US Open – 20 Top Triumphs and Upsets to Remember
By Sam Belden
#15: In 1994, Ernie Els outlasted the competition at Oakmont to win his first major.
The Big Easy won a pair of US Open titles in his career, but his first one was more memorable. At just 24 years old, Els had to work his tail off to come away with the win at Oakmont Country Club, playing a total of 92 holes before he was crowned the winner.
Els held a two-shot lead after three rounds, but his lackluster play allowed Loren Roberts and Colin Montgomerie to pull even with him by the end of Sunday. The result was the US Open’s first three-man playoff in more than thirty years, and it didn’t disappoint.
All participants made mistakes – Els triple-bogeyed the second hole, while Roberts double-bogeyed the fifth, and Montgomerie made three doubles to fall out of contention entirely. After 18 holes, Els and Roberts were still tied, but a pair of pars in sudden death proved good enough for the South African to pull it out.
Next: 2002: Tiger Woods