Frank Stranahan 1957 U S Open Sectional Low Scorer Sterling Medal - Oakland Hills

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This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 7/20/2014

1957 Open Championship Sectional Low Scorer Sterling Medal - Frank Stranahan

The United States Open was to be contested at Frank Stranhan's Toledo home course of Inverness in 1957. With this as motivation Stranahan went into the June 3, 1957 qualifying Detroit sectional. Staged as a 36 hole competition, Franks morning 18 holes were played at Franklin Hills where he scored a two under 70. This set Stranahan up nicely for his afternoon round. However, this 18 would be played at the treacherous Oakland Hills Country Club. With his site set on the '57 U. S. Open and Inverness, Frank would not be denied in his afternoon round at Oakland Hills carding a stunning 69 to give him a winning aggregate score of 139 at the Detroit Sectional. For his efforts that day Stranahan received the sterling silver medal offered in this lot which was awarded by the United States Golf Association. The verso of this medal is engraved:

1957 Open
Championship
Sectional
Qualifying Rounds
Detroit
Low Scorer
Sterling
The Robbins Co.

Medal measures 1 1/2" diameter

For nearly 20 years Frank Stranahan dominated the landscapes of golf, weightlifting, women, and even the heads of the Masters Tournament. Winning over 70 amateur tournaments wasn’t enough for this ‘Toledo Strongman’; on regular basis he would compete against and beat the day’s professionals including Hogan, Nelson and Snead. As a finalist in over a dozen national championships he won an astounding seven! Frankie was runner-up in five other major championships, including the British Amateur, the Masters Tournament, The Open Championship, and the U.S. Amateur. He won two major championships in the 1948 and 1950 British Amateurs. Throw in 3 Walker Cup Team Victories and this man was untouchable, the greatest amateur anyone had seen since Bobby Jones made his way around the fairways. This world travelling playboy and son of the founder of Champion Sparkplugs competed in over 200 tournaments across multiple continents, leaving his mark wherever he went.

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