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The most dominant performances at Winged Foot

By Bill Felber

MAMARONECK, NY - JUNE 18: Colin Montgomerie of Scotland hits his approach shot on the ninth hole during the final round of the 2006 US Open Championship at Winged Foot Golf Club on June 18, 2006 in Mamaroneck, New York. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
MAMARONECK, NY - JUNE 18: Colin Montgomerie of Scotland hits his approach shot on the ninth hole during the final round of the 2006 US Open Championship at Winged Foot Golf Club on June 18, 2006 in Mamaroneck, New York. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /
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Hale Irwin, whose 1974 win at Winged Foot was his first of three Open titles. Mandatory Credit: Harry How /Allsport
Hale Irwin, whose 1974 win at Winged Foot was his first of three Open titles. Mandatory Credit: Harry How /Allsport /

1974: Hale Irwin

Dick Schaap’s book, “Massacre At Winged Foot,” made the 1974 event famous. Irwin won despite never breaking par, his best round being a Friday 70. He was hardly alone; only a handful of players broke 70 that week, and only Hubert Green’s 67 and Larry Ziegler’s 68 bettered 69.

Through three rounds, youthful prodigy Tom Watson had the tournament’s inside track. Watson’s 73-71 start gave him the 36-hole lead, and he retained it by a shot over Irwin through three rounds. Arnold Palmer, meanwhile, loomed just three strokes behind.

But as Palmer faded to a final round 76, the contest focused on Watson and Irwin. The latter drew even when Watson bogeyed the fifth hole, and an Irwin birdie at the ninth gave him his first lead.

Both players bogeyed the 10th, but when Irwin also birdied the par-four 11th hole he expanded his lead to two strokes at five-over.

The final seven holes was a survival test, and Irwin proved to be the better survivor. After Watson bogeyed the 12th hole and both players bogeyed the 13th, Irwin netted another birdie at 14 to expand his lead to three strokes over Forrest Fezler, four over the sagging Watson.

Irwin’s 73 was three strokes worse than Fezler, two back, and Lou Graham, but both started too far behind. Watson managed nothing better than a 79 and came home in a tie with Palmer and Jim Colbert for fifth.

Although hardly impressive based on the raw numbers, Irwin’s 287 was still 2.17 standard deviations better than the 301.06 four-round field average, making it the second most impressive Winged Foot win.

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