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.
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), 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.
Round summaries First round Thursday, June 15, 1961
PlacePlayerScoreTo par1 Bobby Brue 69 −1 T2 Tommy Bolt 70 Even Bob GoalbyT4 Rex Baxter 71 +1 Bruce Crampton Marty Furgol Al Geiberger Paul Harney Ben Hogan Kel Nagle Source:
Second round Friday, June 16, 1961
PlacePlayerScoreTo parT1 Bob Rosburg 72-67=139 −1 Doug Sanders 72-67=139 T3 Bobby Brue 69-72=141 +1 Gardner Dickinson 72-69=141 Doug Ford 72-69=141 Al Geiberger 71-70=141 Gene Littler 73-68=141 Eric Monti 74-67=141T9 Bruce Crampton 71-71=142 +2 Bob Goalby 70-72=141 Kel Nagle 71-71=141 Bob Harris 75-67=141 Source:
Third round Saturday, June 17, 1961 (morning)
PlacePlayerScoreTo par1 Doug Sanders 72-67-71=210 Even T2 Jacky Cupit 72-72-67=211 +1 Bob Goalby 70-72-69=211 Mike Souchak 73-70-68=211T5 Gardner Dickinson 72-69-71=212 +2 Doug Ford 72-69-71=212T7 Gene Littler 73-68-72=213 +3 Eric Monti 74-67-72=213 Bob Rosburg 72-67-74=213T10 Bobby Brue 69-72-73=214 +4 Dow Finsterwald 72-71-71=214 Al Geiberger 71-70-73=214 Jack Nicklaus (a) 75-69-70=214 (a) denotes amateur Source:
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 for 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.
PlacePlayerScoreTo parMoney ($)1 Gene Littler 73-68-72-68=281 +1 14,000T2 Bob Goalby 70-72-69-71=282 +2 6,000 Doug Sanders 72-67-71-72=282T4 Jack Nicklaus (a) 75-69-70-70=284 +4 0 Mike Souchak 73-70-68-73=284 4,000T6 Dow Finsterwald 72-71-71-72=286 +6 2,616 Doug Ford 72-69-71-74=286 Eric Monti 74-67-72-73=286T9 Jacky Cupit 72-72-67-76=287 +7 1,750 Gardner Dickinson 72-69-71-75=287 Gary Player 75-72-69-71=287 (a) denotes amateur Source:
References
External links USGA Championship Database USOpen.com – 1961