US Open: The Promise of 17th Hole at Brookline

The 17th hole at The CC at Brookline was the stage for a putt that secured a comeback victory for the US Ryder Cup team in 1999.

That was 23 years ago. But it’s not the only time that particular golf hole has been pivotal in golf.  It has affected the outcomes of the previous three U.S. Opens held at the historic course.

First on the list is the 1913 U.S. Open which was won by Francis Ouimet. Amazingly, Ouimet’s family lived across the street from the golf course.

According to those who are familiar with the home, it is still possible to see the 17th hole from what was Ouimet’s upstairs bedroom.

In a twist of fate, Ouimet caddied at the club. But of course, in those days no one knew he would go on to beat two legends on the way to winning the U.S. Open.

The USGA’s John Bodenhamer recalled the significance of that victory for the sport in the annual USGA US Open press conference.

"“The population of our country in 1913 in the United States, think about it, was a little more than half of what it is now. There were 350,000 golfers in our country. Two years after Ouimet won, there were over 2.1 million golfers in this country.”"

That is why Ouimet is revered in golf. But of course, the other reason is that he was an amateur, and he beat two of the best-known and most successful golf professionals of the day, Harry Vardon and Ted Ray.

Vardon was so important that the U.S. Open in 1913 was delayed until September to work around the tour Vardon and Ray were making of the U.S., which was organized by the publisher of the Daily Mail, Daily Mirror, and The Times, Lord Northcliff.

Vardon was the Tiger Woods of his day, and when he hung up his spikes, he had won six British Opens, the most of any golfer in history.

The grip most golfers use today is named for him, the Vardon Grip.  The trophy from the PGA of America for low scoring average each year is the Vardon Trophy.

Ray had won the British Open the previous summer at Muirfield as well as numerous one and two-day events in the UK.

In the 1913 U.S. Open, Vardon doubled the 17th hole in regulation in the final round. Ouimet birdied it.

John Bodenhamer repeated a story he had been told about that day.

“Vardon and Ray finished earlier, and they came out and watched Ouimet play,” he explained.

"“On 16 there’s a famous story that folks around here tell where Ouimet had knocked his first shot on that little green on 16, the par-3, knocked it nine feet by, and Vardon and Ray are out watching. He made that nine-footer, and Vardon was known to shout out in appreciation for what Ouimet did.”"

It’s amazing because Vardon and Ray were tied at the top. When Ouimet birdied the 17th, it got him into the playoff.

The next day there was some rain, but that did not stop the golf.

On the 17th, Ouimet birdied, but his victory was already sealed because he beat Vardon by five strokes and Ray by six strokes.

In other words, the movie took some creative license.  Nevertheless, Ouimet did win.  It really put golf on the front page of newspapers.

It was 50 years before the U.S. Open returned to Brookline. The 17th hole again proved to be important.

“In 1963, Arnold Palmer missed a two-footer, Jacky Cupit drove it left, wedged it short, and pitched it up and three-putted for a double bogey,” Bodenhamer said.

"“Tony Lema double bogeyed 17 to miss the playoff by one, and Julius Boros birdied it to get into the playoff.”"

In other words, Palmer could have won the tournament outright had he made that two-footer.

The playoff included Boros, Cupit, and Palmer. Boros was ahead of the other two starting at the 5th hole, and he never lost his place.  He did birdie the 17th, but by that time, the tournament was his.

(Until last year, Boros held the record as the oldest golfer to win a major championship at 48, when he won the PGA.  That was blown up when Phil Mickelson won the PGA at age 50.)

“Curtis Strange, in 1988, three-putted from ten feet above the hole on that upper plateau the last day,” Bodenhamer said about the most recent U.S. Open at Brookline.

In 1988, Curtis Strange had the 54-hole lead at 7-under par.  Nick Faldo was one back at 6-under, tied with Bob Gilder and Scott Simpson.

But at the end of the final round, Strange and Faldo were tied at 6-under par because Strange, who had been in the lead for the whole back side, bogeyed the 17th  hole.

In their playoff, Strange was never behind after the second hole.

Because of the history of the 17th hole being influential in determining the outcome, Bodenhamer is certain it will play an important part in this week’s outcome.

"“I promise you something magical will happen on No. 17 here at The Country Club. It just has to.”"

What he didn’t say is, if history is any guide, looking at the playoff contestants, the biggest name will probably not win this week.  Ouimet was an amateur challenging two seasoned professionals.

Boros was established and had won a U.S. Open, but he did not have the star quality of an Arnold Palmer.  Curtis Strange had already been a leading money winner on the PGA Tour but had no majors to his name. Nick Faldo had won the British Open the previous summer.

The CC at Brookline may just be one of those courses that like the underdog, which the US Ryder Cup team was on a Sunday morning in September of 1999.

The putt made by Justin Leonard at the 17th hole meant there was no way for Europe to win the cup, no matter what happened on the 18th.

It’s also possible that The CC at Brookline may be a course that just isn’t going to let the favorite win, a lot like Olympic Club in San Francisco.

Olympic is where Jack Fleck beat Ben Hogan, where Billy Casper overcame Arnold Palmer, where Scott Simpson upended Tom Watson, where Lee Janzen held off Payne Stewart and Webb Simpson triumphed over Jim Furyk, Padraig Harrington, David Toms, and Ernie Els.

It’s a place where the best-known player never wins.