History of the Open at Oakmont

By ASSOCIATED PRESS

June 11, 2007 Last Updated: June 11, 2007 01:37 PM Professional

A smiling Ben Hogan, center, accepts the National Open Golf Championship trophy from Totton P. Heffelfinger, right, president of the U.S. Golf Association, in Oakmont, Pa., in this June 14, 1953 file photo. Looking on is Sam Snead, left, who finished second, six strokes behind Hogan who scored a five-under-par 283 in the 72-hole course as he won his fourth National Open Title.

OAKMONT, Pa. — A capsule look at the previous eight U.S. Open golf championships held at Oakmont Country Club:

Winner: Tommy ArmourScore: 301 (76).Margin: Playoff.Runner-up: Harry Cooper (79)Prize: $500.Summary: Oakmont lived up to its reputation while hosting its first U.S. Open, with no one capable of breaking 300. Armour opened with a 78, and no U.S. Open champion since then has posted a higher score in the first round, and it was the last time a U.S. Open champion failed to break 300 over four rounds. Harry "Lighthorse" Cooper appeared to be the winner, even after a three-putt on the 71st hole. Armour, however, holed a 10-foot birdie on the final hole to force a playoff. Armour shot his third straight round of 76 in the playoff to win by three. The Ryder Cup was held for the first time in 1927, and the British team played in the U.S. Open.

Winner: Sam Parks Jr.Score: 299Margin: Two shotsRunner-up: Jimmy ThomsonPrize: $1,000Summary: Oakmont again showed its brute strength when Parks, a professional at nearby South Hills Country Club, was the only player to break 300. He was tied with Jimmy Thomson going into the final round, but scoring was so difficult that none of the top 20 players on the leaderboard broke 75, and the low score of the final round was a 73. Parks prepared by playing Oakmont nearly every day for a month, and he had only two three-putts over 72 holes. Among those in the gallery was Harvard graduate Ed Stimpson, who was convinced the greens were too fast. He eventually created a device now called the Stimpmeter.

Winner: Ben HoganScore: 283Margin: Six shotsRunner-up: Sam SneadPrize: $5,000Summary: Two years after Sam Snead won the PGA Championship at Oakmont, he was no match for Hogan, who won the last of his record-tying four U.S. Open titles. Hogan opened with a 67, but Snead whittled away at the lead until he trailed by one shot going into the final 18 holes. Hogan went 3-3-3 to close with a 71 for a six-shot victory over his fiercest rival. Snead never seriously challenged again in the U.S. Open, the only major he failed to win. Hogan became the first wire-to-wire winner of the U.S. Open since Jim Barnes in 1921, and the six-shot margin was the largest in 15 years.

Winner: Jack NicklausScore: 283Margin: PlayoffRunner-up: Arnold PalmerPrize: $17,500Summary: In the most memorable major at Oakmont, 22-year-old Jack Nicklaus heralded his arrival by beating Arnold Palmer in his own backyard. Nicklaus, the reigning U.S. Amateur champion, was two shots behind going into the final 18 holes. Palmer was ahead by three until flubbing a chip on the ninth hole and taking bogey, and a bogey from the bunker on the 13th left him tied with Nicklaus. That's how they stayed, Nicklaus closing with a 69 to Palmer's 71, setting up an 18-hole playoff. Nicklaus built a four-shot lead through six holes and withstood Arnie's charge that pulled him within one. Palmer three-putted the 13th to stay two shots behind and never made up any more ground. Nicklaus shot 71 in the playoff to win by three, capturing the first of 18 professional majors.

Winner: Johnny MillerScore: 279Margin: One shotRunner-up: John SchleePrize: $35,000Summary: Johnny Miller is the only player to shoot 63 in the final round of a major and win, and it remains what many believe is the best round ever played in the U.S. Open. He was six shots out of the lead going into the final round, held by Arnold Palmer, John Schlee, Julius Boros and Jerry Heard. Oakmont was never more vulnerable, although its soft conditions remain subject to debate. Some say the sprinklers were left on; others say lightning made the sprinklers come on overnight. Miller teed off an hour before the leaders and made nine birdies. His putt for a 62 on the 18th spun out of the cup.

Winner: Larry NelsonScore: 280Margin: One shotRunner-up: Tom WatsonPrize: $72,000Summary: Nelson opened with 75-73 and was seven shots behind John Mahaffey and rookie Joe Rassett going into the weekend. He played the final 36 holes in 132, which remains a U.S. Open record. A 65 in the third round left the 35-year-old Nelson one shot behind Seve Ballesteros and Watson. Nelson and Watson were tied when the final round was suspended by thunderstorms. When play resumed Monday morning, Nelson holed a 60-foot birdie putt on the 16th to take a one-shot lead. Nelson three-putted the final hole for a 67, but Watson missed a 5-foot par putt on the 17th and failed to catch him on the final hole.

Winner: Ernie ElsScore: 279Margin: PlayoffRunner-up: Loren Roberts, Colin MontgomeriePrize: $320,000Summary: It was the first three-man playoff at the U.S. Open in 31 years, but it didn't have to be that way. Roberts had a 4Z\x-foot par putt to win the tournament on the 72nd hole, but missed it badly for a 70. Els didn't look at the scoreboard to see that he had a one-shot lead, played aggressively and had to make a 5-foot bogey putt for 73. Montgomerie was the only player who didn't have a chance to win, shooting his 70 earlier and waiting in the clubhouse. Montgomerie, dressed in dark clothing on a sweltering day, shot 78 in the playoff. Els opened bogey-triple bogey, but played the rest of his round at 1 under for a 74 to match Roberts. Els won on the 20th hole when Roberts' approach on the 11th caught a bunker and he blasted out to 30 feet and made bogey. Els became the first foreign-born winner of the U.S. Open since David Graham in 1981.