US Open – 20 Top Triumphs and Upsets to Remember

#18: In 1980, Jack Nicklaus went wire-to-wire at Baltusrol for his final US Open win.

The Golden Bear’s fourth and final US Open victory was a memorable one. Not only did he set a new tournament scoring record, he proved that he was still one of the game’s premium talents at the age of 40.

Nicklaus definitely started the week out on the right foot – he and Tom Weiskopf blistered Baltusrol Golf Club with record-tying rounds of 63 to go four shots up on the rest of the field. The course got tougher as the week went on, however, and while Nicklaus still led at the midway point, his lead was just two (Weiskopf shot a 75 to fall into a tie for seventh).

Tied with Japan’s Isao Aoki after three rounds, the Golden Bear found another gear on Sunday and closed with a strong 68, good for a two-shot victory. His winning total of 272 broke his own tournament record, which he had set 13 years before.

Next: 1999: Payne Stewart