1976 U.S. Open (golf)

1976 U.S. Open
Tournament information
DatesJune 17–20, 1976
LocationDuluth, Georgia
Course(s)Atlanta Athletic Club,
Highlands Course
Organized byUSGA
Tour(s)PGA Tour
Statistics
Par70
Length7,015 yards (6,415 m)[1]
Field150, 66 after cut
Cut151 (+11)
Prize fund$253,000[2]
Winner's share$42,000
Champion
United States Jerry Pate
277 (−3)
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Atlanta AC is located in the United States
Atlanta AC
Atlanta AC
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Location in the United States

The 1976 U.S. Open was the 76th U.S. Open, held June 17–20 at the Highlands Course of the Atlanta Athletic Club in Duluth, Georgia, a suburb northeast of Atlanta. Tour rookie Jerry Pate won his only major championship, two strokes ahead of runners-up Al Geiberger and Tom Weiskopf.[3][4][5][6]

John Mahaffey, who lost the U.S. Open in a playoff the year before, took the lead with a 68 in the second round. He followed that up with a 69 in the third round on Saturday for a two-stroke lead over Jerry Pate after 54 holes, with Geiberger three back and Weiskopf four back.[7] The gap was still two strokes after fourteen holes, but Pate hit a one-iron close and birdied the par-3 15th;[8] and when Mahaffey bogeyed 16, the two were tied. Mahaffey three-putted for bogey on 17 and Pate took a one-stroke lead as Mahaffey fell into a tie for second with Geiberger and Weiskopf, both in the clubhouse with 279.

Both Mahaffey and Pate found the rough off the 18th tee. Mahaffey, behind by a shot and trying for birdie, hit his approach shot into the water fronting the green and made bogey, and fell into a tie for fourth. Having a better lie in the rough, Pate gambled that he could clear the water and then hit one of the most memorable shots in U.S. Open history. His 5-iron approach from 191 yards (175 m) flew directly on to the green and stopped three feet (0.9 m) from the hole, and he made the birdie putt for a two-stroke victory.[5][9]

The U.S. Amateur champion two years earlier in 1974, Pate was only 22 in 1976 and appeared to have a bright future ahead of him, but shoulder injuries significantly shortened his career. He won seven more PGA Tour tournaments, the last in 1982, and finished runner-up in two additional majors in the late 1970s.

Future champion Fuzzy Zoeller made his major championship debut at this U.S. Open and finished in 38th place. Mike Reid, a 21-year-old amateur, led by three shots after the first round, but a second-round 81 dashed any hope of an amateur champion. He shared low-amateur honors with John Fought at 300 (+20).

Jack Nicklaus finished tied for eleventh and saw his streak of 13 consecutive top-10s in majors come to an end. He began a new streak and finished in the top-10 in the next nine majors. Only Harry Vardon made more consecutive major top-10s when he made sixteen in a row – fifteen Open Championships (1894–1908) and the U.S. Open in 1900.

This was the first of four majors held at the Highlands Course; it hosted the PGA Championship in 1981, 2001, and 2011.

This was the first year that players were allowed to have their own caddies at the U.S. Open.[10][11] The other majors and some PGA Tour events had traditionally disallowed players from using their own caddies.[12][13][14] The Masters required club caddies from Augusta National through 1982.[15][16][17]

  1. ^ "76th U.S. Open: course". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. June 17, 1976. p. 14.
  2. ^ "U.S. Open history: 1976". USGA. Archived from the original on May 11, 2012. Retrieved July 24, 2012.
  3. ^ Jenkins, Dan (June 28, 1976). "You were great, Jerry Pate". Sports Illustrated. p. 18.
  4. ^ Husar, John (June 21, 1976). "Rookie Pate beats odds, wins Open". Chicago Tribune. p. 1, sec. 6.
  5. ^ a b Parascenzo, Marino (June 21, 1976). "Tour rookie Pate charges to victory". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 13.
  6. ^ "Pate decides 'to go for it,' charges to victory in Open". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. June 21, 1976. p. 2B.
  7. ^ Warters, Jim (June 20, 1976). "Mahaffey manages 2-shot lead". Palm Beach Post. p. E1.
  8. ^ Thomson, Ian (August 11, 2011). "Jerry Pate has a fond recollection of his 1976 U.S. Open victory at site of this week's PGA". Birmingham News. (Alabama). Retrieved April 14, 2014.
  9. ^ Warters, Jim (June 21, 1976). "Rookie Pate captures U.S. Open". Palm Beach Post. p. D1.
  10. ^ "Open golfers to pick own caddies in 1976". Toledo Blade. (Ohio). Associated Press. November 15, 1975. p. 17.
  11. ^ "Break for some". Rome News-Tribune. (Georgia). Associated Press. January 18, 1976. p. 3B.
  12. ^ Loomis, Tom (April 6, 1973). "Chi Chi prefers own caddy". Toledo Blade. (Ohio). Associated Press. p. 30.
  13. ^ "Westchester winner may bypass events". Victoria Advocate. (Texas). Associated Press. August 26, 1974. p. 1B.
  14. ^ "Touring golf pros prefer their own caddies". Reading Eagle. (Pennsylvania). Associated Press. May 5, 1974. p. 76.
  15. ^ "Tour caddies at Augusta?". Times-News. (Hendersonville, North Carolina). November 12, 1982. p. 14.
  16. ^ Wade, Harless (April 6, 1983). "Tradition bagged at Masters". Spokane Chronicle. (Washington). p. C1.
  17. ^ Anderson, Dave (April 10, 1983). "New Masters caddies collide". Sunday Star-News. (Wilmington, North Carolina). p. 6D.