1952 U.S. Amateur: Jack Westland wins at Seattle Golf Club
Jack Westland won the 1952 U.S. Amateur at Seattle Golf Club in Seattle, Washington, beating Al Mengert 3 & 2 in the final.
Updated October 22, 2026
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- Edition
- 52nd
- Dates
- August 18, 1952 to August 23, 1952
- Course
- Seattle Golf Club, Seattle, Washington
- Format
- match play (sectional qualifying only)
- Champion
- Jack Westland · age 47 · United States
- Champion's title
- 1st U.S. Amateur
- Runner-up
- Al Mengert · age 24
- Final
- 3 & 2
- Losing semifinalists
- Bill Mawhinney and Don Cherry
- Defending champion
- Billy Maxwell · lost in first round
- Entries
- 1,029
What happened at the 1952 U.S. Amateur
At 47, Westland became the oldest champion, beating Al Mengert 3 & 2 with closing pars after Mengert had gone ahead at the 27th; he had lost the 1931 final to Francis Ouimet.
Duke sophomore Ira Gruber knocked out defending champion Billy Maxwell in the first round with an 8-foot birdie on the 21st hole.
Final, Jack Westland v. Al Mengert, 3 & 2. Westland, 47, took an early lead; Mengert caught him twice and went ahead at the 27th, but Westland finished with a string of pars, playing the 34 holes one over par, to win 3 & 2.
First round, Ira Gruber v. Billy Maxwell, won on 21st hole. 18-year-old Duke sophomore Ira Gruber holed an 8-foot birdie putt on the 21st hole to eliminate defending champion Billy Maxwell, who missed from 15 feet; Marion Hiskey beat 1950 champion Sam Urzetta the same day with a chip dead for a birdie on the 18th.
Quarterfinal, Don Cherry v. Gene Littler, 3 & 2. Nightclub singer Don Cherry, who had beaten Frank Stranahan 3 & 1 the day before, came from behind to upset Gene Littler, who had beaten British Amateur champion Harvie Ward 4 & 2.
The draw
Every match is recorded through the round of 16.
The final, 1952 U.S. Amateur
| Winner | Beaten | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jack Westland | def. | Al Mengert | 3 & 2 |
Semifinals, 1952 U.S. Amateur
| Winner | Beaten | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jack Westland | def. | Bill Mawhinney | 5 & 4 |
| Al Mengert | def. | Don Cherry | 3 & 2 |
Quarterfinals, 1952 U.S. Amateur
| Winner | Beaten | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Don Cherry | def. | Gene Littler | 3 & 2 |
| Bill Mawhinney | def. | Jimmy McHale | 1 up |
| Al Mengert | def. | Walter McElroy | 3 & 2 |
| Jack Westland | def. | Dick Yost | 3 & 1 |
Round of 16, 1952 U.S. Amateur
| Winner | Beaten | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jimmy McHale | def. | Charles Coe | 3 & 2 |
| Don Cherry | def. | Bob Rosburg | 4 & 3 |
| Gene Littler | def. | James G. Jackson | 1 up |
| Al Mengert | def. | Paul Johanson | 5 & 4 |
| Jack Westland | def. | Robert W. Kuntz | 4 & 2 |
| Walter McElroy | def. | Marion Hiskey | 3 & 2 |
| Dick Yost | def. | Ed Meister | 2 & 1 |
| Bill Mawhinney | def. | William C. Campbell | 3 & 2 |
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.