1935 U.S. Open (golf)

{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}

{{Infobox individual golf tournament

| name = 1935 U.S. Open

| image =

| dates = June 6–8, 1935

| location = Oakmont, Pennsylvania

| course = Oakmont Country Club

| tour = PGA Tour

| org = USGA

| format = Stroke play − 72 holes

| par = 72{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=aFAtAAAAIBAJ&sjid=c9UFAAAAIBAJ&pg=4119%2C6217721|newspaper=Miami News|title=Tricky Oakmont links baffles golfers in Open|last=Bell|first=Jack|date=June 7, 1935|page=12}}

| yardage = {{convert|6981|yd}}{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=s8JRAAAAIBAJ&sjid=IWkDAAAAIBAJ&pg=2907%2C4891343|newspaper=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette|title=Oakmont course par and yardage |date=June 6, 1935 |page=18}}

| field = 159 players,{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=s8JRAAAAIBAJ&sjid=IWkDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4572%2C5049878 |newspaper=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette|title=Open field set to tee off at Oakmont today|last=Taggart|first=Bert P. |date=June 6, 1935 |page=1}} 66 after cut

| cut = 161 (+17)

| purse = $5,000{{cite news|url=http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1935/06/09/page/27/article/heres-how-prize-money-was-dealt-in-national-open|newspaper=Chicago Sunday Tribune|title=Here's how prize money was dealt in National Open |date=June 9, 1935|page=7, part 2}}

| winners_share = $1,000

| champion = {{flagicon|USA|1912}} Sam Parks Jr.

| score = 299 (+11)

| previous = 1934

| next = 1936

}}

{{Location map

|USA

|relief = 1

|label = Oakmont 

|lat = 40.526

|long = -79.827

|caption = Location in the United States

|marksize = 5

|float =

|background =

|width = 230

}}

{{Location map

|USA Pennsylvania

|relief = 1

|label =  Oakmont

|lat = 40.526

|long = -79.827

|caption = Location in Pennsylvania

|marksize = 5

|position =

|float =

|background =

|width = 160

}}

The 1935 U.S. Open was the 39th U.S. Open, held June 6–8 at Oakmont Country Club in Oakmont, Pennsylvania, a suburb northeast of Pittsburgh. Sam Parks Jr., a 25-year-old club pro at nearby South Hills Country Club with no prior tournament wins, prevailed by two strokes in difficult scoring conditions for his only major title.{{cite news |url=http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1935/06/09/page/21/article/parks-takes-u-s-open-golf-title-with-299|work=Chicago Sunday Tribune |last=Bartlett |first=Charles |title=Parks takes U.S. Open golf title with 299 |date=June 9, 1935 |page=1, sec. 2}}{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=alAtAAAAIBAJ&sjid=c9UFAAAAIBAJ&pg=6627%2C6540244 |newspaper=Miami News|last=Rice|first=Grantland|title=Unknown Sam Parks wins National Open tourney|date=June 9, 1935|page=10}} The purse was $5,000 and the winner's share was $1,000.{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=tcJRAAAAIBAJ&sjid=IWkDAAAAIBAJ&pg=3869%2C4096737 |newspaper=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette|title=$5,000 in prizes to Open winners |date=June 10, 1935 |page=17}}

Jimmy Thomson owned the 36-hole lead after consecutive rounds of 73, despite severe weather that caused scores to soar.{{cite news |url=http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1935/06/08/page/21/article/thomsons-146-tops-nationl-open-golf|work=Chicago Daily Tribune |last=Bartlett |first=Charles |title=Thomson's 146 tops National Open golf |date=June 8, 1935 |page=21}} Sam Parks trailed by four, but in the third round he recorded a {{convert|60|ft|0|adj=on}} chip-in for eagle to tie Thomson, who shot a 77. The weather only got worse during the final round, and Thomson could do no better than a 78. Parks, however, shot a 76 for a two-stroke victory. Walter Hagen briefly led during the final round, but four consecutive bogeys knocked him back to third. It would be the last time that Hagen would contend in a major championship. Scoring conditions were so difficult that no player in contention broke 75 and 73 was the lowest score of the round.{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=pHgtAAAAIBAJ&sjid=5JgFAAAAIBAJ&pg=6604%2C1155411|newspaper=Montreal Gazette|agency=Associated Press|title=Parks, 26-year-old Pittsburgher, new U.S. Open champion|date=June 10, 1935|page=15}}

Parks was certainly helped by his preparation for the tournament. Every day for a month, he stopped at Oakmont to play a practice round before returning to his own club. This practice paid off particularly on Oakmont's notoriously difficult greens, where he three-putted just twice in 72 holes. His winning score of 299 was the highest since 1927, also at Oakmont, and he was the only player to break 300. Born in nearby Bellevue, Parks was an alumnus of the University of Pittsburgh, where he had been captain of the golf team.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=6lYbAAAAIBAJ&sjid=V0sEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4237%2C2957357 |work=Pittsburgh Press |last=Huhn |first=Joe |title=Sam Parks, Ted Luther lead at Oakmont |date=June 6, 1932 |page=26}}

The field of 159 included six entrants from Japan and one from South Africa; the rest from 31 states and the District of Columbia. For the first time, a Japanese player made the cut at the Open. Kanekichi Nakamura was part of a tour of the U.S. by Japanese golfers and finished in 58th at 325. Chris Brinke captured low-amateur honors in 32nd place at 315, a stroke ahead of 1933 champion Johnny Goodman.{{cite news |url=http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1935/06/09/page/27/article/national-open-golf-scores |work=Chicago Sunday Tribune |title=National Open scores |date=June 9, 1935 |page=7, part 2}}

Oakmont had previously hosted the U.S. Open in 1927, the PGA Championship in 1922, and the U.S. Amateur in 1919 and 1925.

The Stimpmeter was inspired by the fast greens of this Open. Edward Stimpson Sr., the Massachusetts amateur champion and a former captain of the Harvard golf team,{{cite news |url=http://www.thecrimson.com/article/1925/11/28/e-s-stimpson-27-elected-to/ |newspaper=Harvard Crimson |location=(Cambridge, Massachusetts) |title=E. S. Stimpson '27 elected to lead Crimson golf team |date=November 28, 1925 |access-date=May 18, 2016 }} devised a simple device and method to accurately measure the speed of greens.{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=XbINAAAAIBAJ&sjid=GXIDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6316%2C551978 |newspaper=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette|last=Dvorchak|first=Robert|title=Reading the greens|date=June 13, 2007|page=E-6}}{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1985/03/28/sports/edward-s-stimpson.html |newspaper=New York Times |title=Edward S. Stimpson |agency=UPI |date=March 28, 1985 |access-date=May 18, 2016}}{{cite web |url=http://golfweek.com/2016/06/15/stimpmeter-oakmont-usga-us-open-stimpson-special-gift/ |work=Golfweek |last=McCabe |first=Jim |title=The real history of Edward Stimpson's special gift: The Stimpmeter |date=June 15, 2016 |access-date=April 20, 2017}}