2 Weeks at Oakmont - 1973 FINAL ROUND
Arnold Palmer starts the final round in the lead on his "home course" and with his army behind him
INTRODUCTION From The Sports Time Traveler™
The excitement here at Oakmont Country Club, just outside of Pittsburgh is palpable, it’s dream-like, it’s unreal. Because the hometown hero, Arnold Palmer, is tied for the lead going into the final day of the U.S. Open on his “home course.”
Palmer at 43 years old has not won a major title in 9 years and won his only U.S. Open 13 years ago.
He lost the U.S. Open here in a playoff 11 years ago.
And he suffered 2 more heartbreaks, losing playoffs in both the 1963 and 1966 U.S. Opens.
Perhaps it’s the heartbreaks even more than the majestic victories that have endeared his legion of fans, that they call Arnie’s Army, to this man. For his fans, in their unwavering affinity, are unlike those of any other golfer, perhaps any other athlete. And they are primed to see him make history today by winning the U.S. Open that eluded him here at Oakmont 11 years ago. The one he was supposed to win.
THE OPENING 3 ROUNDS
Yesterday I posted my article on the opening 3 rounds of the 1973 U.S. Open golf championship. You can read that article for all the background here at this link:
Opening 3 Rounds of the 1973 U.S. Open
Now let’s see what will happen on the final day.
1973 FINAL ROUND
OAKMONT COUNTRY CLUB - June 18, 1973
Yesterday’s final round of the U.S. Open was a thriller.
Never before had a U.S. Open final round started with 4 players tied for the lead.
And one of them was named Arnold Palmer, who was playing on what could be considered his home course.
Here were the scores of the top 10 players going into the final round:
-3 Arnold Palmer (U.S. Open champion in 1960)
-3 Julius Boros (U.S. Open champion in 1952 and 1963)
-3 Jerry Heard
-3 John Schlee
-2 Tom Weiskopf
-1 Lee Trevino (U.S. Open champion in 1968 and 1971)
-1 Jim Colbert
-1 Bob Charles
E Jack Nicklaus (U.S. Open champion in 1962, 1967 and 1972)
E Gary Player (U.S. Open champion in 1965)
The four leaders were split into two groups.
The final group of the today consisted of Jerry Heard and the 53 year old 2 time champion Julius Boros.
The 2nd to last group featured Arnold Palmer and John Schlee.
Schlee’s Stressful Start
John Schlee felt less than fortunate to be paired with the legendary Palmer. He told Lincoln Werden in the New York Times, “Being paired with Arnold Palmer is like a 2 shot penalty. With people yelling all the time for Arnie it was tough and noisy.”
John Schlee must have felt he got that 2 shot penalty right on the opening hole. Possibly rattled by the enormous crowd around him all rooting for Palmer, probably nervous in leading a major in the final round, he needed to take 3 tee shots at the 1st hole.
When he hit is 1st tee shot, it was unclear if it had landed out of bounds. So he had to hit a 2nd provisional drive. That was also potentially out of bounds. Schlee then had to tee it up for a 3rd time.
When he reached the 1st shot he found that it was in bounds but was unplayable. He took a penalty and ended up with a double bogey 6. Instantly he was 2 shots behind the leaders.
Schlee got his 2 shots back when he eagled the par 5 4th. But his playing partner, Palmer, birdied that hole and took over sole possession of the lead for the 1st time on the final round.
Here were the scores after Palmer and Schlee had completed 5 holes:
-4 Arnold Palmer (thru 5 holes)
-3 John Schlee (thru 5 holes)
-3 Julius Boros (thru 4 holes)
-3 Jerry Heard (thru 4 holes)
-3 Tom Weiskopf (thru 6 holes)
-2 Lee Trevino (U.S. Open champion in 1968 and 1971)
-2 Jim Colbert
-1 Johnny Miller (thru 10)
E Jack Nicklaus (U.S. Open champion in 1962, 1967 and 1972)
Miller’s March
Notice the name at the 2nd from the bottom of the leaderboard above. Johnny Miller who started the day at +3, and teed off nearly an hour before the final group, birdied the opening 4 holes to jump to 1 under par for the tournament.
