The Masters may have the pageantry and the title of a “Tradition unlike any other,” the British Open course may be unique, and the PGA Championship … well, it’s just the PGA Championship. But of the four majors in golf, the U.S. Open holds a particularly special place in our hearts.
It challenges golfers in ways other tournaments can’t, causing low scores and visible frustration on the greens.
The 2021 U.S. Open is currently underway at Torrey Pines Golf Course in beautiful San Diego, CA. Phil Mickelson is coming off his improbable PGA Championship win, and Bryson Dechambeau and Brooks Koepka will attempt to keep it friendly after their disdain for each other went public this month.
There have been countless special moments in the long and storied history of the U.S. Open. Let’s take a look at the top five.
2000 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach: Tiger Woods Runs Away From the Field
Woods was just a young pup as he entered the tournament at Pebble in 2000, but by the time he left, he’d dominated the entire field.
He entered Sunday with a 10-stroke lead over Ernie Els, and ended the day with a 15-stroke win. Els said afterward, “Anything I say is probably going to be an understatement. It seems like we’re not playing in the same ballpark right now.”
He birdied holes 10, 12, 13, and 14, finishing the final round with a 67 — the low score of the day.
It was the beginning of the conversation on whether Woods’ domination was actually good for the game. We had never seen a golfer completely dismantle the field in the manner in which Woods’ did.
Amidst his domination is a fun story that could have ended in disaster for Woods.
On Saturday morning, Woods was completing his second round, which he didn’t finish the day before. On the 18th tee, Woods hooked his tee shot into the ocean. As he waited for caddie Steve Williams to hand him another ball, Woods didn’t realize the danger he was in — he was down to his last ball in the bag.
“I don’t want to sound negative, but he hooks it into the ocean and now we’re down to our last ball,” Williams said. “He was adamant he was hitting a driver for the second shot. We had a bit of an argument. I know it’s our last ball. There’s OB [out of bounds] right, water left. I can honestly say it’s the only time I was actually shaking.”
“He hit a great drive in the middle of the fairway. But his ball is directly in line with that tree [in the right-center of the fairway]. He wants to hit a big cut out over the ocean, and I can’t tell him [we have one ball left]. I thought the nervousness was over after the tee shot, but it continued. I couldn’t say anything.”
Woods managed to hold on to his last ball, bogeying 18 to finish up his second round and going on to win in historic fashion.
1982 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach: Tom Watson Calls His Shot
Staring at a downhill 16-foot flop shot on the par-3 17th, the gallery knew Watson faced an impossible challenge. Jack Nicklaus would finish with a round of 69, including a stretch of five birdies as the two greats tied at the top of the leaderboard.
“Get it close,” Watson’s caddie Brice Edwards said.
“I’m not going to get it close. I’m going to make it,” Watson replied.
What followed was one of the most memorable shots in the history of the U.S. Open.
“That shot at 17 meant more to me than any golf shot I ever made,” Watson said at the time.
Watson would go on to win his only U.S. Open with a final round of 70, clipping the “Golden Bear.”
2006 U.S. Open at Winged Foot: Phil Mickelson Hits the Tent on the 18th
There’s a reason why we all love Lefty — he’s always going to go for it, even when it’s insane to do so.
On the 18th tee at Winged Foot, Mickelson needed a par to win The Open, and a bogey to force a playoff with Geoff Ogilvy. A simple 4-wood down the fairway was the play, but Phil pulled out his driver, and the rest is history.
Mickelson went way left off the tee, hitting the hospitality tent and landing in the rough. His second shot hit a tree, his third went into the 18th green bunker, and his fourth rolled over the green into the rough. Needing to hole out from the rough to force a playoff, Mickelson’s fifth shot slid past the hole, giving Ogilvy the victory, and solidifying one of the greatest collapses in golf history.
“As a kid I dreamt of winning this tournament,” Mickelson said after the round. “This one hurts more than any other tournament because I had it won. I had it in my grasp and I let it go.”
“I am still in shock that I did that. I just can’t believe I did that. I am such an idiot.”
2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines: Tiger Woods Wins On One-Leg
The idea that Woods was more than just a mere human probably was cemented as he won his third Open.
Playing on a broken leg and a torn ACL, Woods forced an 18-hole playoff with Rocco Mediate with a birdie putt on 18. He was in obvious pain all day, grimacing and limping after every swing.
OTD in 2008: Tiger Woods wins the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines, playing with a broken leg and a fully torn ACL.
One of the most incredible performances in sports history.pic.twitter.com/LwcQMgy8qZ
— Joe Pompliano (@JoePompliano) June 16, 2021
After the 18-hole playoff, the two were still tied before Woods finally managed to put Mediate away in the first hole of sudden death.
1960 U.S. Open at Cherry Hills: Arnold Palmer Charges Back From Seven Down to Win
“The King” began the final round seven shots behind Mike Souchak, but started his round with two birdies.
Palmer went on to shoot an incredible 65 to win the tournament and his only U.S. Open championship. The then 29-year-old would go on to win six more majors in his storied career.
1999 U.S. Open at Pinehurst: Payne Stewart Beats Phil Mickelson On the Final Hole
Poor Phil. In the first of his eventual six runner-up finishes at the U.S. Open, Mickelson was bested by Payne Stewart. After a birdie on 17, Stewart drained a par from 18 feet on the 18th to win the Open.
Sadly, Stewart passed away just a few months later in an airplane accident.
Joe Morgan is the Sports Reporter for The Daily Wire. Most recently, Morgan covered the Clippers, Lakers and the NBA for Sporting News. Send your sports questions to [email protected].
The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.