Virtual U.S. Open: Palmer, Boros and other challengers
By Bill Felber
Arnold Palmer, 1960, (1958-1967), -1.23
They called Arnold Palmer “the king.” His was such a dominating presence on the Tour that it may be disconcerting to realize he only won one U.S. Open. That famously came at Cherry Hills in 1960 when he opened the final round with a shotgun blast of six birdies in the first seven holes and came from seven strokes off the pace to beat amateur, Jack Nicklaus, by two.
But if not a regular champion, he was a consistent contender. He lost to Nicklaus in a playoff at Oakmont in 1962, lost again to Boros one year later at Brookline, and lost the third playoff to Billy Casper at Olympic in 1966.
That means Palmer was three meager strokes shy of reaching playoffs that could have joined him with Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus, Willie Anderson, and Bobby Jones as a four-time champion. Between 1958 and 1967, his peak decade, Palmer only once finished outside the top 25, that coming at Bellerive in 1965 when he missed the cut.
That one bad week also illustrates the influence one single tournament can have on a player’s rating. Were his 1965 Open performance not factored in, Palmer’s average rating would improve from -1.22 to -1.65, and he would be ranked right behind Hogan and Jones as the virtual tournament favorite.