I imagine that if the USGA could somehow make it happen, it would hold the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach every other year, alternating with various other courses around the country. And why not? Pebble is wildly popular among fans, players and sponsors; it is beautiful, both in person and on television; and in each of the four Opens it has hosted, Pebble has proven to be the ultimate kingmaker.
Think of other quintessential, classic U.S. Open sites. Each has allowed a lurker to steal the spotlight: Olympic (Jack Fleck, 1955), Oakmont (Sam Parks, 1935), Oakland Hills (Steve Jones, 1996), Winged Foot (Geoff Ogilvy, 2006), Merion (David Graham, 1981).
Not so Pebble.
All four of Pebble's Open winners—Jack Nicklaus (1972), Tom Watson (1982), Tom Kite (1992) and Tiger Woods (2000)—were the best players at the time of their win. Which is great news for this week's favorites—Tiger, Phil Mickelson, Lee Westwood.
What's more, chances are that one of them will do it with an iconic shot that will be remembered as one of the greats of all time. Pebble has hosted just four of the first 109 U.S. Opens, yet it has produced three of the 10 best shots in tournament history. And that's not even counting the 200-yard 7-iron from the rough that Tiger hit on the par-5 6th hole in the second round—it certainly would have been included had he hit the same shot in the final round.
Obviously, timing matters in the interpretation of greatness, and I'm looking forward to seeing a tournament-deciding shot down the stretch on Sunday, one that may join the following list of the 10 best shots in U.S Open history.
I have not included putts in my list, as I feel they deserve their own category, which I hope to get to later this week. Feel free to add your own candidates in the comments.
1. Jack Nicklaus, 1972: 17th hole at Pebble Beach
Not only did his 1-iron into a strong wind hit the flagstick for a tap-in birdie that sealed his third Open win, the shot pretty much cemented Pebble's reputation as one of the greatest courses in the world and established its credibility as a U.S. Open site, a status that had been in doubt prior to the event.
2. Ben Hogan, 1950: 18th hole at Merion
Another 1-iron was the subject of the most famous photograph in golf, taken by Hy Peskin. Considering all the attention given to the shot, it would be easy to assume that Hogan knocked the ball stiff for a tournament-winning birdie. But the ball actually finished 40 feet from the hole; he made par for a tie of the lead; and he actually had to win a playoff over George Fazio and Lloyd Mangrum the next day. But the shot was symbolic of Hogan's win, which capped a remarkable comeback from him near-fatal car accident the previous year.
3. Tom Watson, 1982: 17th hole at Pebble Beach
By now, you may be sick of the footage of Watson chipping in from off the green on his way to winning his first and only U.S. Open. But the rough was awfully thick, the pressure (with Nicklaus looming one shot back) was immense, and Watson's execution was flawless.
4. Arnold Palmer, 1960: 1st hole at Cherry Hills
No other single shot in golf history so perfectly captured the essence of a man. Seven shots behind after 54 holes, Palmer disregarded his earlier misplays on the opening hole—like that double bogey in the first round—and chose driver off the tee. He lashed at the ball, which finished on the green. He two-putted for birdie, then followed up with 62 more shots—all of them at full speed—for a 65 that remains the lowest final round by a U.S. Open winner.
5. Bobby Jones, 1923: 18th hole at Inwood Country Club
When Bobby Jones arrived for his fourth U.S. Open at this Long Island, he was the phenom who seemed to lack the mental toughness to break through for his first big win. His performance in the fourth round did little to change minds, as he made bogey-bogey-double on the final three holes to fall into a tie with Bobby Cruickshank. The pair was tied in the playoff as Jones stood on the 18th fairway, facing a 200-yard shot over water. After a bad drive, Cruickshank already had laid up. Instead of doing the same, Jones chose 2-iron and hit a shot to six feet for the first of 13 majors that he wound up amassing over the next eight years.
6. Tom Kite, 1992: 7th hole at Pebble Beach
Conditions were so bad for the fourth round that Colin Montgomerie, who had teed off hours before the leaders and had shot 70, was receiving congratulations from Jack Nicklaus for winning his first U.S. Open while the leaders, including Kite, were still on the front nine. Nicklaus didn't count on Kite's grinding round, which was highlighted by his pitch-in for birdie on the 106-yard hole after missing the green with a 6-iron, which shows how hard the wind was blowing that day.
7. Doug Weaver, Mark Wiebe, Jerry Pate, Nick Price, 1989: 6th hole at Oak Hill
In a span of 90 minutes during the second round, these four players aced the 167-yard 6th hole. All used a 7-iron and were helped by a ridge behind the hole that served as a backstop and helped funnel the ball toward the hole.
8. Gene Sarazen, 1922: 18th hole at Skokie Country Club
Thirteen years before making his immortal double eagle at the Masters, Sarazen hit what was probably an even better shot on another par 5, the finishing hole at Skokie. Just 20 at the time, Sarazen faced a shot of 250 yards into the wind. Hitting a driver off the deck, he hit a low line drive that finished 15 feet from the hole. He two-putted for birdie and a one-shot win over Bobby Jones and Joe Black.
9. Jerry Pate, 1976: 18th hole at Atlanta Athletic Club
Pate was a 22-year-old rookie in a situation every young golfer has envisioned himself hitting while growing up: a shot to win the U.S. Open. The problem was that he was 190 yards away in the rough, with water in front of the green. Although the distance called for a 4-iron, Pate counted on both a flyer and adrenaline and chose 5. The shot stopped two feet from the hole, allowing Pate to tap in for his first major.
10. Corey Pavin, 1995: 18th hole at Shinnecock Hills
While the contenders included bombers like Greg Norman, Phil Mickelson, Tom Lehman and Davis Love III, it was short-hitting Pavin who broke out of the pack, winning one for all the shotmakers out there with, appropriately enough, a 4-wood second shot to the par-4 final hole. Pavin judged and executed the shot perfectly, as ball landed well short of the green and rolled along the humps and bumps like a dune buggy before settling six feet from the hole.
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