This is Roald Tweet on Rock Island.
In June of 1955, Jack Fleck of Davenport decided it was time to take on Goliath, not with a sling and stone as in those old days, but with a very modern set of golf clubs and a little white ball.
The occasion was the 1955 U.S. Open. The battlefield was the notoriously unforgiving Olympic Country Club in San Francisco. At the time, Fleck was the golf pro at the Duck Creek and Credit Island courses in Davenport. He had played part time on the professional golf tour, winning $13.75 in 1953, and $113 in 1954. Now here he was at the U. S. Open, a virtual unknown.
Sports writers paid little attention to the bottom of the field, not with golf legends like Cary Middlecoff, Sam Snead, Byron Nelson, and Gene Littler contending for the title. But most sports coverage converged on the legendary Ben Hogan, who had already won four Opens, and seemed likely to win a record fifth come Sunday. Hogan was the sentimental favorite.
By the end of the first day, only one player was under par. Fleck shot a 76, Hogan a cold 72. By Saturday, Fleck and Hogan were on top of the field, tied at 144. Sports pages noted the fact but were waiting for Hogan to finish Fleck off on Sunday.
It did not happen. Fleck and Hogan again finished in a tie. At the end of the 18-hole playoff on Monday, Jack Fleck had won the U.S. Open by four strokes. His prize was $6,000.
For many sports writers across the country Fleck's win was almost unforgivable. An unknown had beaten Ben "The Hawk" Hogan. How dare he do that? And by using techniques he admitted picking up from Hogan himself?
Jack Fleck returned to a hero's welcome in Davenport, with an honors banquet, exhibition matches, and a movement to change the name of the Duck Creek course Fleck Fairways. He signed endorsements with American Airlines, Dunlop Tire and Rubber, and others. President Eisenhower invited him to play. Over the next few seasons Fleck won two more tournaments and remained high on the money list every year. He still plays golf today.
But none of this seems to matter. In golf circles, he is singled out, not as the winner, but as that unknown who had the nerve to beat Ben Hogan.
Rock Island Lines is underwritten by the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency, and Augustana College, Rock Island.
