1961 U.S. Open (golf)

The 1961 U.S. Open was the 61st U.S. Open, held June 15–17 at the South Course of Oakland Hills Country Club in Birmingham, Michigan, a suburb north of Detroit. Gene Littler shot a final round 68 for 281 (+1) to win his sole major title, one stroke ahead of runners-up Bob Goalby and Doug Sanders, the 54-hole leader.[4][5][6]

1961 U.S. Open
Tournament information
DatesJune 15–17, 1961
LocationBirmingham, Michigan
Course(s)Oakland Hills Country Club, South Course
Organized byUSGA
Tour(s)PGA Tour
Statistics
Par70
Length6,907 yards (6,316 m)[1][2]
Field149 players, 57 after cut
Cut149 (+9)
Prize fund$60,500[3]
Winner's share$14,000
Champion
Gene Littler
281 (+1)
Oakland Hills Country Club
Location in the United States
Oakland Hills Country Club
Location in Michigan

Amateur Jack Nicklaus tied for fourth at age 21, the second of his three consecutive top-4 finishes at the U.S. Open. The runner-up the previous year, he turned professional in November and won the first of four U.S. Open titles the following year. Defending champion Arnold Palmer made the cut on the number at 149 (+9),[2][7] then shot even-par twice and climbed into a tie for 14th place, eight strokes behind Littler. Four-time champion Ben Hogan also tied for 14th, the only time since 1940 that he was outside the top ten at this major. This course was the site of his third title a decade earlier in 1951, a rare successful defense. Hogan did not enter for five years and made his final U.S. Open appearances in 1966 and 1967.

The South Course previously hosted the U.S. Open in 1924, 1937, and 1951. It later hosted in 1985 and 1996, and the PGA Championship in 1972, 1979, and 2008.

Past champions in the field

Made the cut

PlayerCountryYear(s) wonR1R2R3R4TotalTo parFinish
Ben Hogan United States1948, 1950,
1951, 1953
71727373289+9T14
Arnold Palmer United States196074757070289+9T14
Billy Casper United States195974717372290+10T17
Tommy Bolt United States195870737376292+12T22
Jack Fleck United States195573717970293+13T27
Dick Mayer United States195775737377298+18T42

Missed the cut

PlayerCountryYear(s) wonR1R2TotalTo par
Julius Boros United States19527476150+10
Cary Middlecoff United States1949, 19567476150+10
Lew Worsham United States19477575150+10
Ed Furgol United States19547578153+13

Source:[2]

Round summaries

First round

Thursday, June 15, 1961

PlacePlayerCountryScoreTo par
1Bobby Brue United States69−1
T2Tommy Bolt United States70Even
Bob Goalby United States
T4Rex Baxter United States71+1
Bruce Crampton Australia
Marty Furgol United States
Al Geiberger United States
Paul Harney United States
Ben Hogan United States
Kel Nagle Australia

Source:[8][9]

Second round

Friday, June 16, 1961

PlacePlayerCountryScoreTo par
T1Bob Rosburg United States72-67=139−1
Doug Sanders United States72-67=139
T3Bobby Brue United States69-72=141+1
Gardner Dickinson United States72-69=141
Doug Ford United States72-69=141
Al Geiberger United States71-70=141
Gene Littler United States73-68=141
Eric Monti United States74-67=141
T9Bruce Crampton Australia71-71=142+2
Bob Goalby United States70-72=141
Kel Nagle Australia71-71=141
Bob Harris United States75-67=141

Source:[2][7]

Third round

Saturday, June 17, 1961   (morning)

PlacePlayerCountryScoreTo par
1Doug Sanders United States72-67-71=210Even
T2Jacky Cupit United States72-72-67=211+1
Bob Goalby United States70-72-69=211
Mike Souchak United States73-70-68=211
T5Gardner Dickinson United States72-69-71=212+2
Doug Ford United States72-69-71=212
T7Gene Littler United States73-68-72=213+3
Eric Monti United States74-67-72=213
Bob Rosburg United States72-67-74=213
T10Bobby Brue United States69-72-73=214+4
Dow Finsterwald United States72-71-71=214
Al Geiberger United States71-70-73=214
Jack Nicklaus (a) United States75-69-70=214
(a) denotes amateur

Source:[4][5]

Final round

Saturday, June 17, 1961   (afternoon)

At the start of the final round on Saturday afternoon, Littler was at 213 (+3), three strokes behind 54-hole leader Sanders. After a 34 on the front-nine, Littler tied the lead with a birdie at 11. With a birdie at 13 combined with a Sanders bogey at the same hole, Littler was two strokes ahead. Sanders rebounded with a birdie at 16 to move within one. As Littler and Sanders reached the 18th, Goalby had already posted a 282 total, two off the pace. Littler needed no worse than bogey to get in ahead of Goalby, and that is what he shot, recording his lone bogey of the round for a 68 and a 281 total. Sanders, meanwhile, narrowly missed a birdie putt at 17, then almost chipped in for birdie at the last that would have forced a Sunday playoff. Sanders' putter cost him the championship, as he three-putted five of the last 36 greens. (He later missed a short putt to win The Open Championship in 1970.) Littler was the only player to break par twice.[5][6]

PlacePlayerCountryScoreTo parMoney ($)
1Gene Littler United States73-68-72-68=281+114,000
T2Bob Goalby United States70-72-69-71=282+26,000
Doug Sanders United States72-67-71-72=282
T4Jack Nicklaus (a) United States75-69-70-70=284+40
Mike Souchak United States73-70-68-73=2844,000
T6Dow Finsterwald United States72-71-71-72=286+62,616
Doug Ford United States72-69-71-74=286
Eric Monti United States74-67-72-73=286
T9Jacky Cupit United States72-72-67-76=287+71,750
Gardner Dickinson United States72-69-71-75=287
Gary Player South Africa75-72-69-71=287
(a) denotes amateur

Source:[4][5]

References

  1. "Palmer, Player top Open field". Milwaukee Sentinel. Associated Press. June 15, 1961. p. 7-part 2.
  2. "Open lead's shared by Rosburg, Sanders". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. June 17, 1961. p. 8.
  3. "U.S. Open history: 1961". USGA. Archived from the original on June 7, 2012. Retrieved June 18, 2012.
  4. Bartlett, Charles (June 18, 1961). "Gene Littler takes Open with 281". Chicago Sunday Tribune. p. 1, sec. 2.
  5. Weiss, Don (June 18, 1961). "Gene Littler charges to U.S. Open victory". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press.
  6. Wright, Alfred (June 26, 1961). "Littler eases to a hard win". Sports Illustrated. p. 10.
  7. Bartlett, Charles (June 17, 1961). "Sanders ties Rosburg in U.S. Open". Chicago Daily Tribune. p. 1, sec. 5.
  8. ""Little Boy Brue's" putter true; leads Open after scrambling 69". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. June 16, 1961. p. 16.
  9. Bartlett, Charles (June 16, 1961). "Bobby Brue takes Open lead". Chicago Daily Tribune. p. 1, sec. 4.
Preceded by
1961 Masters
Major Championships Succeeded by
1961 Open Championship

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