1967 U.S. Open (golf)

1967 U.S. Open
Tournament information
DatesJune 15–18, 1967
LocationSpringfield, New Jersey
Course(s)Baltusrol Golf Club
Lower Course
Organized byUSGA
Tour(s)PGA Tour
Statistics
Par70
Length7,015 yards (6,415 m)[1]
Field150 players, 66 after cut
Cut148 (+8)
Prize fund$169,400[2]
Winner's share$30,000
Champion
United States Jack Nicklaus
275 (−5)
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Baltusrol  is located in the United States
Baltusrol 
Baltusrol 
Baltusrol  is located in New Jersey
Baltusrol 
Baltusrol 

The 1967 U.S. Open was the 67th U.S. Open, held June 15–18 at Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield, New Jersey, west of New York City. Jack Nicklaus shot a final round 65 and established a new U.S. Open record of 275, four strokes ahead of runner-up Arnold Palmer, the 1960 champion.[3][4][5] It was the second of Nicklaus' four U.S. Open titles and the seventh of his eighteen major championships.

Nicklaus' record score surpassed the 276 of Ben Hogan in 1948 at Riviera. His final round 65 (−5) tied the U.S. Open record for lowest final 18 holes, broken six years later by Johnny Miller at Oakmont. The 275 record stood for thirteen years, when Nicklaus broke it on the same course in 1980. For Palmer, it was his fourth runner-up finish at the U.S. Open in six years; the earlier three were in playoffs (1962, 1963, 1966). Hogan, age 54,[6] played in his final major; he shot 72 in each of the first two rounds and tied for 34th place.[4]

After winning the Masters in 1965 and 1966, Nicklaus missed the cut there two months earlier, which also kept him off the first Ryder Cup team for which he was eligible. (Other than a withdrawal in 1983, it was his only missed cut at Augusta from 19601993).

Lee Trevino, then a club pro from El Paso, finished fifth at Baltusrol in only his second major championship; he made the cut in his debut in 1966 at Olympic in San Francisco. The fifth place earnings of $6,000 allowed him to play in enough tournaments the rest of the 1967 season to earn his tour card for 1968. The high finish gave Trevino an exemption into the U.S. Open in 1968 at Oak Hill, which he won.

This was the fifth U.S. Open at Baltusrol and the second on the Lower Course; it previously hosted in 1954. The Upper Course was the site in 1936 and the defunct Old Course in 1903 and 1915. The U.S. Open returned in 1980, also won by Nicklaus, and its most recent appearance was in 1993. The PGA Championship was held at the Lower Course in 2005 and 2016.

With his seventh major won at age 27, Nicklaus went over three years before his next, at The Open Championship in 1970.

  1. ^ "Gen. Palmer grabs Open lead with 68". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. June 17, 1967. p. 12.
  2. ^ "U.S. Open history: 1967". USGA. Archived from the original on June 7, 2012. Retrieved June 20, 2012.
  3. ^ Wright, Alfred (June 26, 1967). "Jack Delivers the Crusher". Sports Illustrated. p. 22.
  4. ^ a b "Nicklaus' record 275 wins". Milwaukee Sentinel. Associated Press. June 19, 1967. p. 1-part 2.
  5. ^ "Nicklaus plays safe, claims Open record". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. June 19, 1967. p. 3B.
  6. ^ Green, Bob (June 11, 1967). "Ben Hogan seen threat in U.S. Open tourney". Reading Eagle. Pennsylvania. Associated Press. p. 36.