| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Dates | June 15–18, 1972 |
| Location | Pebble Beach, California 36°34′05″N 121°57′00″W / 36.568°N 121.950°W |
| Course(s) | Pebble Beach Golf Links |
| Organized by | USGA |
| Tour(s) | PGA Tour |
| Statistics | |
| Par | 72 |
| Length | 6,812 yards (6,229 m)[1] |
| Field | 150 players, 70 after cut |
| Cut | 154 (+10) |
| Prize fund | $194,600[2] |
| Winner's share | $30,000 |
| Champion | |
 Jack Nicklaus | |
| 290 (+2) | |
| Location map | |
&sq=Qlik&lang=&file=File:Usa_edcp_relief_location_map.png)  Pebble Beach Location in the United States &sq=Qlik&lang=&file=File:Relief_map_of_California.png) Pebble Beach Location in California | |
The 1972 U.S. Open was the 72nd U.S. Open, held June 15–18 at Pebble Beach Golf Links in Pebble Beach, California. Jack Nicklaus, age 32, captured his third U.S. Open title, three strokes ahead of runner-up Bruce Crampton.[3][4][5][6] This was the first of six major championships held to date at Pebble Beach: five U.S. Opens and the PGA Championship in 1977. This was also the first time the U.S. Open was played at a public golf course.
Scoring conditions during the final round were extremely difficult;[7] the average was 78.8, the highest in post-war U.S. Open history. Nicklaus' 290 (+2) was the second-highest winning score during that span. It was Nicklaus' eleventh career major championship as a professional, tying the record of Walter Hagen. When combined with his two U.S. Amateur wins, it was his thirteenth major, equaling Bobby Jones for most all-time.[5][8]
Defending champion Lee Trevino had been hospitalized in Texas for several days for bronchitis and pneumonia; he was released on Tuesday, two days before the first round,[9][10][11][12] and tied for fourth.[3][5]
It was the second consecutive major title for Nicklaus, who won the Masters in April. Previous winners of the first two majors of the year were Craig Wood (1941), Ben Hogan (1951, 1953), and Arnold Palmer (1960); later champions of both were Tiger Woods (2002) and Jordan Spieth (2015). In addition, Nicklaus held the PGA Championship title from February 1971; four weeks later, he was the runner-up by a single stroke at the Open Championship at Muirfield, Scotland.
Nicklaus won seven additional majors, the last at the Masters fourteen years later in 1986 at age 46.
- ^ "Nicklaus breaks U.S. Open logjam". Toledo Blade. Ohio. Associated Press. June 18, 1972. p. E1.
- ^ "U.S. Open history: 1972". USGA. Archived from the original on August 7, 2016. Retrieved June 19, 2012.
- ^ a b Tomashek, Tom (June 19, 1972). "Nicklaus scores U.S. Open victory". Chicago Tribune. p. 1, sec. 3.
- ^ "Nicklaus wins US Open by 3". Milwaukee Sentinel. UPI. June 19, 1972. p. 1, part 2.
- ^ a b c Jenkins, Dan (June 26, 1972). "The glorius quest". Sports Illustrated. p. 22.
- ^ "Jack Opens his way to a Slam". St. Petersburg Times. (Florida). UPI. June 19, 1972. p. 1C.
- ^ Green, Bob (June 19, 1972). "'Super sweep' half complete as Nicklaus wins U.S. Open". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. p. 10.
- ^ "Nicklaus a wizard in US Open wind". Milwaukee Journal. press dispatches. June 19, 1972. p. 8, part 2.
- ^ "(photo)". Chicago Tribune. UPI. June 13, 1972. p. 2, sec. 3.
- ^ "Lee ready for Open". Pittsburgh Press. UPI. June 14, 1972. p. 38.
- ^ "Golf's greats hobble along to U.S. Open". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. June 14, 1972. p. 25.
- ^ "Ailing Lee Trevino arrives to defend U.S. Open title". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. (Florida). Associated Press. June 15, 1972. p. 1D.