A look at the good, the bad, the ugly and the champs from 9 U.S. Opens at Oakmont CC | TribLIVE.com
TribLive Logo
| Back | Text Size:
https://triblive.com/sports/a-look-at-the-good-the-bad-the-ugly-and-the-champs-from-9-u-s-opens-at-oakmont-country-club/

A look at the good, the bad, the ugly and the champs from 9 U.S. Opens at Oakmont CC

Chuck Curti
| Saturday, June 7, 2025 7:01 a.m.
AP
Ben Hogan (center) accepts the trophy after winning the 1953 U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club.

A look back at the nine previous U.S. Opens held at Oakmont Country Club:

1927

The good: The U.S. Open makes its debut at Oakmont.

The bad: There are only two under-par rounds in the tournament.

The ugly: Somebody had to win: Tommy Armour and Harry Cooper go to a playoff tied at 13-over-par.

The champ: Armour wins the war of attrition with a 76 in the 18-hole playoff.

1935

The good: Among the fans is Ed Stimpson, who later invents the Stimpmeter to judge green speeds.

The bad: Only four players break 75 in the final round.

The ugly: Amateur Earl Stokes shoots 93 in the third round.

The champ: Pittsburgh’s Sam Parks Jr. earns his only major title, which also was his only PGA Tour title.

1953

The good: The Open returns to Oakmont after an 18-year absence, brought on, in part, because of World War II.

The bad: Sam Snead trails by only a shot after 54 holes but shoots 76 in the final round as a U.S. Open title continues to elude him.

The ugly: George Fazio trails by two at the midway point but shoots a third-round 77 to fall out of contention.

The champ: Ben Hogan goes wire-to-wire to win his fourth and final Open title.

1962

The good: Latrobe’s Arnold Palmer plays the first of his four U.S. Opens at Oakmont.

The bad: Bob Rosburg ties for the halfway lead but finishes out of the top 10.

The ugly: Amateur Deane Beman — future PGA Tour commissioner — shoots the low round of the tournament: a 67 in the final round. But it follows a third-round 80.

The champ: Jack Nicklaus beats Palmer in a playoff to win the first of his record 18 majors.

1973

The good: Seven-time major winner Sam Snead makes the cut at age 61.

The bad: Another tough near-miss for Palmer. Tied for the 54-hole lead, he shoots 72 in the final round and ties for fourth.

The ugly: Gary Player holds the halfway lead, but seven bogeys lead to a third-round 77.

The champ: Johnny Miller takes the title with his now-legendary final-round 63.

1983

The good: Scott Simpson aces the 16th hole in the first round, the only ace in nine Opens at Oakmont.

The bad: A decade after his 63, Miller shoots 78-76 to miss the cut.

The ugly: Bob Murphy shares the first-round lead but follows his 69 with an 81.

The champ: Larry Nelson shoots 65-67 over the final two rounds to win his second major.

1994

The good: Loren Roberts shoots 69-64 over the middle two rounds.

The bad: Perhaps “bittersweet” is the better word: Palmer plays his final U.S. Open.

The ugly: Temperatures soar to near 100 degrees during the week.

The champ: Ernie Els wins a three-man playoff for his first PGA Tour victory and first of four majors.

2007

The good: Paul Casey produces the low round of the tournament: 66 in the second round.

The bad: The par-3 eighth hole sets a record for longest in a U.S. Open (300 yards).

The ugly: The cut is 10-over.

The champ: Angel Cabrera shoots his second 69 on Sunday to win his first PGA Tour title and first major.

2016

The good: Kevin Na breaks 70 over the final three rounds (68-69-69).

The bad: Tiger Woods is forced to withdraw before the tournament because of an injury.

The ugly: Dustin Johnson is assessed a one-stroke penalty after the fact when his ball moves before he putts on the fifth green.

The champ: Johnson overcomes the hotly debated penalty to win his first major title.


Copyright ©2025— Trib Total Media, LLC (TribLIVE.com)