course of the Olympic Club in San Francisco, California. In one of the greatest upsets in golf history, Jack Fleck, a municipal course pro from Iowa, prevailed in an 18-hole playoff to win his only major title and denied Ben Hogan a record fifth U.S. Open.[1][3]
Fleck, 32, won two more titles on the PGA Tour and later won the Senior PGA Championship in 1979. He won the U.S. Open with clubs manufactured by Hogan's company.[1]
Hogan, 42, never did win his fifth U.S. Open or a tenth major; he won just one more tour event the rest of his career, in 1959. It was his fourth and final playoff in a major championship, all at 18 holes. Hogan won at the U.S. Open in 1950 but lost twice by a stroke at the Masters, to Byron Nelson in 1942 and Sam Snead in 1954. He repeated as runner-up at the U.S. Open in 1956, and had top ten finishes in 1958, 1959, and 1960. (A pre-tournament favorite in 1957, he withdrew due to a back ailment before teeing off.)[4][5][6] When the U.S. Open returned to Olympic in 1966, Hogan finished twelfth at age 53 and received a standing ovation at the 72nd green.[7]
Byron Nelson came out of semi-retirement to play in his final U.S. Open and finished in 28th place. Arnold Palmer made the cut for the first time at the U.S. Open and finished in 21st. For the first time since 1919, Gene Sarazen did not play in the U.S. Open, ending a streak of 31 consecutive appearances.
This was the first U.S. Open at the Lake Course of the Olympic Club; it returned in 1966, 1987, 1998, and 2012.
- ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference
yv55usord5was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b "Harvey Ward Ties Bolt for Open Lead at 144". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. June 17, 1955. p. 11. Retrieved July 20, 2012.
- ^ Wind, Herbert Warren (June 27, 1955). "Jack, The Giant Killer". Sports Illustrated. pp. 17–23. Archived from the original on December 13, 2013. Retrieved July 20, 2012.
- ^ Wolfe, Don (June 13, 1957). "Ben Hogan Withdraws From National Open Play As Ailments Refuse To Respond To Treatment". Toledo Blade. p. 1. Retrieved July 20, 2012.
- ^ "Dejected Hogan Quits Because Of Backache". Montreal Gazette. Associated Press. June 14, 1957. p. 24. Retrieved July 20, 2012.
- ^ Hogan, Ben; Wind, Herbert Warren (June 24, 1957). "Fame Calls On Dick Mayer". Sports Illustrated. pp. 8–13. Archived from the original on January 2, 2013. Retrieved July 20, 2012.
- ^ "Hot Casper catches Arnie to throw Open into playoff". Spokesman-Review. Associated Press. June 20, 1966. p. 10.