1950 US Open 4th round shots (now Hogan pics added)

[Joe Bausch]

Edit:  I was fooled on the date.  I believe these shots are not from the playoff round, but rather the 4th round on Saturday (when 36 holes were played).

You might enjoy these annotated aerials of the shots by Hogan, Mangrum, and Fazio in their playoff from their fourth rounds at Merion in 1950:

http://xchem.villanova.edu/~bausch/images/1950_4thround_shots/

[Tommy Williamsen]

It is really fascinating to see their differing strategies.  Looks like Fazio was pretty long off the tee.

[Dan Moore]

Cool stuff Joe.  Any idea what clubs they used.  I doubt anyone hit 4 iron on 17!!

[Peter Pallotta]

Wonderful work, as always Joe - thanks very much.

Man, the "Bausch Collection" is becoming the benchmark!

Peter

[Joe Bausch]

Any idea what clubs they used.

I'm looking for that info Dan.  I might have it....

[BCrosby]

Joe -

Fascinating. I could ask dozens of questions, but will limit myself to one.

On the 2nd, did Hogan lay-up off the tee? Note that Fazio drove it 50 or more yds past him.

Bob

[Joe Bausch]

Joe -

Fascinating. I could ask dozens of questions, but will limit myself to one.

On the 2nd, did Hogan lay-up off the tee? Note that Fazio drove it 50 or more yds past him.

Bob

Bob, I'm wondering a bit just how accurate these depictions are.  I'm trying to find a good text article describing how they played each hole.

[Joe Bausch]

Edit:  I was fooled on the date.  I believe these shots are not from the playoff round, but rather the 4th round on Saturday (when 36 holes were played).

I'm 99.9% certain those shots are from the 4th round after doing a little more digging.

Interesting where they show Hogan's 2nd shot in the 18th fw.  If this is accurate, I think the 'Hogan plaque' is too far to the right!

[Peter Pallotta]

Thanks, Joe - I knew that Mr. Hiogan was The Master, but I'd been left thinking that he must've played 18 in the playoff EXACTLY the same way he did in round 4!!

Is it my imagination or did Mr. Hogan often do the very thing no one seemed to do this past weekend, i.e. leave himself more than a wedge in on the short holes so that he could come in lower, with more club, and thus take off the spin and run the ball up to the back pin positions?  

[Jeff Taylor]

So those fairway widths were unacceptable for the 2013 Open?
Too bad.

[Joe Bausch]

Peter (and all others):

Here's a trivia question for you concerning how much pin hunting Hogan did in the tourney.  He played 90 holes total. How many times did he admit shooting for a flag?

[Peter Pallotta]

Oh, I will be very interested in getting the answer to that one, Joe - me thinks it will say a lot about how the new equipment has made today's very best players (most of them) less aware of what strategy and shot-making actually is and means than ever before.

Peter 

[Steve_ Shaffer]

Good stuff!! This reminds me of the football "machine gun" pics that appeared in the Bulletin in my youth.

http://articles.philly.com/1993-08-13/news/25967576_1_memorial-service-camera-leica

[Joe Bausch]

Oh, I will be very interested in getting the answer to that one, Joe - me thinks it will say a lot about how the new equipment has made today's very best players (most of them) less aware of what strategy and shot-making actually is and means than ever before.

Peter 

You would like "the answer to that one", and well, the answer is one!  One single time.  I think he shot at the pin on the 9th hole in the 3rd round and ended up in the bunker.

[Jeff Taylor]

Oh, I will be very interested in getting the answer to that one, Joe - me thinks it will say a lot about how the new equipment has made today's very best players (most of them) less aware of what strategy and shot-making actually is and means than ever before.

Peter 

You would like "the answer to that one", and well, the answer is one!  One single time.  I think he shot at the pin on the 9th hole in the 3rd round and ended up in the bunker.

My course management skills may need some re-thinking.

[Joe Bausch]

Another interesting tidbit from the tournament:  apparently on the 12th hole in round 4 ole Ben hit his second shot over the green but some fan put the ball on the fringe.  Although he still made 5 from there.

[Peter Pallotta]

Joe - thanks. That's incredible. When i was thinking of a guess I thought "30 - that's low enough" and then I thought "but i bet it's gonna be even less than that....20!".  One time. Man oh man -- what, I wonder did he know about major championship golf (and golf courses) that no one knows today? (Of course, Sam Snead probably missed the boat on that one too)

Peter

[JESII]

Did you hear about the 36 hole US Open Saturday when Hogan, after hitting a wedge third intoa par 5, tells his caddy to "be careful with the divot because they were coming back this way in the afternoon"?

One of the journalists relays the story to Snead who say "if he's that damn good tell him to miss the divot!".

[Charlie Gallagher]

Joe,
   I addressed these remarkable images in another thread on Merion. I am wondering several things. The caption says 4th round, but these three played off on Sunday June 12, 1950, the 5th round for each of them. Are the annotations from Saturday the 11th or from the relative ball positions on Sunday during the playoff?  On Saturday these players were accompanied by different fellow competetors.  Hogan played both his rounds with Dr. Cary Middlecoff. As I asked before in the other thread, I would love to know more about how the images were assembled.

[Joe Bausch]

Joe,
   I addressed these remarkable images in another thread on Merion. I am wondering several things. The caption says 4th round, but these three played off on Sunday June 12, 1950, the 5th round for each of them. Are the annotations from Saturday the 11th or from the relative ball positions on Sunday during the playoff?  On Saturday these players were accompanied by different fellow competetors.  Hogan played both his rounds with Dr. Cary Middlecoff. As I asked before in the other thread, I would love to know more about how the images were assembled.

These are from the 4th round, part of the 36 hole day on Saturday. [I was mislead at first thinking it had to be from the playoff round since the three names are together on each figure, but I assumed incorrectly.]

These figures are from the Sunday, June 11th edition of the Evening Bulletin.  I'm assuming they had spotters charting each shot and then put the figures together using a recent aerial.

[Tom_Doak]

If those are accurate, George Fazio was a pretty long hitter ... look where he drove the ball on #5 !!

Also amazing to see them all playing #7 so close to the boundary.  Hogan played #8 right along the fence line as well.

[Charlie Gallagher]

Tom,
    I was struck by the same thing regarding the approaches on 7 and 8. No question those spots offer an angle advantage, but a miss right will be expensive. On each of those holes the left front bunker is very much in play. I have been in each of them several times in my 15 rounds at Merion East. I also don't dare aim as far right as the annotation indicates. Anyone who has played with me knows I can't relaiably summon that accuracy.

[Ed Brzezowski]

Peter (and all others):

Here's a trivia question for you concerning how much pin hunting Hogan did in the tourney.  He played 90 holes total. How many times did he admit shooting for a flag?
[/quote

Joe I will take zero times for $400 please. I read , several times, he never shot at flags. He put the ball into a position where he thought he had the best chance to make a birdie putt. I think i read this about The Master or the british open.

Am I close?
ed

[Joe Bausch]

Peter (and all others):

Here's a trivia question for you concerning how much pin hunting Hogan did in the tourney.  He played 90 holes total. How many times did he admit shooting for a flag?
[/quote

Joe I will take zero times for $400 please. I read , several times, he never shot at flags. He put the ball into a position where he thought he had the best chance to make a birdie putt. I think i read this about The Master or the british open.

Am I close?
ed

One.  9th hole during the 3rd round.

[Joe Bausch]

View below to see the "machine gun camera" photos of Hogan on the 9th green during the playoff round:

http://xchem.villanova.edu/~bausch/images/1950_Hogan_9thhole_putt/

Seems his leg(s) are feeling pretty good this day!