| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Dates | June 11–14, 1959 |
| Location | Mamaroneck, New York |
| Course(s) | Winged Foot Golf Club, West Course |
| Organized by | USGA |
| Tour | PGA Tour |
| Statistics | |
| Par | 70 |
| Length | 6,873 yards (6,285 m)[1] |
| Field | 147 players, 61 after cut |
| Cut | 150 (+10) |
| Prize fund | $49,200[2] |
| Winner's share | $12,000 |
| Champion | |
 Billy Casper | |
| 282 (+2) | |
The1959 U.S. Open was the 59thU.S. Open, held June 11–14 at theWinged Foot Golf Club inMamaroneck, New York, a suburb northeast ofNew York City.Billy Casper won the first of his two U.S. Open titles, a stroke ahead of runner-upBob Rosburg on the West Course. It was the first of Casper's threemajor titles, which included the1966 U.S. Open and theMasters in1970.
This was the second of six U.S. Opens at Winged Foot's West Course; it previously hosted in1929, then returned in1974,1984,2006, and2020. It also hosted thePGA Championship in1997.
| Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Out | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | In | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yards | 442 | 415 | 217 | 435 | 524 | 324 | 167 | 438 | 468 | 3,430 | 196 | 382 | 540 | 212 | 376 | 417 | 452 | 444 | 424 | 3,443 | 6,873 |
| Par | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 35 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 35 | 70 |
Casper began the final round with a three-stroke lead overBen Hogan, age 46, who struggled to a 76 and fell to 8th place. Rosburg made a run at Casper's lead when he holed out a bunker shot for birdie at 11 and made a 50-foot (15 m) putt for another birdie at 12 to draw even with Casper. A three-putt at the 13th meant Rosburg had to birdie the last to force a Monday playoff. His approach shot fell on the front of the green, 40 feet (12 m) short, and he two-putted to finish a stroke back.[3] Casper's final round 74 was enough. The difference for Casper proved to be his putting; he needed only 114 putts over 72 holes with 31 one-putts and just one three-putt.[4]
This U.S. Open was the first to be played over four days; thunderstorms and heavy rain delayed third round play on Saturday morning and the final round was postponed to Sunday.[2][5]The final round at the U.S. Open was first scheduled for Sunday in1965.
Charlie Sifford, the pioneering African-American golfer, played in his first major championship, two years before thePGA of America allowed African-Americans to play on thePGA Tour; he finished in 32nd place.
AmateurJack Nicklaus, 19, played in his third straight U.S. Open but missed the cut for the second time with two rounds of 77.[6] He would place second the following year in1960 toArnold Palmer and win the first of his four titles in1962 in a playoff over Palmer. After 1959, Nicklaus made 25 consecutive cuts at the U.S. Open, through1984, also at Winged Foot.
Thursday, June 11, 1959
Friday, June 12, 1959
| Place | Player | Score | To Par |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Billy Casper | 71-68=139 | −1 |
| T2 | Arnold Palmer | 71-69=140 | E |
 Gary Player | 71-69=140 | ||
| Ben Hogan | 69-71=140 | ||
| T5 | Mike Souchak | 71-70=141 | +1 |
| Doug Ford | 72-69=141 | ||
| T7 | Ernie Vossler | 72-70=142 | +2 |
| Dow Finsterwald | 69-73=142 | ||
| T9 | Jay Hebert | 73-70=143 | +3 |
| Claude Harmon | 72-71=143 | ||
| Gene Littler | 69-74=143 |
Saturday, June 13, 1959
| Place | Player | Score | To Par |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Billy Casper | 71-68-69=208 | −2 |
| 2 | Ben Hogan | 69-71-71=211 | +1 |
| T3 | Sam Snead | 73-72-67=212 | +2 |
| Bob Rosburg | 75-70-67=212 | ||
| Arnold Palmer | 71-69-72=212 | ||
| T6 | Claude Harmon | 72-71-70=213 | +3 |
| Mike Souchak | 71-70-72=213 | ||
| Doug Ford | 72-69-72=213 | ||
| 9 | Ernie Vossler | 72-70-72=214 | +4 |
| 10 | Lionel Hebert | 71-74-70=215 | +5 |
Sunday, June 14, 1959
| Place | Player | Score | To Par | Money ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Billy Casper | 71-68-69-74=282 | +2 | 12,000 |
| 2 | Bob Rosburg | 75-70-67-71=283 | +3 | 6,600 |
| T3 | Claude Harmon | 72-71-70-71=284 | +4 | 3,600 |
| Mike Souchak | 71-70-72-71=284 | |||
| T5 | Doug Ford | 72-69-72-73=286 | +6 | 2,100 |
| Arnold Palmer | 71-69-72-74=286 | |||
| Ernie Vossler | 72-70-72-72=286 | |||
| T8 | Ben Hogan | 69-71-71-76=287 | +7 | 1,350 |
| Sam Snead | 73-72-67-75=287 | |||
| 10 | Dick Knight | 69-75-73-73=290 | +10 | 900 |
Source:[7]
40°57′29″N73°45′14″W / 40.958°N 73.754°W /40.958; -73.754