He even narrowly missed an eagle at the 4th that would have put him 5 under for the day after just 4 holes.
Miller’s Misfortune
Johnny Miller had finished the 2nd round on Friday in 3rd place just 3 shots behind the leader Gary Player. Then he had the bad fortune to leave his yardage card at the hotel on Saturday morning. When he looked for it on the 1st tee and couldn’t find it he panicked. He sent his wife back to the hotel to find it. Without it he was lost and went 5 over on the 1st 6 holes in the 3rd round.
With the yardage book back in hand, on the back 9 of the 3rd round, he played even par. But his 18 hole score of 76 on Saturdayhad left him 6 shots off the lead in a tie for 13th.
Now with his birdie barrage to begin the final round, Miller was back in contention.
The Old Man and The Lead
Palmer gave a shot back at the 6th while Julius Boros birdied the hole. Thus, for the 1st time, Boros, the 53 year old 2 time champion found himself alone on top.
With 12 holes to go Julius Boros was in position to possibly become the first man to win a major over the age of 50.
Here was the leaderboard after Palmer and Boros swapped places. In the video, further down in this article, you can see this leaderboard on the ABC TV broadcast at the 23:13 mark:
-4 Julius Boros (thru 6)
-3 Arnold Palmer (thru 6)
-3 John Schlee (thru 6 holes)
-3 Tom Weiskopf (thru 7 holes)
-2 Jerry Heard (thru 6)
-2 Lee Trevino (thru 8)
-2 Johnny Miller (thru 11)
Notice Johnny Miller now at minus 2 for the tournament. He hit a wedge to 14 feet and sank the putt at 11 to go to 5 under for his round.
But Boros looked in command as he hit his approach shot on the 7th. Watch him at the 27:44 mark on the video as he lands it inside 10 feet go give him a chance to go up by 2 strokes. At the 32:10 mark you can see his putt slide by the hole and so he remains in front by a single stroke after 7.
Johnny Miller Time
Just before Boros missed his putt for birdie at 7, Miller, still not being shown by ABC, made a 15 foot birdie put at 12. It was his 2nd straight birdie and 3rd in the last 4 holes. It put him at 3 under for the tournament and 6 under for the round and vaulted him to a tie for 2nd with Palmer, Weiskopf & company.
Now ABC just had to show Miller. They handed off to Frank Gifford who was covering the 13th. Watch Miller on the tee at the 13 at the 32:37 mark of the video. Miller hits his tee shot on the 185 yard par 3 to just 5 feet from the pin. At the 35:30 mark you can see Miller putt. He cans it for his 3rd straight birdie, 4th in 5 holes and now Miller has tied Boros for the lead. He is 7 under on his round.
At the 39:50 mark we see Miller again hitting into the 14th green on the 360 yard par 4. He puts his wedge shot just 12 feet from the hole for yet another great birdie opportunity.
At the 43:05 mark we see Miller miss his putt at 14 to stay at minus 4. Meanwhile, Lee Trevino has now moved up to minus 3 into a tie with Palmer and Weiskopf just 1 off the lead still held by Miller and Boros.
Palmer Plays Through
At the 43:52 mark on the video you can see something I’ve never seen before in a professional golf tournament. Arnold Palmer’s group has been instructed to play through Tom Weiskopf’s group on the 9th hole.
Lincoln Werden in the New York Times described what happened on Tom Weiskopf’s 2nd shot that required an official ruling and delayed the group, “An unbelievable 2nd shot caromed off a vendor selling periscopes on the right side of the 9th green. The ball bounded into a snack bar, skimmed by 3 people who were sitting on the counter and stopped on a shelf next to 3 loaves of bread.”
While the Weiskopf situation was being sorted out by officials, Palmer playing through had an eagle putt attempt on the par 5 9th. You can watch Palmer’s long eagle putt at the 45:24 mark on the video. The putt which would have put him back in front by himself fell just short.
