1967 U.S. Open (golf)
The 1967 U.S. Open was the 67th U.S. Open, held June 15–18 at Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield, New Jersey, west of New York City. Jack Nicklaus shot a final round 65 and established a new U.S. Open record of 275, four strokes ahead of runner-up Arnold Palmer, the 1960 champion.[3][4][5] It was the second of Nicklaus' four U.S. Open titles and the seventh of his eighteen major championships.
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Dates | June 15–18, 1967 |
| Location | Springfield, New Jersey |
| Course(s) | Baltusrol Golf Club Lower Course |
| Organized by | USGA |
| Tour(s) | PGA Tour |
| Statistics | |
| Par | 70 |
| Length | 7,015 yards (6,415 m)[1] |
| Field | 150 players, 66 after cut |
| Cut | 148 (+8) |
| Prize fund | $169,400[2] |
| Winner's share | $30,000 |
| Champion | |
 Jack Nicklaus | |
| 275 (−5) | |
Union County
Nicklaus' record score surpassed the 276 of Ben Hogan in 1948 at Riviera. His final round 65 (−5) tied the U.S. Open record for lowest final 18 holes, broken six years later by Johnny Miller at Oakmont. The 275 record stood for thirteen years, when Nicklaus broke it on the same course in 1980. For Palmer, it was his fourth runner-up finish at the U.S. Open in six years; the earlier three were in playoffs (1962, 1963, 1966). Hogan, age 54,[6] played in his final major; he shot 72 in each of the first two rounds and tied for 34th place.[4]
After winning the Masters in 1965 and 1966, Nicklaus missed the cut there two months earlier, which also kept him off the first Ryder Cup team for which he was eligible. (Other than a withdrawal in 1983, it was his only missed cut at Augusta from 1960–1993).
Lee Trevino, then a club pro from El Paso, finished fifth at Baltusrol in only his second major championship; he made the cut in his debut in 1966 at Olympic in San Francisco. The fifth place earnings of $6,000 allowed him to play in enough tournaments the rest of the 1967 season to earn his tour card for 1968. The high finish gave Trevino an exemption into the U.S. Open in 1968 at Oak Hill, which he won.
This was the fifth U.S. Open at Baltusrol and the second on the Lower Course; it previously hosted in 1954. The Upper Course was the site in 1936 and the defunct Old Course in 1903 and 1915. The U.S. Open returned in 1980, also won by Nicklaus, and its most recent appearance was in 1993. The PGA Championship was held at the Lower Course in 2005 and 2016.
With his seventh major won at age 27, Nicklaus went over three years before his next, at The Open Championship in 1970.
Course layout
Lower Course
| Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Out | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | In | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yards | 469 | 390 | 438 | 194 | 388 | 470 | 470 | 365 | 206 | 3,390 | 449 | 410 | 193 | 383 | 399 | 419 | 214 | 623 | 542 | 3,632 | 7,022 |
| Par | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 34 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 36 | 70 |
Source:[7]
Lengths of the course for previous major championships:
- 7,027 yards (6,425 m), par 70 - 1954 U.S. Open
- 6,866 yards (6,278 m), par 72 - 1936 U.S. Open (Upper Course)
- 6,212 yards (5,680 m), par 74 - 1915 U.S. Open (Old Course) The Old Course was plowed under in 1918
- 6,003 yards (5,489 m), par - 1903 U.S. Open (Old Course)
Past champions in the field
Made the cut
| Player | Country | Year(s) won | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | Total | To par | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jack Nicklaus | United States | 1962 | 71 | 67 | 72 | 65 | 275 | −5 | 1 |
| Arnold Palmer | United States | 1960 | 69 | 68 | 73 | 69 | 279 | −1 | 2 |
| Billy Casper | United States | 1959, 1966 | 69 | 70 | 71 | 72 | 282 | +2 | 4 |
| Gary Player | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} South Africa | 1965 | 69 | 73 | 73 | 71 | 286 | +6 | T12 |
| Ken Venturi | United States | 1964 | 74 | 74 | 72 | 71 | 291 | +11 | T28 |
| Ben Hogan | United States | 1948, 1950, 1951, 1953 |
72 | 72 | 76 | 72 | 292 | +12 | T34 |
| Julius Boros | United States | 1952, 1963 | 75 | 71 | 74 | WD | |||
- Boros withdrew from the final round after receiving word of his mother's death.[8]
Missed the cut
| Player | Country | Year won | R1 | R2 | Total | To par |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jack Fleck | United States | 1955 | 73 | 76 | 149 | +9 |
| Tommy Bolt | United States | 1958 | 72 | 77 | 149 | +9 |
| Gene Littler | United States | 1961 | 76 | 75 | 151 | +11 |
Source:[1]
Round summaries
First round
Thursday, June 15, 1967
Marty Fleckman, a 23-year-old amateur from Port Arthur, Texas, shot an opening round 67 to lead the field by two in his first U.S. Open.[9]
Source:[9]
Second round
Friday, June 16, 1967
| Place | Player | Country | Score | To par |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arnold Palmer | United States | 69-68=137 | −3 |
