The G.O.A.T. of Adaptive Golf: 1954 U.S. Open Champion Ed Furgol

Ed Furgol accepts the 1954 U.S. Open Trophy

Anyone familiar with golf knows about the WGR and the WAGR, the systems for ranking the world’s top professional and amateur golfers. But have you ever heard of the WR4GD? If you're like me, up until recently you probably hadn’t. It stands for the World Rankings for Golfers with Disabilities, and it’s a system developed by the R&A and USGA for ranking and verifying eligibility for disabled golfers across the globe.

And if you’d never heard of the WR4GD, you’ve probably never heard of Kipp Popert, the 26 year-old from Kent, England, who sits atop the current rankings. Popert has cerebral palsy, and he recently made history as the first disabled player to qualify for the British Amateur Championship. He made history again this week by winning his third consecutive US Adaptive Open at Woodmont Country Club in Rockville, Maryland. Not only did Popert set a scoring record with his winning score of 24-under-par, his 12-stroke victory also made him one of only four golfers to win the same USGA championship three years in-a-row. The others are Tiger Woods (U.S. Junior Amateur and U.S. Amateur), Carl Kauffmann (U.S. Public Links) and Willie Anderson (U.S. Open).

One of the more prolific disabled golfers in recent history is Casey Martin, a teammate of Tiger Woods at Stanford University during the Nineties. Martin was born with Klippel-Trenaunay Syndrome, a congenital condition that causes vascular malformations and affects circulation in the lower extremities, making ambulation increasingly difficult. Despite his condition, he was an All-PAC-10 player in college and played on Stanford's 1994 National Championship team. After turning pro in 1995, he won one event on the Nike Tour (now the Korn Ferry Tour), finished T-23 in the 1998 U.S. Open, and spent 1999 on the PGA Tour after finishing 14th on the Nike Tour money list in 1998. After failing to keep his card, he played sporadically on the Nike Tour until becoming head coach of the University of Oregon golf team in 2006.

There is also the story of five-time PGA Tour winner Ken Green, who made a gritty comeback on the Seniors Tour in 2010 after losing part of his right leg in a car accident in 2009. Historically, though, tournaments for disabled players were few and far between and were often limited to just a handful of golfers. Only occasionally would one make it onto a bigger stage, like Prospero Gianvito, a one-armed golfer from Columbus, Ohio, who drew large galleries to George S. May's All-American Amateur Championship when he shot a 74 to qualify for the tournament in 1946.

Buried in the annals of golf history is another tale of resilience--the story of another adaptive golfer who won a national championship. You might not know it, because there is no asterisk by his name. There's no footnote in the record books to denote his disability, and he probably wouldn't want it there, anyway. He was one of the biggest darkhorses in the field, handicapped or not, and the tournament he won was the U.S. Open. The golfer's name was Ed Furgol.

Edward Joseph Furgol grew up in Utica, New York, where, at age twelve,  he suffered a compound fracture of his left arm after falling fifteen feet from parallel bars on a local playground. He required several surgeries, but the arm never healed properly, leaving it permanently bent and frozen at the elbow. At the recommendation of his doctors, he took up golf as a way to strengthen the injured left arm.

Unable to afford lessons, he was forced to learn the game by watching others play. Because his left arm was ten inches shorter than his right, he developed an unorthodox swing, but because of his frozen elbow he also never had to learn the art of keeping his left arm rigid during his takeaway. Through years of constant practice, he refined his skills and began to compete in–and win–local tournaments. 

In 1940, he was the qualifying medalist at the U.S. Public Links Championship, which was held at Rackham Golf Club in Detroit, Michigan, but he wound up losing in the semi-finals. Afterwards, he moved permanently to Detroit, where he took a job as a mailman at the Ford Motor Company. He continued to play competitively, winning the Michigan Public Links Championship in 1942 and later that same year, was low scorer at the local qualifier for the Hale America Open. With the U.S. Amateur still on hold because of World War II, he decided to save up enough vacation days to travel to Chicago for the 1944 All-American Amateur, where he captured the title by defeating Ken Heilemann and Earl Christiansen in an 18-hole playoff. Later that year, he won the North-South Amateur in Pinehurst, N.C., defeating Frank Stranahan, one of the more dominant amateurs of the day, by a 6 & 4 margin in the 36-hole finale. A year later, Furgol decided to turn professional.

From the time he turned pro in 1945 until 1952, nobody on tour played more tournament rounds than Ed Furgol. He was known by his fellow competitors as one of the most practiced golfers on tour, and despite his disfigured arm, it was not unusual for him to hit between 700 to 1,000 balls in a day. He had an unorthodox swing, which he joked would "force the re-writing of all golf instructional manuals," and was known by the nickname "Wingy" by many of his closest friends on tour.

Ed Furgol’s left arm was fused at nearly a 45-degree angle, making it 10 inches shorter than his right arm

Furgol had a whip-like stroke, and because of his delayed body action, it gave the impression of punching the ball. It was a matter of whipping the club head through the ball with his hands, what he called a "tigerish lash,” that was the key to his distance. "I dip more than others because of my short left arm," he elaborated. "The left hand guides, while the right hand gives it power with the proper body coordination." He was strong off the tee and accurate with his irons, but his weakest club was his putter.

The 1954 U.S. Open was played June 17-19 at Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield, New Jersey. It was the fourth Open held at Baltusrol, but the first one played on the 7,027 Lower Course. It would also be the first Open to use ropes to hold back the gallery and the first to be nationally televised, when NBC covered an hour of the final round on Saturday. Its purse was a record $23,280 with $6,000 going to the winner.