At the 47:53 mark you can see Palmer sink his short birdie putt on 9 to move back into a tie for the lead at minus 4. The noise on the course was so loud as the leaderboards were updated with Palmer’s name on top that ABC announcer Chris Schenkel said at the 48:21 mark, “This past week Secretariat and Arnold Palmer have received the most applause I’ve ever heard.”
Here was the leaderboard as Arnold Palmer started the back 9 tied for the lead in the U.S. Open:
-4 Arnold Palmer (thru 9)
-4 Julius Boros (thru 8)-
-4 Johnny Miller (thru 14)
-3 John Schlee (thru 9)
-3 Tom Weiskopf (thru 8)
-3 Lee Trevino (thru 10)
Miller’s Magic
At the 52:51 mark on the tape you can see Miller hit his approach shot on the par 4 453 yard 15th hole. His 4 iron land just 10 feet from the pin. Miller has now landed his iron shots to within 15 feet on 5 consecutive holes.
Stick with the video and you can see Lee Trevino putt from 10 feet on 11. If he made it he would go into a 4 way tie at the top. But his putt is just short.
Immediately after Trevino misses you will see Weiskopf finally finish the 9th hole. He cans his birdie putt and now Weiskopf makes it a 4 way tie for 1st.
Skip ahead to the 55:20 mark and you can see Miller putt for birdie on 15. He makes it and Johnny Miller, for the 1st time, has the outright lead in the U.S. Open. He is now 5 under for the tournament and 8 under on the round.
Palmer Presses
At the 1:02:16 mark on the video Arnold Palmer has a crucial putt. It’s a 6 footer for par at 10. He makes it and stays 1 shot behind Miller. The announcers described it as one you had to make to win. Palmer tips his cap to the crowd as he walks off the green.
At the 1:07:24 mark we next see Palmer hit a spectacular approach shot on the 11th hole. He puts it less than 5 feet from the hole. He now has a chance to tie the lead.
Arnold Palmer is clearly feeling in command of the tournament.
It is however at this moment, walking up to the 11th green, that Palmer first sees the leaderboard that indicates Johnny Miller, not Palmer, is in fact in the lead. And that Miller is at 5 under thru 16.
John Schlee, Palmer’s playing partner, told the Pittsburgh Press, “When we went to the 11th green Palmer looked totally shocked to see that Miller was 5 under.”
Here are the scores Palmer would have seen:
-5 Johnny Miller (thru 16)
-4 Arnold Palmer (thru 10)
-4 Julius Boros (thru 9)
-4 Tom Weiskopf (thru 9)
-3 Lee Trevino (thru 12)
-3 John Schlee (thru 10)
-3 Jerry Heard (thru 9)
At 1:11:33 you can hear Jim McKay make the call as Arnie lines up his birdie putt on 11. Palmer’s putt slides by the hole and McKay says, “He really needed that one.”
Palmer appears clearly dejected as he walks off the green.
After the round Palmer said this about the moment he saw the leaderboard at 11, “I almost threw up. I couldn’t believe anyone was shooting 63 in the Open.”
It was a catastrophic revelation for the King. It crushed him.
Palmer’s next 3 holes were bogey-bogey-bogey. He finished the round with a 37 on the back 9 to end the tournament at minus 2.
Palmer’s playing partner, John Schlee, said in the Los Angeles Times, “When Arnold made those bogeys it was like playing in a morgue.”
Later Palmer told the Pittsburgh Press, “After all the golf I’ve played I shouldn’t have been that shocked, but it took the fire out of me.”
Miller’s Motion
At 1:16:06 on the tape we see Johnny Miller on the 18th tee. It’s a great view of his full driver on the par 4 452 yard finishing hole. ABC shows Miller in slow motion after he hits the drive. It’s a beautiful thing to see the swing of Johnny Miller at his best.
