US OPEN ’23: Capsules of previous 14 US Opens in California

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A capsule look at the previous 14 times the U.S. Open was held in California. The U.S. Open returns to Los Angeles on June 15-18 for the first time in 75 years.

Year: 1948

Course: Riviera Country Club

Winner: Ben Hogan

Runner-up: Jimmy Demaret

Winning score: 276

Winner’s check: $2,000

Summary: Riviera became “Hogan’s Alley” when Ben Hogan won his first U.S. Open, which followed wins at Riviera in the Los Angeles Open in 1947 and 1948. This was the first of his four U.S. Open titles. His score of 276 set a U.S. Open record that stood until Jack Nicklaus broke it at Baltusrol in 1967.

Year: 1955

Course: The Olympic Club

Winner: Jack Fleck

Runner-up: Ben Hogan

Winning score: 287 (Fleck shot 69 in the playoff to Hogan’s 72).

Winner’s check: $6,000.

Summary: In one of the biggest upsets in golf, Jack Fleck denied Ben Hogan a record fifth U.S. Open when he birdied two of the last four holes for a 67 to force an 18-hole playoff. Fleck had a one-shot lead playing the 18th in the playoff when Hogan hooked his drive into the rough, slashed at it twice to get it back in play and made double bogey. That began Olympic’s reputation as the “Graveyard of Champions.” Hogan never won another major.