1986 U.S. Open (golf)

1986 U.S. Open
Tournament information
DatesJune 12–15, 1986
LocationShinnecock Hills, New York
Course(s)Shinnecock Hills Golf Club
Organized byUSGA
Tour(s)PGA Tour
Statistics
Par70
Length6,912 yards (6,320 m)[1][2]
Field155 players, 70 after cut
Cut150 (+10) [3]
Prize fund$700,000
Winner's share$115,000
Champion
United States Raymond Floyd
279 (−1)
← 1985
1987 →
Shinnecock Hills  is located in the United States
Shinnecock Hills 
Shinnecock Hills 
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Location in the United States
Shinnecock Hills  is located in New York
Shinnecock Hills 
Shinnecock Hills 
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Location in New York

The 1986 U.S. Open was the 86th U.S. Open, held June 12–15 at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Shinnecock Hills, New York. Raymond Floyd won his fourth and final major, two strokes ahead of runners-up Chip Beck and Lanny Wadkins.[4] It was Floyd's only U.S. Open title and he became its oldest winner, a record he held for four years.

The opening round on Thursday had high winds with occasional heavy rain; the best score was Bob Tway's even-par 70, with Greg Norman a stroke behind.[5][6] Norman led after 36 holes,[7] and took the lead into the final round, a stroke ahead of Lee Trevino and Hal Sutton,[8] but a 75 dropped him back six strokes to twelfth place.[9][10] Norman led each of the four major championships in 1986 after 54 holes, but won just once, at the British Open.

During the final round, ten players either led or shared the lead;[11] after Floyd birdied the par-3 11th, he was part of a nine-way tie for first.[12] Floyd began the round three strokes back and separated himself from the pack with a bogey-free 66.[10] After the birdie at 11, he saved par at 12, then recorded another birdie at 13 to tie for the lead. Floyd took sole possession of the lead after the 14th, then added another birdie at the 16th.[13] After finishing his round, he was two strokes ahead of his closest pursuers: Wadkins and Beck both shot 65 to climb the leaderboard and shared second place.[11] They tied the course record, set earlier in the day by Mark Calcavecchia.[14]

With the win, Floyd became the oldest winner of the U.S. Open at 43 years and 284 days,[15] surpassing the long-standing record of Ted Ray from 1920 by several months (Julius Boros was also 43 in 1963). It was Floyd's fourth and final major championship, and he only won twice more in his career. At age 46, Masters champion Jack Nicklaus overcame an opening round 77 and tied for eighth, his last top-ten finish at the U.S. Open.[12] Hale Irwin won his third U.S. Open at age 45 in 1990 in a playoff and remains the oldest champion; in 1986, he was the only former champion in the field to miss the cut. Boros remained the oldest winner of a modern major at age 48 at the PGA Championship in 1968, until Phil Mickelson broke the record to become the oldest winner of a major at age 50 at the PGA Championship in 2021.

Entering this championship, Floyd had played in 21 U.S. Opens and had only two finishes in the top ten. His best result was a tie for sixth in 1965; he finished eighth in 1971, fifteen years earlier. His winner's share in 1986 was more than double his previous career earnings at the U.S. Open.[15]

It was the second U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills, which previously hosted 90 years earlier in 1896. The championship returned in 1995, 2004, and 2018.

  1. ^ "U.S. Open: the record rounds". Palm Beach Post. June 16, 1986. p. 4C.
  2. ^ "1986 U.S. Open (course map)". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). (Golf Graphics International). June 12, 1986. p. 4F.
  3. ^ "1986 U.S. Open". Database Golf. Retrieved July 1, 2013.
  4. ^ Green, Bob (June 16, 1986). "Floyd comes of age to win Open". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. p. C1.
  5. ^ Boswell, Thomas (June 13, 1986). "At Shinnecock, it's wide Open". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). (Washington Post). p. 1C.
  6. ^ White, Gordon S. Jr. (June 13, 1986). "Weather takes over at the Open". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). (New York Times). p. 29.
  7. ^ Green, Bob (June 14, 1986). "Norman leads conquest of Shinnecock". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. p. B1.
  8. ^ Green, Bob (June 15, 1986). "Taunts don't daunt Norman". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. p. D1.
  9. ^ Boswell, Thomas (June 16, 1986). "It was Floyd's day at the Open". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). (Washington Post). p. 1C.
  10. ^ a b Bunch, Ken (June 16, 1986). "Floyd takes Open with final-round 66". Milwaukee Sentinel. p. 1-part 2.
  11. ^ a b Parascenzo, Marino (June 16, 1986). "Floyd captures Open title". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. pp. 9, 14.
  12. ^ a b Reilly, Rick (June 23, 1986). "Guts, grit and grandeur". Sports Illustrated. p. 18.
  13. ^ "Ray Floyd's round". Milwaukee Sentinel. June 16, 1986. p. 2, part 2.
  14. ^ Kienzl, Ray (June 16, 1986). "Shinnecock course record falls to three golfers in the same day". Pittsburgh Press. p. C3.
  15. ^ a b "Floyd becomes oldest Open champion". Wilmington Morning Star. (North Carolina). Associated Press. June 16, 1986. p. 1B.