| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Dates | June 7–9, 1934 |
| Location | Ardmore, Pennsylvania |
| Course(s) | Merion Golf Club East Course |
| Organized by | USGA |
| Tour | PGA Tour |
| Format | Stroke play − 72 holes |
| Statistics | |
| Par | 70[1] |
| Length | 6,694 yards (6,121 m)[2] |
| Field | 146 players, 65 after cut |
| Cut | 155 (+15) |
| Prize fund | $5,000 |
| Winner's share | $1,000 |
| Champion | |
 Olin Dutra | |
| 293 (+13) | |
The1934 U.S. Open was the 38thU.S. Open, held June 7–9 atMerion Golf Club inArdmore, Pennsylvania, a suburb northwest ofPhiladelphia.Olin Dutra won his only U.S. Open, a stroke ahead of runner-upGene Sarazen on the East Course. Dutra overcame an eight-stroke deficit after 36 holes to win his secondmajor title; he won thePGA Championship in1932.[3]
Bobby Cruickshank opened the tournament with a pair of 71s, and had a three-stroke lead over Sarazen at the midway point.[4] Sarazen shot a 73 in the third round to take a one-shot lead over Cruickshank. In the final round on Saturday afternoon, however, both Sarazen and Cruickshank were surpassed by Dutra, who took the lead with birdies at the 10th and 15th holes. Sarazen recorded a triple bogey on the 11th hole, while Cruickshank bogeyed five of the final seven holes. Despite a pair of bogeys to finish the round, Dutra's 72 (+2) and total of 293 (+13) was enough to secure the victory.[1]
Dutra's victory was especially remarkable, as he had fallen ill before the tournament and spent three days confined to his hotel room. He lost fifteen pounds (7 kg)[5] and could not practice for ten days. He was about to withdraw until his brotherMortie, who finished in 28th place, convinced him to play on. His 36-hole comeback from eight shots down was the largest in U.S. Open history untilArnold Palmer equaled it in1960. FromCalifornia, Dutra was the first U.S. Open champion born in thewestern United States.
Former caddies inTexas at the same course inFort Worth,Ben Hogan andByron Nelson played in their first major championship, and both missed the cut, shooting 158 and 162, respectively.[6]Lawson Little finished as low amateur in 25th place; he won the title six years later in1940 as a professional.
Merion Golf Club was affiliated with theMerion Cricket Club until 1941. This was the first U.S. Open at Merion, which hosted its fifth in2013, all on the East Course.
East Course
| Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Out | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | In | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yards | 360 | 555 | 195 | 595 | 425 | 435 | 360 | 367 | 185 | 3,477 | 335 | 378 | 400 | 133 | 443 | 395 | 445 | 230 | 458 | 3,217 | 6,694 |
| Par | 4 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 36 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 34 | 70 |
Thursday, June 7, 1934
| Place | Player | Score | To par |
|---|---|---|---|
| T1 | Wiffy Cox | 71 | +1 |
 Bobby Cruickshank | |||
 Charles Lacey | |||
| 4 | Gene Sarazen | 73 | +3 |
| T5 | Rodney Bliss | 74 | +4 |
| Henry Ciuci | |||
| Mortie Dutra | |||
| Willie Goggin | |||
| Paul Runyan | |||
| Jimmy Thomson | |||
| Horton Smith | |||
| George Von Elm |
Source:[8]
Friday, June 8, 1934
| Place | Player | Score | To par |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bobby Cruickshank | 71-71=142 | +2 |
| 2 | Gene Sarazen | 73-72=145 | +5 |
| 3 | Wiffy Cox | 71-75=146 | +6 |
| T4 | Leo Diegel | 76-71=147 | +7 |
| Rodney Bliss | 74-73=147 | ||
| Billy Burke | 76-71=147 | ||
| Horton Smith | 74-73=147 | ||
| T8 | Henry Ciuci | 74-74=148 | +8 |
 Joe Kirkwood | 75-73=148 | ||
| Macdonald Smith | 75-73=148 |
Source:[6]
Saturday, June 9, 1934 (morning)
| Place | Player | Score | To par |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gene Sarazen | 73-72-73=218 | +8 |
| 2 | Bobby Cruickshank | 71-71-77=219 | +9 |
| 3 | Wiffy Cox | 71-75-74=220 | +10 |
| T4 | Olin Dutra | 76-74-71=221 | +11 |
| Ralph Guldahl | 78-73-70=221 | ||
| T6 | Harry Cooper | 76-74-74=224 | +14 |
| Billy Burke | 76-71-77=224 | ||
| T8 | Leo Diegel | 76-71-78=225 | +15 |
| Johnny Golden | 75-76-74=225 | ||
| T10 | Al Espinosa | 76-74-76=226 | +16 |
| Joe Kirkwood | 75-73-78=226 | ||
| Butch Krueger | 76-75-75=226 | ||
| Johnny Revolta | 76-73-77=226 | ||
| Macdonald Smith | 75-73-78=226 |
Source:[9]
Saturday, June 9, 1934 (afternoon)
| Place | Player | Score | To par | Money ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Olin Dutra | 76-74-71-72=293 | +13 | 1,000 |
| 2 | Gene Sarazen | 73-72-73-76=294 | +14 | 750 |
| T3 | Harry Cooper | 76-74-74-71=295 | +15 | 400 |
| Wiffy Cox | 71-75-74-75=295 | |||
| Bobby Cruickshank | 71-71-77-76=295 | |||
| T6 | Billy Burke | 76-71-77-72=296 | +16 | 300 |
| Macdonald Smith | 75-73-78-70=296 | |||
| T8 | Tom Creavy | 79-76-78-66=299 | +19 | 116 |
| Ralph Guldahl | 78-73-70-78=299 | |||
| Jimmy Hines | 80-70-77-72=299 | |||
| Johnny Revolta | 76-73-77-73=299 |
| Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Par | 4 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 |
| Dutra | +11 | +11 | +11 | +11 | +11 | +12 | +12 | +12 | +13 | +12 | +12 | +12 | +12 | +12 | +11 | +11 | +12 | +13 |
| Sarazen | +8 | +8 | +9 | +9 | +9 | +9 | +9 | +10 | +10 | +10 | +13 | +13 | +12 | +13 | +13 | +13 | +13 | +14 |
| Cruickshank | +9 | +9 | +10 | +10 | +10 | +10 | +10 | +10 | +10 | +10 | +10 | +11 | +11 | +12 | +13 | +14 | +14 | +15 |
| Cox | +10 | +10 | +9 | +10 | +10 | +11 | +12 | +12 | +12 | +12 | +12 | +14 | +14 | +14 | +14 | +14 | +14 | +15 |
Cumulative tournament scores, relative to par
| Birdie | Bogey | Double bogey | Triple bogey+ |
Source:[1]
40°00′04″N75°18′43″W / 40.001°N 75.312°W /40.001; -75.312