| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Dates | June 10–12, 1948 |
| Location | Pacific Palisades, California |
| Course(s) | Riviera Country Club |
| Organized by | USGA |
| Tour(s) | PGA Tour |
| Statistics | |
| Par | 71 |
| Length | 7,020 yards (6,419 m)[1][2] |
| Field | 171 players,[3] 57 after cut |
| Cut | 148 (+6) |
| Prize fund | $10,000 |
| Winner's share | $2,000 |
| Champion | |
 Ben Hogan | |
| 276 (−8) | |
The1948 U.S. Open was the 48thU.S. Open, held June 10–12 atRiviera Country Club in the northwestLos Angeles district ofPacific Palisades, California.Ben Hogan won the first of his four U.S. Open titles at the course that became known as "Hogan's Alley," as it was his third win at Riviera in less than 18 months. He had won theLos Angeles Open at the course in early 1947 and 1948.[4][5][6] It was the third of Hogan's ninemajor titles; he had won his secondPGA Championship a few weeks earlier. He was only the second to win both titles in the same year, joiningGene Sarazen in1922.[2] Later winners of both wereJack Nicklaus in1980 andTiger Woods in2000.
AlthoughSam Snead held the lead by a stroke after 36 holes with a record 138,[7][8] Hogan dominated the final two rounds, shooting 68-69 on Saturday for a total of 276 (−8), two shots ahead of runner-upJimmy Demaret. Hogan decimated the U.S. Open scoring record (281 byRalph Guldahl in1937) by five strokes,[6] and his three rounds in the 60s was a tournament first.[9] The scoring record stood for 19 years, until bested by a stroke byJack Nicklaus in1967. Hogan's 8-under-par set a U.S. Open record that stood until2000, when it was broken byTiger Woods (12-under, broken by Rory McIlroy in2011 at 16-under).
Eight months later, Hogan and his wife were involved in a serious automobile accident, a head-on collision with aGreyhound bus in west Texas.[10] The injuries he sustained prevented a defense of his title in1949 while he recovered. Hogan returned to competition and won the U.S. Open in1950,1951, and1953. (He led after 36 holes in1952, but finished third.)
Ted Rhodes became the first African-American to play in the U.S. Open since1913. He opened with 70, made the cut, and finished in 51st place.
This was the first U.S. Open played on the West Coast; the first in thewestern U.S. was a decade earlier, in1938 nearDenver. The first major played on the West Coast was thePGA Championship in1929, played atHillcrest Country Club in Los Angeles. At the time, the course at Riviera was the longest ever for a U.S. Open at 7,020 yards (6,419 m).[9]
Babe Didrikson Zaharias became the first woman to attempt to qualify for the U.S. Open, but her application was rejected by theUSGA. They stated that the event was intended to be open to men only.[11]
| Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Out | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | In | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yards | 513 | 466 | 415 | 245 | 432 | 166 | 402 | 385 | 422 | 3,446 | 315 | 569 | 445 | 440 | 180 | 440 | 145 | 585 | 455 | 3,574 | 7,020 |
| Par | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 35 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 36 | 71 |
Source:[1]
Thursday, June 10, 1948
| Place | Player | Score | To par |
|---|---|---|---|
| T1 | Ben Hogan | 67 | −4 |
| Lew Worsham | |||
| T3 | Ken Rogers (a) | 69 | −2 |
| Sam Snead | |||
| T5 |  Bobby Locke | 70 | −1 |
| Toney Penna | |||
| Ted Rhodes | |||
| T8 | Skip Alexander | 71 | −1 |
| John Bass | |||
| Charles Congdon | |||
| John Dawson(a) | |||
| Jimmy Demaret | |||
 Jim Ferrier | |||
| Leland Gibson | |||
| Herman Keiser | |||
| Dave Killen | |||
| Lloyd Mangrum | |||
| Andrew Mills | |||
| Jim Turnesa | |||
| Marvin Ward (a) | |||
| Gene Webb | |||
| Al Zimmerman |
Source:[12]
Friday, June 11, 1948
| Place | Player | Score | To par |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sam Snead | 69-69=138 | −4 |
| T2 | Ben Hogan | 67-72=139 | −3 |
| Bobby Locke | 70-69=139 | ||
| 4 | Jim Turnesa | 71-69=140 | −2 |
| T5 | Charles Congdon | 71-70=141 | −1 |
| Jimmy Demaret | 71-70=141 | ||
| George Schneiter | 73-68=141 | ||
| Frank Stranahan(a) | 72-69=141 | ||
| Lew Worsham | 67-74=141 | ||
| T10 | Herman Keiser | 71-71=142 | E |
| Joe Kirkwood, Jr. | 72-70=142 | ||
| Toney Penna | 70-72=142 |
Source:[13]
Saturday, June 12, 1948 (morning)
| Place | Player | Score | To par |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ben Hogan | 67-72-68=207 | −6 |
| 2 | Jimmy Demaret | 71-70-68=209 | −4 |
| 3 | Jim Turnesa | 71-69-70=210 | −3 |
| 4 | Sam Snead | 69-69-73=211 | −2 |
| T5 | Charles Congdon | 71-70-71=212 | −1 |
| Bobby Locke | 70-69-73=212 | ||
| Jug McSpaden | 74-69-69=212 | ||
| Lew Worsham | 67-74-71=212 | ||
| 9 | Smiley Quick | 73-71-69=213 | E |
| T10 | Herman Barron | 73-70-71=214 | +1 |
| Joe Kirkwood, Jr. | 72-70-72=214 |
Source:[14]
Saturday, June 12, 1948 (afternoon)
| Place | Player | Score | To par | Money ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ben Hogan | 67-72-68-69=276 | −8 | 2,000 |
| 2 | Jimmy Demaret | 71-70-68-69=278 | −6 | 1,500 |
| 3 | Jim Turnesa | 71-69-70-70=280 | −4 | 1,000 |
| 4 | Bobby Locke | 70-69-73-70=282 | −2 | 800 |
| 5 | Sam Snead | 69-69-73-72=283 | −1 | 600 |
| 6 | Lew Worsham | 67-74-71-73=285 | +1 | 500 |
| 7 | Herman Barron | 73-70-71-72=286 | +2 | 400 |
| T8 | Johnny Bulla | 73-72-75-67=287 | +3 | 300 |
| Toney Penna | 70-72-73-72=287 | |||
| Smiley Quick | 73-71-69-74=287 |
Source:[2]
34°03′00″N118°30′04″W / 34.050°N 118.501°W /34.050; -118.501