U.S. Open Championship

In 1931, Inverness Club hosted the U.S. Open for the second time. Once again, Inverness played a significant role in the history of championship golf. This championship featured many firsts, and an important last. The 1931 U.S. Open was the first to be won by a player using steel shafted clubs. It was the first to be nationally broadcast – on radio, of course. Also, the “American” golf ball, measuring 1.68 inches in diameter debuted at the 1931 U.S. Open; now the game’s standard. But, this Open is most remembered for being the longest in major golf history. It took 144 holes to settle – eight rounds of golf. The USGA installed the 18-hole playoff after this tournament, which remains the format to present day.

The tournament came down to a contest between a former amateur standout whose status was somewhat murky and a little known club professional. That duo, George Von Elm and Billy Burke, played an unprecedented 144 holes in an early-July heat wave, before the championship was determined. They played the equivalent of two full tournaments.

The scheduled three days of play featured eighteen-hole rounds on July 2nd and 3rd with a thirty-six hole finish on Saturday July 4th. After four rounds, Burke and Von Elm were tied at 4-over 292. Von Elm, a first-year pro who had stunned Bobby Jones in the finals of the 1926 U.S. Amateur at Baltusrol in New Jersey, forged the tie with a ten-foot putt on the final hole, thereby forcing a thirty-six hole playoff on Sunday. The next day, was nearly a repeat, with Von Elm getting a birdie on the final hole to force a second 36-hole playoff. Burke won by one shot, after the second 36-hole playoff, to win the marathon championship.