Hot Springs in Garland County, Arkansas — The American South (West South Central)
Jack Fleck
Golf
| | Hot Springs Arkansas Walk of Fame | |
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 13, 2024
1. Jack Fleck Marker
Defeated Ben Hogan in an 18 hole playoff to win the 1955 U.S. Open one of the greatest upsets in sports history Won 1960 Phoenix Open and 1961 Bakersfield Open Won 1979 PGA Senior Championship Played in 500 PGA Tour and Senior PGA Tour events
Magazine, Arkansas Inducted 2002
Erected by Hot Springs Arkansas Walk of Fame.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Sports. A significant historical year for this entry is 1955.
Location. 34° 30.639′ N, 93° 3.231′ W. Marker is in Hot Springs, Arkansas, in Garland County. It is at the intersection of Central Avenue (State Highway 7) and Spring Street, on the right when traveling north on Central Avenue. The marker is embedded in the sidewalk in front of the Hot Springs City Visitor Center. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 629 Central Avenue, Hot Springs National Park AR 71901, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Arkansas’ Ouachita Mountains. It is also in the American South and specifically in the Upper South. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, the Louisiana Purchase, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Pat Day (here, next to this marker); Alan Ladd (here, next to this marker); Sonny Burgess and The Pacers (here, next to this marker); Sam Walton (here, next to this marker); Helen Gurley Brown (here, next to this marker); Johnny Cash (here,
this page online
Also see . . . Jack Fleck (Wikipedia).
Excerpt: After a few years of competing in local and PGA Tour events, Fleck decided to play full-time on the Tour for two years. Within six months, Fleck had his first win on the biggest stage in men's professional golf at the 1955 U.S. Open. Fleck won an 18-hole Sunday playoff by three strokes over his idol, Ben Hogan, at the Olympic Club in San Francisco. His first-round deficit of nine strokes, was the greatest number overcome by a U.S. Open winner.(Submitted on January 14, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)Fleck finished in the top ten at the PGA Championship in 1962 at Aronimink near Philadelphia, a tie for seventh, then left the tour in 1963. He was a club pro in Wisconsin, Illinois, and California, and attempted a comeback on tour in 1970. Following the death of his wife Lynn in 1975, he qualified for the U.S. Open in 1977 at age 55 but missed the cut. Less than two years later, Fleck won the PGA Seniors' Championship in February 1979, also won in a playoff, a year prior
to the formation of the Senior PGA Tour. In 1993, needing money to salvage a little golf course he owned in rural Arkansas that had been damaged by flooding, a place he called Li'l Bit of Heaven, he sold his 1955 U.S. Open gold medal.Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 13, 20242. Jack Fleck MarkerLooking east from Central Avenue; it is the leftmost of four markers in this photo. The Hot Springs City Visitor Center is in the background.
Credits. This page was last revised on January 20, 2025. It was originally submitted on January 14, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 131 times since then and 9 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on January 14, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
