1976 U.S. Open (golf)

1976 U.S. Open
Tournament information
Dates	June 17–20, 1976
Location	Duluth, Georgia
Course(s)	Atlanta Athletic Club, Highlands Course
Organized by	USGA
Tour(s)	PGA Tour
Statistics
Par	70
Length	7,015 yards (6,415 m)^[1]
Field	150, 66 after cut
Cut	151 (+11)
Prize fund	$253,000^[2]
Winner's share	$42,000
Champion
Jerry Pate
277 (−3)
«1975 1977»

Atlanta AC

Location in the United States

The 1976 U.S. Open was the 76th U.S. Open, held June 17–20 at the Highlands Course of the Atlanta Athletic Club in Duluth, Georgia, a suburb northeast of Atlanta. Tour rookie Jerry Pate won his only major championship, two strokes ahead of runners-up Al Geiberger and Tom Weiskopf.^[3]^[4]^[5]

John Mahaffey, who lost the U.S. Open in a playoff the year before, took the lead with a 68 in the second round. He followed that up with a 69 in the third round on Saturday for a two-stroke lead over Jerry Pate after 54 holes, with Geiberger three back and Weiskopf four back.^[6] The gap was still two strokes after fourteen holes, but Pate hit a one-iron close and birdied the par-3 15th;^[7] and when Mahaffey bogeyed 16, the two were tied. Mahaffey three-putted for bogey on 17 and Pate took a one-stroke lead as Mahaffey fell into a tie for second with Geiberger and Weiskopf, both in the clubhouse with 279. Pate found the rough off the 18th tee, but then hit one of the most memorable shots in U.S. Open history. His 5-iron approach from 191 yards (175 m) stopped 3 feet (1 m) from the hole, and he made the birdie putt for a two-stroke victory. Mahaffey needed a birdie to tie Pate, but found the water on his approach for another bogey and dropped into a tie for fourth, three shots back.^[4]^[8]

The U.S. Amateur champion two years earlier in 1974, Pate was only 22 in 1976 and appeared to have a bright future ahead of him, but shoulder injuries significantly shortened his career. He won seven more PGA Tour tournaments, the last in 1982, and finished runner-up in two additional majors in the late 1970s.

Future champion Fuzzy Zoeller made his major championship debut at this U.S. Open and finished in 38th place. Mike Reid, a 21-year-old amateur, led by three shots after the first round but a second-round 81 dashed any hope of an amateur champion. He shared low-amateur honors with John Fought at 300 (+20).

This was the first of four majors held at the Highlands Course; it hosted the PGA Championship in 1981, 2001, and 2011.

This was the first year that players were allowed to have their own caddies at the U.S. Open.^[9]^[10] The other majors and some PGA Tour events had traditionally disallowed players from using their own caddies.^[11]^[12]^[13] The Masters required club caddies from Augusta National through 1982.^[14]^[15]^[16]

Course layout

Atlanta Athletic Club, Highlands Course

Hole	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Out	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	In	Total
Yards	455	450	460	205	540	440	175	420	415	3,560	370	480	510	390	415	215	410	205	460	3,455	7,015
Par	4	4	4	3	5	4	3	4	4	35	4	4	5	4	4	3	4	3	4	35	70

Source:^[1]

Past champions in the field

Made the cut

Player	Country	Year(s) won	R1	R2	R3	R4	Total	To par	Finish
Johnny Miller	United States	1973	74	72	69	71	286	+6	10
Jack Nicklaus	United States	1962, 1967, 1972	74	70	75	68	287	+7	T11
Gary Player	South Africa	1965	72	77	73	70	292	+12	T23
Hale Irwin	United States	1974	75	72	75	71	293	+13	T26
Lou Graham	United States	1975	75	74	72	73	294	+14	T28
Gene Littler	United States	1961	76	75	71	78	300	+20	T50
Arnold Palmer	United States	1960	75	75	75	75	300	+20	T50

Missed the cut

Player	Country	Years won	R1	R2	Total	To par
Billy Casper	United States	1959, 1966	81	77	158	+18

Source:^[5]^[17]

Round summaries

First round

Thursday, June 17, 1976

Amateur Mike Reid, age 21, grabbed the first round lead with a three-under 67, while the rest of the field posted no better than par. Several professionals voiced their concerns over the playing conditions of the course.^[3]^[18]^[19]

Place	Player	Country	Score	To par
1	Mike Reid (a)	United States	67	−3
T2	Raymond Floyd	United States	70	E
	Rod Funseth	United States
	Al Geiberger	United States
	John Mahaffey	United States
	Rik Massengale	United States
T7	Butch Baird	United States	71	+1
	Terry Diehl	United States
	Don January	United States
	Lyn Lott	United States
	Mike Morley	United States
	Jerry Pate	United States

Source:^[20]

Second round

Friday, June 18, 1976

John Mahaffey shot a 68 and grabbed the lead, while amateur Reid fell into a tie for 32nd place with an 81.^[21]^[22]

Place	Player	Country	Score	To par
1	John Mahaffey	United States	70-68=138	−2
2	Al Geiberger	United States	70-69=139	−1
T3	Ben Crenshaw	United States	72-68=140	E
	Rod Funseth	United States	70-70=140
	Jerry Pate	United States	71-69=140
T6	Butch Baird	United States	71-71=142	+2
	Hubert Green	United States	72-70=142
	Lyn Lott	United States	71-71=142
	Mike Morley	United States	71-71=142
	J. C. Snead	United States	73-69=142