Byron Nelson says on the video, “I’ve never seen him swing through the ball as well as he has today.” You can then hear Nelson’s analysis of Miller’s swing. It’s something we can all learn from.
Miller pars the 18th hole to put his record 63 in the books. And now he waits to see if it will hold up.
Boros has already bogeyed the 10th to drop back to minus 3. Palmer bogeys 13, 14 and 15. Weiskopf bogeys 13, 14 and 17.
Schlee’s Second Chance
John Schlee however, playing alongside Arnold Palmer has weathered the “2 stroke penalty” and with the army subdued, Schlee birdies the 16th hole to get to minus 4.
He is now in 2nd place by himself a stroke behind Miller.
He narrowly misses a birdie putt at 17. Then he just misses holing out a birdie chip at 18. When the ball doesn’t drop in, he has to settle for a par and finishes at 4 under for the Open, good for 2nd place by himself.
Here is the final leaderboard of the 1973 U.S. Open:
-5 Johnny Miller
-4 John Schlee
-3 Tom Weiskopf
-2 Lee Trevino
-2 Jack Nicklaus
-2 Arnold Palmer
-1 Julius Boros
-1 Jerry Heard
-1 Lanny Wadkins
Nicklaus had birdied 17 and 18 to move up to a tie for 4th. But he still told the Los Angele Times, “I played atrociously.”
Miller Makes History
Johnny Miller’s 63 broke the U.S. Open record for a single round and gave him a 1 shot victory in the 1973 U.S. Open. To do it, he had to pass Jack Nicklaus, Lee Trevino and Arnold Palmer, the biggest names in the game.
After the round Miller explained his incredible 63 to the Los Angeles Times, “When you’re hot you might as well give it a go. I usually make everything or nothing.”
It was a historic round that led some of the great sports columnists of the time to marvel at Miller.
Arthur Daley in the New York Times celebrated Miller’s final round 63 with this, “As any intelligent man would be quick to tell you, this kind of shot making on the final round borders on the impossible. Record‐breaking in other years was almost always done in early rounds before the pressure tightened.”
Jim Murray, the Los Angeles Times sports columnist, also pontificated on the magnitude of Johnny Miller’s 63 with a brilliant piece in today’s paper. Here’s an excerpt, “Imagine shooting a 63 in the U.S. Open! That’s almost like stoning a church, painting moustaches on statues of saints… you’re supposed to look up at the leaderboard and say ‘my god, what am I doing, I’m leading a U.S. Open. Where do I come off beating Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer and Lee Trevino and Gary Player.’ Then your supposed to go out and feint.”
The ABC Broadcast
Click on the link below to watch the ABC television broadcast of the final round on June 17, 1973:
Final Round ABC Broadcast of the 1973 U.S. Open
POSTCRIPT From The Sports Time Traveler™
Speaking about his sensational 63 at Oakmont decades later, Johnny Miller pointed out that, “it was not just a 63, it was a 63 with Sunday pins.” Sunday pins at the U.S. Open are notoriously difficult. But as can be seen on the video, on that magical day in 1973, Miller was firing right at the pins and nailing most of them.
This past week, 50 years after Miller’s record round, I was privileged to see, on live television, Rickie Fowler and Xander Schauffle, 2 of my favorite golfers, break Miller’s record with 62’s in the opening round of this year’s U.S. Open. But it should be noted that they were 8 under par just like Miller was, as the L.A. Country Club is a par 70, and Oakmont, in 1973, was a par 71.
And they did it in the 1st round, not with Sunday pins.
This concludes my 2 weeks at Oakmont. I’m going to miss Oakmont. It will be many years before I’m back again. The tournaments I’ve covered have been so special:
The 1953 U.S. Open win by Ben Hogan over Sam Snead
The 1962 playoff victory by the young Jack Nicklaus over Arnold Palmer in his prime
The 1973 record round by Johnny Miller, crushing Arnold Palmer’s last real chance for victory in a major
It’s going to be tough to find a more thrilling set of tournaments on one course at the U.S. Open.
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