Who “saved” the Open Championship? Arnold Palmer? Guess again. Frank Stranahan was a great amateur in the 1940s before turning pro in 1954. Stranahan finished tied for second to Jimmy Demaret and Fred Daly, respectively, at the 1947 Masters and Open, and tied second to Ben Hogan at the 1953 Open. Palmer said this in 2013:
“Stranny…is one of the most overlooked talents in the history of the game. This guy was sensational. He pretty much won everything there was to win as an amateur, including three North and Souths, three Western Ams, two Canadian Ams and two British Ams. The only important amateur trophy that eluded him was the U.S. Amateur, in which he finished runner-up in 1950.
“Given that he came from a wealthy family (his father founded Champion Spark Plugs), many of us expected Frank to remain a lifelong amateur, but he turned pro and won six times on the PGA Tour before leaving competitive golf in the mid-1960s to focus on business. ‘Muss,’ as we also called him because of his fastidious appearance, had the complete package: a terrific game, dazzling good looks and lots of money. People credit Gary Player with bringing fitness to the game, but Stranny, who used to travel with barbells in his suitcase, was a devoted fitness buff and health nut. He ran dozens of marathons, and competed in bodybuilding and weightlifting well into his 70s.
“One last note about Frank. I am often given credit for ‘salvaging’ the British Open in the early 1960s. We can argue whether the game’s most historic championship really was in danger of sinking, but it is safe to say that after World War II, many American competitors simply found it easy and more profitable to compete here in the United States. Frank never quit on the Open. He continued to compete there on a regular basis, and finished second in 1947 and 1953. His devotion to the Open Championship is what inspired me to go over in 1960. I won the following year, and I’ve been credited ever since with ‘saving’ the Open, but it was Frank who paved the way.”
