Sometimes, past winners on certain golf courses foretell the kind of player who will win there next. The best example of that is the Olympic Club in San Francisco. But the second-best example may be Oakmont Country Club, which will host the U.S. Open for a record 10th time this week.
Olympic has a reputation for taking down giants of the game and rudely tossing them asunder, rolling them down the hill of the back nine and hurling them into Lake Merced by TPC Harding Park, or dropkicking them over Skyline Drive and into the Pacific Ocean. It has no respect for those who have been deemed headline material.
It started in 1955 with Ben Hogan, who was chasing a fifth U.S. Open and was just two years removed from his fourth. But Olympic did him in.
Although he led after 54 holes and was challenged by Sam Snead, Julius Boros, Tommy Bolt, and Bob Rosburg, it was Jack Fleck, then a relative unknown, who shot a final-round 67 and stunned the world of golf by taking down Hogan and everyone else.
Thirteen years later, it was the 1966 U.S. Open when Arnold Palmer, who was seven shots ahead after the first nine holes of the final round, fell into a tie with Billy Casper and lost an 18-hole playoff.
In 1987, Tom Watson was leading the U.S. Open after three rounds. It would have been his second title, but Scott Simpson, who was a stroke back at the start of the final round, finished a shot ahead. Seve Ballesteros finished third.
In 1998, Lee Janzen won his second U.S. Open with a 68 over headline-maker Payne Stewart, who posted a 74 to lose by a shot. Bob Tway, Nick Price, Steve Stricker, David Duval, and Lee Westwood were in the mix.
And most recently, in 2012, Webb Simpson, who had just two victories at that time, won over 2003 U.S. Open champ Jim Furyk, as well as major champions Padraig Harrington and David Toms.
Oakmont has had similar situations from time to time. The club's first time hosting the U.S. Open came in 1927, and the tourney produced quite a surprise. Tommy Armour, considered a lesser- known player at the time, beat all the stars of the day, including Walter Hagen, Gene Sarazen, Wild Bill Mehlhorn, Lighthorse Harry Cooper, and Bobby Jones.
In 1935, it was even more unusual. A local professional, Sam Parks Jr., came to Oakmont and was allowed to practice at the course frequently before the U.S. Open. Parks had the 54-hole lead, and after 72 holes were done, he had defeated Walter Hagen, Gene Sarazen, Denny Shute, Horton Smith, the winner of the first Masters, and all the top names of the day.
Then, there was perhaps the biggest surprise in Oakmont history. It was 1962, and Arnold Palmer was in his prime. There was a new kid who had been a lauded amateur but was now a professional. Most likely, no one thought he had a chance at Oakmont or in the U.S. Open.
That kid was none other than Jack Nicklaus, who took Palmer to an 18-hole playoff and won, stunning the people in Pennsylvania and just about anybody who followed golf. How could he beat Arnie? Nicklaus, of course, went on to win 17 more majors.
When Johnny Miller’s name is mentioned, most golfers know who that is. The Desert Fox. Known for low rounds. The golfer who was so good for a while that he got his yardages in half clubs. That’s who Miller became.
But in 1973, it was the year of Palmer’s last victory on the PGA Tour, and Nicklaus had become the most dominant player on the planet. Miller, meanwhile, had been on Tour for about four years and had just two wins. Simply put, outside of a couple solid performances in majors, he had no particular claim to fame when he came to the U.S. Open.
Miller’s story has been told several times. A women who saw him while he was on the putting green during a practice round predicted that he would win. Before the final round, he heard a voice telling him to open up his stance.
On Sunday morning, he probably thought the woman who predicted his victory was crazy. But on Sunday evening, he was the winner, taking down all the marquis names who were playing that week, including Nicklaus, Lee Trevino, Tom Weiskopf, and others by shooting a final-round 63, the lowest score ever posted in a U.S. Open or any major championship at the time.
Oakmont’s legend continued in 1983 when Larry Nelson, a heck of a player and a Vietnam vet, defeated Tom Watson and Seve Ballesteros, who were in full flight. It’s hard to say anything more than that. Watson and Seve, both? Nelson must have had a Superman cape.
In 1994, Arnold Palmer played his last U.S. Open and waved a tearful goodbye to Western Pennsylvania’s fans as he strode up the 18th hole. There were more tears as he faced the media afterward.
But newcomer Ernie Els won the tournament. No one knew much about him except that he was from South Africa and had the smoothest swing anybody had ever seen. Smoother than Fred Couples. Els ended up in a Monday playoff with Colin Montgomerie and Loren Roberts that went extra holes before Roberts, who was known as an excellent putter, lipped out a putt for par on the second extra hole while Els two-putted for the title.
Then came 2007, and Angel Cabrera defeated all comers, including Jim Furyk, who had been raised in Pennsylvania, and Tiger Woods. Talk about taking down a giant.
Finally, there’s 2016, when Dustin Johnson finally got his first major, which he was owed by the golf gods after what happened to him at the PGA Championship at Whistling Straits in 2010. There, he grounded his club in what he thought was a waste bunker, and it was deemed to be a fairway bunker.
Johnson got a penalty and was then out of the playoff that ensued between Bubba Watson and eventual winner Martin Kaymer. (What it looked like when the tournament was over was a trampled mess because I went out to take a look at it.)
So, when people pick Scottie Scheffler, defending champ Bryson DeChambeau, or Rory McIlroy to win this week, I think of Angel Cabrera taking down Tiger Woods or Sam Parks, Jr. beating the likes of Bobby Jones, Walter Hagen, and Gene Sarazen. I think of Jack Nicklaus beating Arnold Palmer.
And I wonder, is this just another course like Olympic where the favorites most of the time don’t win? We'll find out soon enough.