A look back: U.S. Open wins by Champions Tour players

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Jun. 16, 2009
By Sara Young, Special to PGATOUR.COM

From the Massacre at Winged Foot to Tom Watson's miraculous chip-in on the 17th hole at Pebble Beach in 1982, current Champions Tour players have earned some of the most memorable wins in U.S. Open history. Take a look at how a dozen players now older than 50 secured their U.S. Open wins.

Player	Year	Location	Comment
Raymond Floyd	1986	Shinnecock Hills Golf Club	He came from behind with a 66 on Sunday to win at age 43. He's now a member of the club.
Hubert Green	1977	Southern Hills Country Club	This victory was the first major win of Green's career. He defeated Lou Graham by one stroke despite the knowledge of a death threat.
Hale Irwin	1974	Winged Foot Golf Club, West Course	Says the 2-iron he hit at the last hole to win was his all-time favorite shot. Only seven players were below par that year, giving the title the "The Massacre at Winged Foot."
	1979	Inverness Club	Led by three strokes after 54 holes, then finished the tournament with an even-par 284 to beat Gary Player and Jerry Pate by two strokes.
	1990	Medinah Country Club, Course No. 3	Irwin sank a 45-foot putt to force a 19-hole playoff in which he eventually defeated Mike Donald with a 10-foot birdie putt. This win made him the oldest to ever win a U.S. Open at the age of 45.
Tom Kite	1992	Pebble Beach Golf Links	His even-par 72 in difficult playing conditions gave him a two-stroke victory over Jeff Sluman. The win came after his painful loss at the 1989 U.S. Open, where he lost the lead with a triple bogey in the final round.
Larry Nelson	1983	Oakmont Country Club	Began the last round of the 1983 U.S. Open trailing Seve Ballesteros and Tom Watson by one stroke. Fired a final-round 67 for a one-stroke win over Tom Watson.
Jerry Pate	1976	Atlanta Athletic Club, Highlands Course	Won the U.S. Open in his 1976 rookie season, sealing the win by sticking a 5-iron approach shot to two feet for a two-stroke victory.
Gary Player	1965	Bellerive Country Club	This U.S. Open win completed his career Grand Slam at the age of 29. It was the only U.S. Open win of his career.
Scott Simpson	1987	Olympic Club, Lake Course	Trailed Tom Watson by one stroke heading into the final round, but finished with three birdies on the back nine, giving him the one-stroke victory.
Curtis Strange	1988	The Country Club	Defeated Nick Faldo in an 18-hole playoff for his first U.S. Open victory.
	1989	Oak Hill Country Club, East Course	Became the first player to successfully defend a U.S. Open title since Ben Hogan (1950-1951) with a one-stroke victory over Chip Beck, Mark McCumber, and Ian Woosnam.
Lee Trevino	1968	Oak Hill Country Club, East Course	The 1968 U.S. Open marked his first PGA TOUR win. He was also the first player in U.S. Open history to play all four rounds in the 60s.
	1971	Merion Golf Club, East Course	Won his second Open by defeating Jack Nicklaus in an 18-hole playoff.
Tom Watson	1982	Pebble Beach Golf Links	With his win over Jack Nicklaus, Watson became one of six players to win the U.S. Open and British Open in the same year. His chip-in on the 17th hole is remembered as one of the greatest shots in history.
Fuzzy Zoeller	1984	Winged Foot Golf Club, West Course	He captured the title by slipping past Greg Norman in an 18-hole playoff for one of his two major wins.