That opened the door for Jones, who played steadily and reached the 72nd hole needing a par of 5 to tie, a birdie 4 to win.

According to the USGA history, Jones' drive on that hole was measured at 310 yards - a very long drive at that time. Going for the green in two, Jones hit the flagstick with his approach, the ball bouncing away and stopping 15 feet from the hole. He 2-putted for his birdie, a round of 73, and the U.S. Open championship.

This was one of two runner-up finishes in majors by Turnesa, who is credited with 14 PGA Tour wins. While Joe never won a major, his brother Jim won the 1952 PGA Championship; and another brother, Willie, won the U.S. Amateur twice, plus the British Amateur. In all, there were eight Turnesa brothers who eventually played in PGA Tour events.

The tournament was played at Scioto Country Club in Columbus, Ohio, which, decades later, would become closely associated with Jack Nicklaus. Nicklaus took lessons at Scioto from instructor (and sometime-U.S. Open player) Jack Grout. At the 1926 U.S. Open, Charlie Nicklaus - Jack's father - followed Jones around Scioto in the gallery.