1941 U.S. Amateur: Bud Ward wins at Omaha Field Club
Bud Ward won the 1941 U.S. Amateur at Omaha Field Club in Omaha, Nebraska, beating Pat Abbott 4 & 3 in the final.
Updated October 22, 2026
Walk this draw in the U.S. Amateur room.
- Edition
- 45th
- Dates
- August 25, 1941 to August 30, 1941
- Course
- Omaha Field Club, Omaha, Nebraska
- Format
- stroke-play qualifying (36 holes) + match play
- Champion
- Bud Ward · age 28 · United States
- Champion's title
- 2nd U.S. Amateur
- Runner-up
- Pat Abbott · age 29
- Final
- 4 & 3
- Losing semifinalists
- Bobby Riegel and Ted Bishop
- Stroke-play medalist
- Skip Alexander (144)
- Defending champion
- Dick Chapman · lost in round of 64
- Entries
- 637
What happened at the 1941 U.S. Amateur
A hostile Omaha gallery of 3,000 cheered for Abbott and stopped his ball on the 24th hole, drawing a lecture from USGA president Harold Pierce; Ward still won 4 & 3 on the 33rd hole.
Defending champion Dick Chapman three-putted the last four greens and lost 5 & 4 to Lou Jennings in the first round.
Final, Bud Ward v. Pat Abbott, 4 & 3. Ward, 4 up at lunch, held off an Abbott rally from the 21st to 24th holes and closed it out on the 33rd when Abbott took five to reach the par-4 green; a partisan gallery of 3,000 stopped Abbott's ball on the 24th and moved aside to let Ward's approach run over the 31st green, prompting USGA president Harold W. Pierce to lecture the crowd from the green.
Round of 64, Lou Jennings v. Dick Chapman, 5 & 4. Defending champion Chapman was 3 down at the turn to Jennings' 1-under 35 and three-putted the last four greens.
Round of 64, Bobby Riegel v. Johnny Goodman, won on 20th hole. Riegel, a late entrant who had to play off to qualify, beat the 1937 champion on Goodman's home course; Goodman's drive on the 20th finished behind trees and he lost the hole to a bogey 5.
The draw
Every match is recorded through the round of 16; earlier rounds are partial (round of 32 (7 of 16 matches with players and result; 8 rows); round of 64 (17 of 32 matches with players and result; 20 rows)).
The final, 1941 U.S. Amateur
| Winner | Beaten | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bud Ward | def. | Pat Abbott | 4 & 3 |
Semifinals, 1941 U.S. Amateur
| Winner | Beaten | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bud Ward | def. | Bobby Riegel | 9 & 8 |
| Pat Abbott | def. | Ted Bishop | 1 up |
Quarterfinals, 1941 U.S. Amateur
| Winner | Beaten | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bud Ward | def. | Steve Kovach | 5 & 4 |
| Bobby Riegel | def. | Bruce McCormick | 1 up |
| Pat Abbott | def. | Ray Billows | 3 & 2 |
| Ted Bishop | def. | Lou Jennings | 5 & 3 |
Round of 16, 1941 U.S. Amateur
| Winner | Beaten | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bud Ward | def. | Glenn Oatman | 3 & 1 |
| Steve Kovach | def. | Harry Haverstick Jr. | 1 up |
| Bruce McCormick | def. | Skee Riegel | 3 & 2 |
| Bobby Riegel | def. | Walter Burkemo | 4 & 3 |
| Pat Abbott | def. | Harry Todd | 2 up |
| Ray Billows | def. | Neil White | 3 & 2 |
| Ted Bishop | def. | Hal Stone Jr. | 1 up |
| Lou Jennings | def. | Bob Cochran | 1 up |
Round of 32, 1941 U.S. Amateur
| Winner | Beaten | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bud Ward | def. | Otto Greiner | 2 & 1 |
| Ray Billows | def. | Lloyd Ramsey | 4 & 3 |
| Harry Todd | def. | Matt Zadalis | 9 & 8 |
| Pat Abbott | def. | Wilford Wehrle | 3 & 2 |
| Skee Riegel | def. | Grover Poole | 6 & 5 |
| Lou Jennings | def. | Rod Bliss | 4 & 3 |
| Harry Haverstick Jr. | def. | Skip Alexander | unknown |
| Steve Kovach | def. | Fred Haas | 2 & 1 |
Round of 64, 1941 U.S. Amateur
| Winner | Beaten | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art Doering | def. | Ray Brownell | 2 & 1 |
| Bruce McCormick | def. | John Kraft | 4 & 3 |
| Skee Riegel | def. | Mario Gonzalez | unknown |
| Grover Poole | def. | Clancy Miller | 2 & 1 |
| Walter Burkemo | def. | Ralph Bogart | 5 & 3 |
| Frank Strafaci | def. | Jack Hoerner | unknown |
| Lynford Lardner Jr. | def. | Johnny Jacobs | 1 up |
| Bobby Riegel | def. | Johnny Goodman | won on 20th hole |
| Steve Kovach | def. | Charley Yates | 2 & 1 |
| Bud Ward | def. | Alex Welsh | 7 & 6 |
| Glenn Oatman | def. | Richard S. Durkes | unknown |
| Otto Greiner | def. | Earl Christiansen | 5 & 4 |
| Fred Haas | def. | Harold Mandley Jr. | 1 up |
| Skip Alexander | def. | Johnny Fischer | 1 up |
| Harry Haverstick Jr. | def. | Ben Cowdry | 1 up |
| Hal Stone Jr. | def. | Dan Carmichael Jr. | 3 & 2 |
| John Krutilla | def. | Thomas J. Goodwin | won on 19th hole |
| Lou Jennings | def. | Dick Chapman | 5 & 4 |
| Harold Stewart | def. | Richard Allman | won on 19th hole |
| Ted Bishop | def. | Bill Welch | 2 & 1 |
How this was built
Every value is shown as recorded in GNN's U.S. Amateur data set (research collected through October 20, 2026). "unknown" means no source confirmed it; nothing is estimated. Where sources disagree, the USGA's own record is used.
Data: us-amateur.json.