1966 U.S. Open (golf)

The 1966 U.S. Open was the 66th U.S. Open, held June 16–20 at the Lake Course of the Olympic Club in San Francisco, California. Billy Casper, the 1959 champion, staged one of the greatest comebacks in history by erasing a seven-stroke deficit on the final nine holes to tie Arnold Palmer; he then prevailed in an 18-hole playoff to win the second of his three major titles.[3][4] It was the fourth playoff in five years at the U.S. Open, and the third for Palmer, the 1960 champion.

1966 U.S. Open
Tournament information
DatesJune 16–20, 1966
LocationSan Francisco, California
Course(s)Olympic Club, Lake Course
Organized byUSGA
Tour(s)PGA Tour
Statistics
Par70
Length6,719 yards (6,144 m)[1]
Field151 players, 64 after cut
Cut151 (+11)
Prize fund$147,490[2]
Winner's share$26,500
Champion
Billy Casper
278 (−2), playoff
San Francisco
Location in the United States
 Olympic
 Club
Location in California

Of the fifteen sub-par rounds posted in this U.S. Open, four belonged to Casper. He one-putted 33 greens and did not three-putt a green until the 81st hole.[3] The "continuous putting" rule was in effect for this Open. Once putting on a green, the players had to keep putting until holing out. There was no marking of balls on the green except for lifting to clean. The rule was put into effect to speed up play at the Open.[5]

Three future champions made their major championship debuts and all made the cut: Lee Trevino and collegians Hale Irwin and Johnny Miller. Irwin was entering his senior year at Colorado, where he was also an all-conference defensive back for the Buffaloes in football. Miller was a San Francisco native and junior merit member of the Olympic Club entering his sophomore year at BYU; he finished tied for eighth and was the low amateur by three strokes.[6]

It was the penultimate appearance at the U.S. Open for four-time champion Ben Hogan; he finished twelfth at age 53. Cary Middlecoff, champion in 1949 and 1956, made his final appearance this year but withdrew after the first round. Sam Snead, 54, failed to qualify for the U.S. Open for the first time in thirty years;[7] he had played in every edition since 1937, but never won.

The winner's share was $25,000 and both playoff participants received a $1,500 bonus.[8] Daily admission was five dollars for the first two rounds, seven dollars on the weekend, and five for the playoff.[9]

This was the second U.S. Open at the Lake Course of the Olympic Club, the first was in 1955 and also ended in a playoff. The U.S. Open returned in 1987, 1998, and 2012; all three were won by one stroke.

Past champions in the field

Made the cut
PlayerCountryYear(s) wonR1R2R3R4TotalTo parFinish
Billy Casper United States195969687368278−21
Arnold Palmer United States196071667071278−22
Jack Nicklaus United States196271716974285+53
Ben Hogan United States1948, 1950,
1951, 1953		 72737670291+1112
Gary Player South Africa196578727469293+13T15
Julius Boros United States1952, 196374697774294+14T17
Ken Venturi United States196473777173294+14T17
Gene Littler United States196168837278301+21T48

Missed the cut
PlayerCountryYear(s) wonR1R2TotalTo par
Jack Fleck United States19557974153+13
Ed Furgol United States19547877155+15
Cary Middlecoff United States1949, 195677WD

Source:[10]

Round summaries

First round

Thursday, June 16, 1966

PlacePlayerCountryScoreTo par
1Al Mengert United States67−3
T2Don Massengale United States68−2
Gene Littler United States
4Billy Casper United States69−1
T5Phil Rodgers United States70E
Kel Nagle Australia
Doug Sanders United States
Johnny Miller (a) United States
T9Arnold Palmer United States71+1
Jack Nicklaus United States
Tony Lema United States
Dave Marr United States
Bob Goalby United States
Wes Ellis United States
Tom Nieporte United States

Source:[11]

Second round

Friday, June 17, 1966

The grouping of Jack Nicklaus, Tony Lema, and Bruce Devlin was instructed to speed up by a USGA official and Nicklaus promptly made four consecutive bogeys.[12] They had been in the rough often early in the round and finished in less than four and a half hours, but nearly an hour longer than others.[13]

PlacePlayerCountryScoreTo par
T1Billy Casper United States69-68=137−3
Arnold Palmer United States71-66=137
T3Phil Rodgers United States70-70=140E
Rives McBee United States76-64=140
T5Jack Nicklaus United States71-71=142+2
Johnny Miller (a) United States70-72=142
T7Julius Boros United States74-69=143+3
Dave Hill United States72-71=143
Kel Nagle Australia70-73=143
T10Bob Goalby United States71-73=144+4
Al Mengert United States67-77=144

Source:[10][13]

Third round

Saturday, June 18, 1966

PlacePlayerCountryScoreTo par
1Arnold Palmer United States71-66-70=207−3
2Billy Casper United States69-68-73=210E
3Jack Nicklaus United States71-71-69=211+1
T4Phil Rodgers United States70-70-73=213+3
Dave Marr United States71-74-68=213
6Rives McBee United States76-64-74=214+4
T7Tony Lema United States71-74-70=215+5
Bob Goalby United States71-73-71=215
Al Mengert United States67-77-71=215
10Johnny Miller (a) United States70-72-74=216+6

Source:[14]

Final round

Sunday, June 19, 1966

Palmer began the final round with a three-stroke lead over Casper, his partner in the final pairing. Palmer shot 32 (−3) on the front nine and with Casper's 36, the lead was seven strokes at the turn. With his eye on Hogan's U.S. Open scoring record (276 in 1948), Palmer needed to shoot just 36 (+1) on the back nine for 275. But after the turn, his game quickly unravelled; he bogeyed 10, rebounded with a birdie at 12, but bogeyed 13. At the par-3 15th, Casper made birdie and Palmer missed a par putt, dropping the lead to just three. After another birdie-bogey swing at the par-5 16th, Palmer's lead completely disappeared with another bogey at 17. Palmer needed a difficult up-and-down from the rough for par on 18 just to force a playoff.

