| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Dates | June 5–7, 1941 |
| Location | Fort Worth, Texas |
| Course | Colonial Country Club |
| Organized by | USGA |
| Tour | PGA Tour |
| Statistics | |
| Par | 70[1][2] |
| Length | 7,035 yards (6,433 m)[3][4][5] |
| Field | 163 players, 67 after cut |
| Cut | 156 (+16)[1] |
| Winner's share | $1,000 |
| Champion | |
 Craig Wood | |
| 284 (+4) | |
The1941 U.S. Open was the 45thU.S. Open, held June 5–7 atColonial Country Club inFort Worth, Texas.Craig Wood, who had lost in a playoff at the U.S. Open two years earlier, finally broke through and claimed his first U.S. Open title, three strokes ahead of runner-upDenny Shute in sweltering heat.[2][6] Eight years earlier, Shute had defeated him in a playoff at the1933 British Open.
Wood opened the tournament with a 73 in the first round and followed that up with a 71 in the rain-delayed second. Part of a four-way tie for the lead after 36 holes,[1][5][7] Wood shot a pair of 70s in the final two rounds, capped by a birdie on the 72nd, to post a 284 total. Only Fort Worth'sBen Hogan managed better than Wood in the final two rounds, but he finished five behind in a tie for third. Denny Shute shot a 287 total to finish three strokes behind Wood in second.[2][6]
Wood, age 39, was almost forced to miss the tournament due to a nagging back injury he aggravated two weeks earlier. After recording a double-bogey 7 on his first hole of the championship, he considered withdrawing but was convinced to continue by playing partnerTommy Armour. With his win here, Wood became the first to win the first two majors in a season; he won theMasters two months earlier. Prior to 1941, he had several near misses, and had lost all four majors in extra holes.
Tyrrell Garth, a month shy of his 16th birthday, established a new tournament record for youngest competitor. He shot an 80 in the first round and withdrew during the second; his record stood for 65 years, until2006 (Tadd Fujikawa).
This was the last U.S. Open played for five years, until1946, due toWorld War II. Colonial has hosted an annual PGA Tour event since 1946, now known as theFort Worth Invitational.
| Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Out | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | In | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yards | 569 | 395 | 468 | 250 | 469 | 395 | 418 | 198 | 343 | 3,505 | 403 | 593 | 400 | 192 | 455 | 447 | 207 | 406 | 427 | 3,530 | 7,035 |
| Par | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 35 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 35 | 70 |
Source:[3]
Thursday, June 5, 1941
| Place | Player | Score | To par |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Denny Shute | 69 | −1 |
| T2 | Vic Ghezzi | 70 | E |
| Dutch Harrison | |||
| T4 | Gene Kunes | 71 | +1 |
| Lawson Little | |||
| Jug McSpaden | |||
| Dick Metz | |||
| Jack Ryan | |||
| T9 | Clayton Heafner | 72 | +2 |
| Bill Kaiser | |||
| Ted Kroll | |||
| Johnny Morris | |||
| Henry Ransom | |||
| Harry Todd(a) | |||
| Bunny Torpey |
Friday, June 6, 1941
Thunderstorms caused delays in the morning and afternoon, but only a few players did not complete the second round on Friday.[1][5][7]
| Place | Player | Score | To par |
|---|---|---|---|
| T1 | Clayton Heafner | 72-72=144 | +4 |
| Lawson Little | 71-73=144 | ||
| Denny Shute | 69-75=144 | ||
| Craig Wood | 73-71=144 | ||
| T5 | Dick Metz | 71-74=145 | +5 |
| Paul Runyan | 73-72=145 | ||
| T7 | Herman Barron | 75-71=146 | +6 |
| Johnny Bulla | 75-71=146 | ||
| Harold McSpaden | 71-75=146 | ||
| Byron Nelson | 73-73=146 | ||
| Henry Ransom | 72-74=146 | ||
| Sam Snead | 76-70=146 |
Saturday, June 7, 1941 (morning)
| Place | Player | Score | To par |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Craig Wood | 73-71-70=214 | +4 |
| T2 | Paul Runyan | 73-72-71=216 | +6 |
| Denny Shute | 69-75-72=216 | ||
| 4 | Johnny Bulla | 75-71-72=218 | +8 |
| T5 | Ben Hogan | 74-77-68=219 | +9 |
| Lloyd Mangrum | 73-74-72=219 | ||
| Gene Sarazen | 74-73-72=219 | ||
| T8 | Herman Barron | 75-71-74=220 | +10 |
| Jug McSpaden | 71-75-74=220 | ||
| Byron Nelson | 73-73-74=220 |
Saturday, June 7, 1941 (afternoon)
| Place | Player | Score | To par | Money ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Craig Wood | 73-71-70-70=284 | +4 | 1,000 |
| 2 | Denny Shute | 69-75-72-71=287 | +7 | 800 |
| T3 | Johnny Bulla | 75-71-72-71=289 | +9 | 650 |
| Ben Hogan | 74-77-68-70=289 | |||
| T5 | Herman Barron | 75-71-74-71=291 | +11 | 413 |
| Paul Runyan | 73-72-71-75=291 | |||
| T7 | Dutch Harrison | 70-82-71-71=294 | +14 | 216 |
| Jug McSpaden | 71-75-74-74=294 | |||
| Gene Sarazen | 74-73-72-75=294 | |||
| T10 | Ed Dudley | 74-74-74-73=295 | +15 | 125 |
| Lloyd Mangrum | 73-74-72-76=295 | |||
| Dick Metz | 71-74-76-74=295 |
32°43′01″N97°22′23″W / 32.717°N 97.373°W /32.717; -97.373