Fleck's Irons Sold at Auction


The irons Jack Fleck used to shockingly defeat Ben Hogan at the 1955 U.S. Open have been sold at auction. The winning bidder paid $37,000 for the clubs from the Iowan, who died in March 2014 at the age of 92.

Fleck, a virtual unknown PGA Tour rookie, prevented Hogan from winning a record fifth U.S. Open title. Considered one of the greatest upsets in golf history, Fleck came from behind on Sunday to force an 18-hole playoff.

Fleck shot a 69 on Monday to defeat Hogan who carded a 72. He did so, ironically, using a custom-set of Ben Hogan irons.

"We were very pleased with the success of this auction," said Kip Ingle, co-founder of the Golf Auction, which handled the sale. "We had the highest number of online bidders than we've ever had before, which tells us that the collection of and interest in higher-end golf memorabilia is on the upswing."

Other items sold in the auction included a framed display of the signatures of the first 42 Masters champions, including rare autographs of Claude Harmon and Craig Wood, which sold for $6,735.55; an Augusta National Golf Club Members Golf Bag, which sold for $4, 575; a 2015 Jordan Spieth-signed Masters logo golf ball for $681 and a Texas Orange golf ball signed by the newly-crowned Masters' champion for $591.