Next week’s US Open at Shinnecock Hills is set to be the latest chapter in the USGA’s Jigsaw-like approach to course setup. Expect firm and fast conditions, with chunky rough and lightning-quick putting surfaces. The linksy setup is very exposed and wind should also play a major factor.
These fiendish, sadistic USGA setups are tailormade for the type of heartbreaking golfing meltdowns that we pretend to hate but secretly love. There’s just something uniquely rewarding about watching these multimillionaire golfers come undone on a 5-ft knee-wobbler (gee, I’m starting to sound like a member of the USGA). In the spirt of all things cataclysmic, here are my five picks for the biggest meltdowns in US Open history.
5. Sam Snead (1939, Philadelphia Country Club)- The hardest bunker to bunker
The Phil Mickelson of his era, Sam Snead could never quite get over the US Open finish line. He would go on to lose to Lew Worsham in an 18-hole playoff at the 1947 US Open. But nothing could compare to the heartbreak he experienced around Philadelphia Country Club. And all of it could have been avoided with a little bit of scoreboard information. Snead bogeyed the 17th and wrongly believed he needed to birdie the par-5 18th to secure the win (in reality, a par would have sufficed). He hooked his drive into the rough before topping a 2-wood flush into a bunker. He then went on a bunker-to-bunker odyssey before eventually three-putting for a soul-destroying triple-bogey eight. In his autobiography, Snead famously wrote, “that night, I was ready to go out with a gun and pay somebody to shoot me”.
4. T.C. Chen (1985, Oakland Hills)- The downfall of Two-Chip Chen
Long before Yang Yong-un conquered Hazeltine to become the first Asian-born man to win a major, Taiwanese journeyman pro T.C. Chen blew his chance to create history. Chen was a man possessed at the 1985 US Open, becoming the first man to record a double eagle in US Open history. He also tied the record low scores for the championship at both the 36-hole and 54-hole marks. Chen stretched his lead to four strokes early in the final round before absolute disaster struck on the par-4 5th. He hit his approach into the deep greenside rough, nabbing one of those juicy lies that the US Open is famed for. He then ‘double-hit’ the ball in his attempt to chip it, invoking a two-stroke penalty which led to a crippling quadruple bogey 8. The incident- which led to the wonderful two-chip moniker- would play a huge role in him falling one stroke short of champ Andy North.
3. Dustin Johnson (2015, Chambers Bay)- Three-Putt Calamity
I could have opted for DJ’s meltdown at the 2010 US Open at Pebble Beach, where he led by three strokes on Sunday before a triple-bogey on the 2nd and a double on the 3rd ruined his chances. But there was something more visceral about his closing catastrophe at Chambers Bay. DJ started the tournament in dominant fashion, shooting 65 on Thursday to take the early lead. He grinded well over the next three days, leaving himself a 12-ft eagle putt on the last for victory. He was overzealous with his first putt, slipping it four feet past the hole. He then pulled the comeback putt to the left, handing Jordan Spieth the title in one of the most cringe-inducing putting meltdowns in US Open history. DJ used this failure as fuel, going on to win the trophy at Oakmont just a year later. But I’m sure he gets cold sweats thinking about that putt from time to time (if he does much thinking at all).
2. Phil Mickelson & Colin Montgomerie (2006, Winged Foot)- Two for the price of one
Very rarely do you get two meltdowns of such intriguing significance in the same event. Phil Mickelson would be a Career Grand Slam champion had he simply managed to par the 72nd hole at Winged Foot. Mickelson, who had only hit two fairways all day, opted for driver off the tee at the difficult 18th. He sliced his drive so far left that it ended near a hospitality tent. He then compounded matters with a series of poor decisions, ultimately settling for a double bogey to hand Geoff Ogilvy the title. It was the worst in a series of agonizing US Open heartaches for Lefty. For Monty, it represented the darkest moment of his torrid relationship with major championship golf. He- like Mickelson- also needed a par to win the tournament on the 72nd. He striped his drive dead in the middle of the fairway, only to chunk his 7-iron into juicy, inhospitable rough. He also double-bogeyed, virtually signalling the end of his major chances.
1. Arnold Palmer (1966, Olympic Club)- The King without a Crown
Arnold Palmer, the man who brought golf to the masses, was never one to die wondering. Possessed by an effervescent attacking streak, the King always wanted to play front-foot golf. And on this occasion, it came back to bite him in a huge way. The 1960 US Open champion led playing partner Billy Casper by three shots going into the final round at Olympic Club. He then proceeded to extend his advantage, opening a seemingly insurmountable seven-shot lead with nine holes to play. Probably a good time to play a bit within yourself, right? Palmer had another date with destiny on his mind, so obsessively focused on breaking Ben Hogan’s scoring record of 276 that he couldn’t see the forest through the trees. He bogeyed five holes on the back nine when a more conservative approach would have seen him saunter to the title. Palmer and Casper would play a playoff the following day and Palmer would squander a two-stroke lead to lose by four. You must hand it to him; Palmer even elevated choking to a grander level, doing it twice in the space of two days.