Despite having beaten Cary Middlecoff in a playoff to win at Phoenix Open earlier in the year, Furgol wasn't on anyone's radar that week. Even his wife had not accompanied him to the tournament. If Draft Kings had existed in 1954, his odds would have been placed somewhere between +15000 and +20000. His putting had been so atrocious when he won the St. Louis qualifier that he missed a six-inch putt. "The shortest I ever missed," he would say later.

It was supposed to be a battle between Sam Snead and Ben Hogan, and was considered a "must-win” Open for both men, but a wise-cracking North Carolinian named Billy Joe Patton suprised everyone when he fired a 1-under par 69 to take the first round lead. Bob Toski and Ted Kroll, two of the tour's featherweights, were tied with U.S. Amateur champion Gene Littler, one stroke back at even par 70, while Furgol ended the first day tied with Hogan after shooting 71.

Day two saw Littler take the lead after posting a second round 69 that put him at 1-under for the tournament. He led by two over Furgol and Hogan, who both shot 70 to stay at plus-1 at the 36-hole mark. Two more strokes behind Furgol and Hogan were a quartet at 3-over consisting of Cary Middlecoff, Lloyd Mangrum, Dick Mayer, and Al Mengert.

In 1954, the final day of the U.S. Open was still a 36-hole marathon. It was a test of endurance for any golfer, not just one with a withered left arm, but Furgol proved he was up to the task. In his morning round on Saturday, Furgol shot a 1-over par 71 and took a one stroke lead over Mayer, who shot 70 to stay at 3-over-par. Littler shot a 76 that morning to drop into a tie with Mangrum at plus-5, while Hogan shot himself out of contention with a 76 and was six back at 7-over with 18 holes remaining.

NBC viewers certainly got their money's worth Saturday afternoon, as the tournament came down to the 72nd hole. With Littler sitting at 5-over-par, Mayer arrived at the 18th hole tied at plus-4 with Furgol, who was playing the 15th. Mayer proceeded to push his tee shot deep into the woods right of the 18th fairway after a spectator yelled during his swing, and he had to hit a provisional ball. When Mayer arrived at his ball, he found it unplayable and decided to play his provisional from the second cut of rough on the right. From there, he took three more strokes to reach the green and had to make a 12-footer for a double-bogey seven that put him at 6-over -par for the tournament, in a tie for third with Mangrum.

With the fingers of Old Man Choke wrapped firmly around his neck, Furgol stepped up to the 18th tee aboit 30 moniutrs later and snap-hooked his drive so far left that he would have to play his next shot across the 18th fairway of the adjacent Upper Course. It was so far off line that Furgol had marshals and state troopers shifting the gallery so that he could safely hit his second shot. He stroked an 8-iron boldly up the fairway of the adjacent hole, then pitched a 7-iron toward the green that came up just short, landing in the front-left fringe. Forced to chip through the second cut of fringe, Furgol played a bump-and-run shot and watched as his ball skipped and rolled to about eight feet from the cup. Trying to put the missed six-incher out of his mind, he strode onto the green, put his hand on his stomach as if trying to calm the butterflies, and took a deep breath. He settled over the ball, and calmly stroked it into the center of the cup for a par, and the 1954 U.S. Open title.

A physically and emotionally exhausted Furgol thanked the gallery after the round. "I'm just a broken down pro,” he said, “and I had to fight out there. But you pulled me through." He had barely talked to anyone all week...even his caddie. He didn't want anything to distract him from a shot that might make a difference. When reporters asked about his arm, he joked, "My left elbow was stronger that Hogan's. It kept me out of the rough." In his post-tournament remarks, Ben Hogan applauded Furgol’s effort. "I know of no other pro," said the steely-eyed Hawk, "who worked so hard, and sacrificed so much, and overcame such a handicap to win this title." Considering the source of the compliment, it was high praise, indeed.

Furgol went on to win PGA Player of the Year honors in 1954, as well as the Ben Hogan Trophy, awarded annually to a golfer who has overcome a physical handicap. Including the '54 Open, he finished his career with six tour wins, played in (and won) the Canada Cup matches in 1955, and played on the 1957 Ryder Cup team. His best finishes in the other majors included a T-4 at the PGA Championship in 1956, a T-5 at the Masters in 1963, and T-19 at The Open Championship in 1955. Through the years, there have been many inspirational stories in championship golf, but few that could top what Ed Furgol had done. He may just be the G.O.A.T. of adaptive golf.

Since the USGA's inaugural U.S. Adaptive Open at Pinehurst Resort's Number 6 course in 2022, the tournament has provided a competitive outlet that previously didn't exist for players with disabilities. Golfers may compete in one of several divisions, including: Upper Limb Impairment (the category under which Furgol would have qualified), Lower Limb Impairment, Multiple Limb Amputee, Vision Impairment, Intellectual Impairment, Seated Players, and Short Stature. For most of the participants, adaptive golf fosters a strong sense of community and belonging among players facing similar challenges, and where individuals understand each other's struggles and are supportive. To quote multiple limb amputee Jordan Thomas, “You just feel it out here. You feel the spirit and the excitement and the joy and people. This is what is right with golf; it's exactly this championship."

The stories of players like Furgol, Popert, and many other adaptive golfers, play a crucial role in growing the game of golf. These inspiring narratives not only highlight the incredible talent and determination of these athletes but also serve to motivate and encourage others facing similar challenges. By showcasing their achievements, the sport becomes more inclusive, attracting a wider audience and fostering a sense of community among golfers of all abilities. This championship highlights the competitive spirit of adaptive golfers, challenging stereotypes and demonstrating that golf can be a lifelong sport for everyone.

To learn more about the U.S. Adaptive Open and Adaptive Golf, visit these websites: https://championships.usga.org/usadaptiveopen.html

https://www.usaga.org/