PARTING SHOT
As the Met Area gets set to host another U.S. Open Championship, here’s a photo from the 1923 U.S. Open at Inwood Country Club on Long Island, where Bobby Jones defeated Bobby Cruikshank in an 18-hole playoff to win the first of his 13 major titles. On the final hole of the playoff, 3,000 people gathered around the green to watch “the young golf wizard,” as the newspapers called the 21-year-old Jones, beat Cruikshank 76-78. The two were tied on the tee of the 18th hole, but Cruikshank pulled his drive, forcing him to lay up after it ended up behind a tree. Jones, meanwhile, hit one of the many clutch shots he came to be known for – a 2-iron from close to 200 yards out of the rough over a lagoon to 6 feet. A plaque installed in 1993 commemorates the shot.
Photo courtesy of the USGA.