Palmer shot 39 (+4) on the inward nine, Casper 32 (−3), and the two tied at 278 (−2), seven strokes ahead of solo third-place finisher Jack Nicklaus, the 1962 champion. The Bay Area's affable Tony Lema tied for fourth; tragically, he and his wife were killed in a plane crash a month later. Four-time champion Hogan, age 53, shot even par in the final round to finish alone in 12th place and received a standing ovation from the thousands on the hillside overlooking the 18th green.[15]

PlacePlayerCountryScoreTo parMoney ($)
T1Billy Casper United States69-68-73-68=278−2Playoff
Arnold Palmer United States71-66-70-71=278
3Jack Nicklaus United States71-71-69-74=285+59,000
T4Tony Lema United States71-74-70-71=286+66,500
Dave Marr United States71-74-68-73=286
6Phil Rodgers United States70-70-73-74=287+75,000
7Bobby Nichols United States74-72-71-72=289+94,000
T8Wes Ellis United States71-75-74-70=290+102,800
Doug Sanders United States70-75-74-71=290
Mason Rudolph United States74-72-71-73=290
Johnny Miller (a) United States70-72-74-74=2900
(a) denotes amateur

Source:[6]

Scorecard
Hole 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 101112131415161718
Par543444434444343544
CasperEE+1E+1+1+1+1+1+1+1EEE−1−2−2−2
Palmer−4−5−5−5−5−4−5−5−6−5−5−6−5−5−4−3−2−2

Cumulative tournament scores, relative to par

Birdie Bogey

Source:[15][16]

Playoff

Monday, June 20, 1966

The 18-hole playoff proved similar to the final round, with a Monday gallery of 12,000 under sunny skies.[4] Palmer took a two-stroke lead to the back nine, only to fall apart once again. The pair halved 10 and 11, but Casper birdied 12 and Palmer bogeyed to even up the playoff with six holes remaining. Palmer bogeyed 14 and 15, then double-bogeyed the par-5 16th. Casper finished with a one-under 69, four strokes ahead of Palmer, who shot a 40 (+5) on the back nine. For Palmer, it marked his third loss in as many playoffs at the U.S. Open (1962, 1963, and 1966).[4][8]

PlacePlayerCountryScoreTo parMoney ($)
1Billy Casper United States69−126,500
2Arnold Palmer United States73+314,000
  • Included in earnings is a playoff bonus of $1,500 each, from the playoff gate receipts.[8]

Scorecard
Hole 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 101112131415161718
Par543444434444343544
CasperEEEE+1+1E−1EEE−1−2−2−2−1E−1
PalmerEEE−1−1−1−2−2−2−2−2−1−1E+1+3+3+3
Birdie Bogey Double bogey

Source:[4][8][17]

References
  1. Grimsley, Will (June 17, 1966). "Mengert takes Open lead with great first round 67". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. p. 24.
  2. "U.S. Open history: 1966". USGA. Archived from the original on February 5, 2013. Retrieved June 20, 2012.
  3. Wright, Alfred (June 27, 1966). "At Olympic: a summit of drama". Sports Illustrated. p. 22.
  4. "Casper coolly collects 2nd U.S. Open". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. June 21, 1966. p. 12.
  5. "US Open 1966: Casper Wins". youtube.com. Retrieved May 30, 2015.
  6. "No decision (final round scores)". Toledo Blade. (Ohio). Associated Press. June 20, 1966. p. 20.
  7. Winstein, Bill (June 16, 1966). "Unkindest cut". Pittsburgh Press. p. 40.
  8. "Casper wallops Palmer in playoff, 69-73". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. June 21, 1966. p. 20.
  9. Sixty, Billy (June 16, 1966). "Expensive Day". Milwaukee Journal. p. 17.
  10. "U.S. Open scores (Second round)". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. June 19, 1966. p. 1-sports.
  11. "U.S. Open scores (First round)". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. June 17, 1966. p. 24.
  12. "Feud over, says Jack, after 69". Eugene Register-Guard. Associated Press. June 19, 1966. p. 3B.
  13. "'Brute' Palmer, Casper deadlocked in U.S. Open". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. June 18, 1966. p. 3B.
  14. "Open scores". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. June 19, 1966. p. 3B.
  15. "Hot Casper catches Arnie to throw Open into playoff". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. June 20, 1966. p. 10.
  16. "Leaders' cards". Montreal Gazette. Associated Press. June 20, 1966. p. 33.
  17. "Playoff score cards". Montreal Gazette. Associated Press. June 21, 1966. p. 30.
Preceded by
1966 Masters		 Major Championships Succeeded by
1966 Open Championship

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