The 1973 U.S. Open was the 73rd U.S. Open, held June 14–17 at Oakmont Country Club in Oakmont, Pennsylvania, a suburb northeast of Pittsburgh. In one of the finest performances in tournament history, Johnny Miller fired a record, 8-under-par 63 in the final round to win his first major championship, one stroke ahead of runner-up John Schlee.

Jack Nicklaus, the winner at Oakmont eleven years earlier, was the favorite entering the championship. Daily admission on the weekend was ten dollars.

Course layout

Hole123456789Out101112131415161718InTotal
Yards4693434255493791953952444803,4794623716031853604532303224563,4426,921
Par444543435364453443443571

Source:

Lengths of the course for previous major championships:

Before 1962, the first hole was played as a par 5.

Round summaries

First round

Thursday, June 14, 1973

Underweight from recent surgeries, 1965 champion Gary Player shot 67 to lead by three strokes.

PlacePlayerScoreTo par
1South Africa Gary Player67−4
T2United States Lee Trevino70−1
United States Jim Colbert
United States Raymond Floyd
T5United States Jack Nicklaus71E
United States Johnny Miller
United States Arnold Palmer
United States Gene Littler
New Zealand Bob Charles
United States Ralph Johnston

Source:

Second round

Friday, June 15, 1973

Player shot 70 for 137 to lead by one at the midway point.

PlacePlayerScoreTo par
1South Africa Gary Player67-70=137−5
2United States Jim Colbert70-68=138−4
T3United States Jack Nicklaus71-69=140−2
United States Johnny Miller71-69=140
New Zealand Bob Charles71-69=140
T6United States Gene Borek77-65=142E
United States Julius Boros73-69=142
United States Tom Weiskopf73-69=142
United States Arnold Palmer71-71=142
United States Lee Trevino70-72=142

Source:

Third round

Saturday, June 16, 1973

PlacePlayerScoreTo par
T1United States Jerry Heard74-70-66=210−3
United States John Schlee73-70-67=210
United States Arnold Palmer71-71-68=210
United States Julius Boros73-69-68=210
5United States Tom Weiskopf73-69-69=211−2
T6United States Lee Trevino70-72-70=212−1
New Zealand Bob Charles71-69-72=212
United States Jim Colbert70-68-74=212
T9United States Jack Nicklaus71-69-74=214+1
South Africa Gary Player67-70-77=214

Source:

Final round

Sunday, June 17, 1973

Four players shared the 54-hole lead: Schlee, Jerry Heard, 1963 champion Julius Boros, and 1960 winner Arnold Palmer. After a 76 (+5) on Saturday, Miller started the final round six strokes back, in a four-way tie for 13th place at three strokes over par, and few gave him any chance of winning. Miller birdied the first four holes, but after a bogey at the eighth, it certainly did not appear like he was on the brink of the greatest round in U.S. Open history.

But he then birdied four of the next five holes, and after a par at 14 he was tied for the lead with Palmer, Boros, and Tom Weiskopf. At the 15th hole, Miller hit his approach to ten feet (3 m) and converted for birdie to take solo possession of the lead. After lipping out a twenty-foot (6 m) birdie putt at 18 (for a 62), Miller carded the first round of 63 in major championship history. Finishing over an hour ahead of the last pairing, Miller then waited to see if anyone would match him. Palmer fell out of contention with three consecutive bogeys to finish in a tie for fourth. Boros and Heard both shot 73 and finished in a tie for seventh. Despite John Schlee taking a double-bogey on the 1st hole of the final round by the time he got to the 18th tee, he was the only player left on the course with a chance to tie Miller. After finding the fairway, Schlee's second shot into 18 went just over the green and he was left having to hole a 45-foot chip for birdie. Schlee's chip to tie stopped a foot short and he finished 2nd alone at 4-under par 280.

In shooting 63, Miller hit all 18 greens in regulation and needed 29 putts. Ten of his approach shots wound up within 15 feet (4.6 m), while five were within 6 feet (1.8 m). His score was even more remarkable given that only three other players managed to even break 70 on the day.

PlacePlayerScoreTo parMoney ($)
1United States Johnny Miller71-69-76-63=279−535,000
2United States John Schlee73-70-67-70=280−418,000
3United States Tom Weiskopf73-69-69-70=281−313,000
T4United States Jack Nicklaus71-69-74-68=282−29,000
United States Arnold Palmer71-71-68-72=282
United States Lee Trevino70-72-70-70=282
T7United States Julius Boros73-69-68-73=283−16,000
United States Jerry Heard74-70-66-73=283
United States Lanny Wadkins74-69-75-65=283
10United States Jim Colbert70-68-74-72=284E4,000

Source:

Scorecard

Final round

Hole123456789101112131415161718
Par444543435445344344
United States Miller+2+1E−1−1−1−1E−1−1−2−3−4−4−5−5−5−5
United States Schlee−1−1−1−3−2−3−3−2−3−3−3−4−3−3−3−4−4−4
United States Weiskopf−2−3−3−3−3−3−3−3−4−3−3−3−3−2−2−3−3−3
United States Nicklaus+1EEEEEE+1EEEEEEE−1−2−2
United States Palmer−3−3−3−4−4−3−3−3−4−4−4−3−2−1−1−1−1−2
United States TrevinoE−1−1−2−2−2−2−2−3−3−3−3−3−3−3−3−2−2
United States Wadkins+5+4+4+2+2+3+3+3+1+1+1E−1−1−1−1−2−1

Cumulative tournament scores, relative to par

Eagle Birdie Bogey Double bogey

Source:

Miller's final round

Johnny Miller's 63: club selection and results - June 17, 1973

HoleYardsParClub selectionsScoreResultTo par
14694Driver, 3-iron to 5 feet3birdie−1
23434Driver, 9-iron to 1 foot3birdie−2
34254Driver, 5-iron to 25 feet3birdie−3
45495Driver, 3-wood, bunker shot to 6 inches4birdie−4
53794Driver, 6-iron to 25 feet, 2 putts4par−4
619533-iron to 25 feet, 2 putts3par−4
73954Driver, 9-iron to 6 feet, 2 putts4par−4
824434-wood to 30 feet, 3 putts4bogey−3
94805Driver, 2-iron to 40 feet, 2 putts4birdie−4
Out3,4793632−4
104624Driver, 5-iron to 25 feet, 2 putts4par−4
113714Driver, wedge to 14 feet3birdie−5
126035Driver, 7-iron, 4-iron to 15 feet4birdie−6
1318534-iron to 5 feet2birdie−7
143604Driver, wedge to 12 feet, 2 putts4par−7
154534Driver, 4-iron to 10 feet3birdie−8
1623032-iron to 45 feet, 2 putts3par−8
1732242-iron, wedge to 10 feet, 2 putts4par−8
184564Driver, 5-iron to 20 feet, 2 putts4par−8
In3,4423531−4
Total6,9217163−8

Source:

Video

  • - Miller on 72nd hole - USGA (ABC broadcast)

External links

  • – A Round for the Ages: Johnny Miller in 1973 U.S. Open