1938 U.S. Open (golf)
Player Country Year ( s ) won R1 R2 R3 R4 Total To par Finish
Ralph Guldahl United States 1937 74 70 71 69 284 E 1
Gene Sarazen United States 1922 , 1932 74 74 75 73 296 +12 10
Olin Dutra United States 1934 74 71 77 77 299 +15 T16
Tommy Armour Scotland United States 1927 78 71 74 80 303 +19 23
Willie Macfarlane Scotland 1925 79 73 78 78 308 +24 T32
Tony Manero United States 1936 74 80 81 78 313 +29 48
Billy Burke United States 1931 75 79 78 WD
Past champions in the field -- Made the cut
The 1938 U.S. Open was the 42nd U.S. Open, held June 9-11 at Cherry Hills Country Club in Englewood, Colorado, a suburb south of Denver. Defending champion Ralph Guldahl won his second straight U.S. Open title, six strokes ahead of runner-up Dick Metz. It was the second of Guldahl's three major titles. Metz owned a four-stroke lead over Guldahl after Saturday morning's third round, but Metz struggled in the afternoon and shot a 79 (+8) to finish at 290 (+6). Guldahl began his round with two birdies in his first six holes on his way to a 69 (−2) and an even-par 284 total, six strokes ahead of Metz. His six-shot victory was the largest since Jim Barnes won by nine strokes in 1921. Guldahl became the fourth player to successfully defend at the U.S. Open, joining Willie Anderson, John McDermott, and Bobby Jones. There have only been two since: Ben Hogan in 1951 and Curtis Strange in 1989. In the second round, Ray Ainsley set a dubious record by shooting a 19 on the par-4 16th hole. Ainsley's ball landed in a creek, and instead of taking a drop he continued to play the ball out. He shot 96 (+25) for the round and missed the cut. This was the first U.S. Open played in the western United States.