Source:^[21]

Third round

Saturday, June 19, 1976

Mahaffey kept the lead with a 69, two strokes ahead of Pate, with Al Geiberger and Tom Weiskopf in third and fourth place.^[23]

Place	Player	Country	Score	To par
1	John Mahaffey	United States	70-68-69=207	−3
2	Jerry Pate	United States	71-69-69=209	−1
3	Al Geiberger	United States	70-69-71=210	E
4	Tom Weiskopf	United States	73-70-68=211	+1
T5	Ben Crenshaw	United States	72-68-72=212	+2
	Rod Funseth	United States	70-70-72=212
	Lyn Lott	United States	71-71-70=212
	Mike Morley	United States	71-71-70=212
T9	Butch Baird	United States	71-71-71=213	+3
	Hubert Green	United States	72-70-71=213
	J. C. Snead	United States	73-69-71=213

Source:^[23]

Final round

Sunday, June 20, 1976

Place	Player	Country	Score	To par	Money ($)
1	Jerry Pate	United States	71-69-69-68=277	−3	42,000
T2	Al Geiberger	United States	70-69-71-69=279	−1	18,000
T2	Tom Weiskopf	United States	73-70-68-68=279	−1	18,000
T4	Butch Baird	United States	71-71-71-67=280	E	11,250
T4	John Mahaffey	United States	70-68-69-73=280	E	11,250
6	Hubert Green	United States	72-70-71-69=282	+2	9,500
7	Tom Watson	United States	74-72-68-70=284	+4	8,500
T8	Ben Crenshaw	United States	72-68-72-73=285	+5	7,000
T8	Lyn Lott	United States	71-71-70-73=285	+5	7,000
10	Johnny Miller	United States	74-72-69-71=286	+6	5,500

Source:^[5]^[17]

References

1 2 "76th U.S. Open: course". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. June 17, 1976. p. 14.
↑ "U.S. Open history: 1976". USGA. Retrieved July 24, 2012.
1 2 Jenkins, Dan (June 28, 1976). "You were great, Jerry Pate". Sports Illustrated. p. 18.
1 2 Parascenzo, Marino (June 21, 1976). "Tour rookie Pate charges to victory". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 13.
1 2 3 "Pate decides 'to go for it,' charges to victory in Open". Eugene Register-Guard. Associated Press. June 21, 1976. p. 2B.
↑ Warters, Jim (June 20, 1976). "Mahaffey manages 2-shot lead". Palm Beach Post. p. E1.
↑ Thomson, Ian (August 11, 2011). "Jerry Pate has a fond recollection of his 1976 U.S. Open victory at site of this week's PGA". Birmingham News. Retrieved April 14, 2014.
↑ Warters, Jim (June 21, 1976). "Rookie Pate captures U.S. Open". Palm Beach Post. p. D1.
↑ "Open golfers to pick own caddies in 1976". Toledo Blade. Associated Press. November 15, 1975. p. 17.
↑ "Break for some". Rome News-Tribune (Rome, Georgia). Associated Press. January 18, 1976. p. 3B.
↑ Loomis, Tom (April 6, 1973). "Chi Chi prefers own caddy". Toledo Blade. Associated Press. p. 30.
↑ "Westchester winner may bypass events". Victoria Advocate (Victoria, Texas). Associated Press. August 26, 1974. p. 1B.
↑ "Touring golf pros prefer their own caddies". Reading Eagle. Associated Press. May 5, 1974. p. 76.
↑ "Tour caddies at Augusta?". Times-News (Hendersonville, North Carolina). November 12, 1982. p. 14.
↑ Wade, Harless (April 6, 1983). "Tradition bagged at Masters". Spokane Chronicle. p. C1.
↑ Anderson, Dave (April 10, 1983). "New Masters caddies collide". Sunday Star-News (Wilmington, North Carolina). p. 6D.
1 2 "1976 U.S. Open". databasegolf.com. Retrieved July 25, 2012.
↑ "Amateur grabs lead while pros air gripes". Eugene Register-Guard. Associated Press. June 18, 1976. p. 2D.
↑ "Mike Reid tops Open". Spokesman-Review. Associated Press. June 18, 1976. p. 25.
↑ "A surprising pacesetter". Eugene Register-Guard. Associated Press. June 18, 1976. p. 2D.
1 2 "'Chicken' Mahaffey turns tiger in Open". Eugene Register-Guard. Associated Press. June 19, 1976. p. 1B.
↑ "Reid falls from U.S. Open pace". Deseret News. Associated Press. June 19, 1976. p. 1D.
1 2 "Mahaffey up by two after battling darkness". Eugene Register-Guard. Associated Press. June 20, 1976. p. 1B.

External links

Preceded by 1976 Masters	Major Championships	Succeeded by 1976 Open Championship

1976 Men's Major Golf Championships

The Masters U.S. Open The Open Championship PGA Championship

U.S. Open Championships

1895 1896 1897 1898 1899

1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909

1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919

1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929

1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939

1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949

1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959

1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969

1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979

1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989

1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

Coordinates: 34°00′14″N 84°11′35″W / 34.004°N 84.193°W / 34.004; -84.193

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Wednesday, June 03, 2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.