U.S. Open and Pebble Beach

Samuel F.B. Morse ( (1885-1969) was the most important figure in the development of Pebble Beach. However, he sometimes forged ahead with too much gusto, as in the early 1960s, when he decided to bring the U.S. Open to Pebble Beach Golf Links. The U.S. Open people disdained the idea, insisting that the tourney be held at a private club. No problem, said Morse - in 1963 he restructured the beloved public links into the Pebble Beach Golf Club, available to only a select few. Thousands of golfers were stunned and upset. The story has a happy ending - Morse and his team changed their minds and restored public status for the course, and the U.S. Open came here in 1972 and returns in 2010.(Photo: http://www.pebblebeach.com/ images/history/1915_Morse_s.jpg)