With more than 110 years of history, the CDGA has an array of historical photo assets and documents pertaining to the organization and golf in Chicago. Each digital issue of Chicago District Golfer will spotlight a different artifact and share the story behind it in the “Backspin” section.
This image that ran in the July 1923 edition of “Chicago Golfer” features two of the era’s greats - Gene Sarazen (left) and Bobby Jones (right).
It captured past and current champions of the U.S. Open side-by-side at the 1923 iteration at Inwood Country Club in New York. The year before, a 20-year-old Sarazen had bested Jones at Skokie Country Club in Glencoe for his first of seven major championships. It was Jones’ turn the following year to claim his maiden major hardware in this event, winning in a playoff.
The two would remain linked for the ensuing decade-plus as two of the era’s top performers, culminating with Sarazen’s “shot heard ‘round the world” to claim the second Masters in 1935, a year after Jones created the tournament at Augusta National Golf Club.