Page 12 - Westchester Magazine - 2020 Golf Guide

GOLF IN YOUR WORLD | U.S. Open
The U.S.
Open
A Westchester Tradition
The U.S. Open is draped with historical ties to Westchester. The 1929 championship, the first at Winged Foot GC, cemented the county’s claim to preeminence on the national golf scene, but golfers from the county have competed — and won — throughout the event’s 120- year history. By Dave Donelson
When Winged Foot GC hosts the 120th U.S. Open in June, golf fans around the world will be watching to see if this year’s event proves as historically exciting as the preceding five. Every one of the previous championships at the Mamaroneck club has been a nail-biter, with quite a few under-the-headline local sidelights to ramp up interest.
1929
The first U.S. Open held at Winged Foot GC was won by Bobby Jones in a playoff. Jones took the lead in the first round with a 69 and followed it with a 75 in the second. After a third-round 71, he held a three-stroke lead over Harrison native Gene Sarazen. Sarazen faded in the final round, and so did Jones, who triple-bogeyed the 15th hole and bogeyed the 16th to open the door for Al Espinosa. Jones threw the tournament into
1929 U.S. Open winner Bobby Jones
a playoff when he blasted out of a greenside bunker on 18 and sank an impossible 12-foot putt to tie Espinosa. He won handily by 23 strokes in a 36-hole playoff the following day to claim the title.
It was the third time Jones had won the championship. He claimed his first U.S. Open title at Inwood CC on Long Island in 1923, the year Winged Foot opened for play. He won that one in a playoff, too, over Bobby Cruikshanks, who later became head pro at
Editor’s Note: The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the U.S. Open was undetermined at press time, but we present this coverage regardless, since the history of the event in Westchester and the wonders of the West Course at Winged Foot are of timeless significance.
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