| 2 | Jack Nicklaus | United States | 71-67=138 | −2 |
| 3 | Billy Casper | United States | 69-70=139 | −1 |
| T4 | Deane Beman | United States | 69-71=140 | E |
| Bruce Devlin | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Australia | 72-68=140 | ||
| Marty Fleckman (a) | United States | 67-73=140 | ||
| 7 | Don January | United States | 69-72=141 | +1 |
| T8 | George Archer | United States | 70-72=142 | +2 |
| Miller Barber | United States | 71-71=142 | ||
| Bob Hold | United States | 71-71=142 | ||
| Kel Nagle | Australia | 70-72=142 | ||
| Gary Player | South Africa | 69-73=142 | ||
| Lee Trevino | United States | 72-70=142 | ||
| Art Wall Jr. | United States | 69-73=142 |
Source:[10]
Third round
Saturday, June 17, 1967
With a one-under 69 on Saturday, amateur Fleckman was the surprise 54-hole leader, a stroke ahead of defending champion Billy Casper and former champions Nicklaus (1962) and Palmer (1960).[10]
| Place | Player | Country | Score | To par |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Marty Fleckman (a) | United States | 67-73-69=209 | −1 |
| T2 | Billy Casper | United States | 69-70-71=210 | E |
| Jack Nicklaus | United States | 71-67-72=210 | ||
| Arnold Palmer | United States | 69-68-73=210 | ||
| T5 | Miller Barber | United States | 71-71-69=211 | +1 |
| Deane Beman | United States | 69-71-71=211 | ||
| Gardner Dickinson | United States | 70-73-68=211 | ||
| Don January | United States | 69-72-70=211 | ||
| T9 | Wes Ellis | United States | 74-69-70=213 | +3 |
| Bob Goalby | United States | 72-71-70=213 | ||
| Lee Trevino | United States | 72-70-71=213 |
Source:[10]
Final round
Sunday, June 18, 1967
Fleckman wilted under the pressure, shot a final round 80 (+10), and tied for 18th place. Alongside in the final pairing, Casper carded a 72 for 282 (+2), seven strokes behind in fourth place. The championship became a duel between Nicklaus and Palmer, in the penultimate pairing. Nicklaus birdied five of his first eight holes to open up a four-stroke advantage over Palmer, and that is how they finished. At the par-5 18th, Nicklaus played safe with a 1-iron off the tee, but it went right and required a recovery shot from the rough. The third shot was an uphill 230 yards (210 m) from the fairway with another 1-iron, then he sank the birdie putt from 22 feet (7 m) for the record.[3][5][11] Fleckman held on for low amateur by a stroke over Bob Murphy, who shot 69.
| Place | Player | Country | Score | To par | Money ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jack Nicklaus | United States | 71-67-72-65=275 | −5 | 30,000 |
| 2 | Arnold Palmer | United States | 69-68-73-69=279 | −1 | 15,000 |
| 3 | Don January | United States | 69-72-70-70=281 | +1 | 10,000 |
| 4 | Billy Casper | United States | 69-70-71-72=282 | +2 | 7,500 |
| 5 | Lee Trevino | United States | 72-70-71-70=283 | +3 | 6,000 |
| T6 | Deane Beman | United States | 69-71-71-73=284 | +4 | 4,166 |
| Gardner Dickinson | United States | 70-73-68-73=284 | |||
| Bob Goalby | United States | 72-71-70-71=284 | |||
| T9 | Dave Marr | United States | 70-74-70-71=285 | +5 | 2,566 |
| Kel Nagle | Australia | 70-72-72-71=285 | |||
| Art Wall Jr. | United States | 69-73-72-71=285 |
Source:[4]
Scorecard
Final round
| Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Par | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 5 |
| Nicklaus | E | +1 | E | −1 | −2 | −1 | −2 | −3 | −3 | −2 | −2 | −2 | −3 | −4 | −4 | −4 | −4 | −5 |
| Palmer | E | E | E | E | E | E | E | +1 | +1 | +1 | +1 | +1 | +1 | +1 | +1 | +1 | E | −1 |
Cumulative tournament scores, relative to par
Source:[11]
References
- "Gen. Palmer grabs Open lead with 68". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. June 17, 1967. p. 12.
- "U.S. Open history: 1967". USGA. Archived from the original on June 7, 2012. Retrieved June 20, 2012.
- Wright, Alfred (June 26, 1967). "Jack Delivers the Crusher". Sports Illustrated. p. 22.
- "Nicklaus' record 275 wins". Milwaukee Sentinel. Associated Press. June 19, 1967. p. 1-part 2.
- "Nicklaus plays safe, claims Open record". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. June 19, 1967. p. 3B.
- Green, Bob (June 11, 1967). "Ben Hogan seen threat in U.S. Open tourney". Reading Eagle. Pennsylvania. Associated Press. p. 36.
- "Baltusrol Golf Club: map and yardages". Reading Eagle. Pennsylvania. Associated Press. June 11, 1967. p. 36.
- "Mom dies, Boros quits". Milwaukee Sentinel. Associated Press. June 19, 1967. p. 1, part 2.
- "Amateur's 67 tops Open". Milwaukee Sentinel. Associated Press. June 16, 1967. p. 1, part 2.
- Grimsley, Will (June 18, 1967). "Fleckman fires 69, leads U.S. Open by stroke at 209". Youngstown Vindicator. Ohio. Associated Press. p. D-1.
- "Leading Open cards". Youngstown Vindicator. Ohio. UPI. June 19, 1967. p. 15.
External links
- About.com – 1967 U.S. Open
| Preceded by 1967 Masters |
Major Championships | Succeeded by 1967 Open Championship |