1964 U.S. Open: Ordeal Ends In Win
The 1964 U.S. Open was the 64th time the tournament was played. The winner had to survive not only challenges from the field, but from the brutal weather — and doctors who advised him to quit.
Winner: Ken Venturi, 278
Where it was played: Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Maryland
Tournament dates: June 18-20, 1964
Leader after first round: Arnold Palmer, 68
Leader after second round: Tommy Jacobs, 136
Leader after third round: Tommy Jacobs, 206
What Happened at the 1964 U.S. Open
One year later, for the 1965 U.S. Open, the USGA changed the schedule of play for its marquee event: The tournament went to four days, 18 holes per day. The 1964 U.S. Open was the last played under the previous schedule: three days, 18 holes each of the first two days, 36 holes on the third and final day.The format in 1964 is especially relevant because of the circumstance the eventual winner, Ken Venturi, found himself in over those final 36 holes.
The leader entering the third round was Tommy Jacobs, who shot 64 — tying the U.S. Open record of that time — in the second round. Jacobs carded a third-round 70 and held a 2-stroke lead over Venturi going into the final round.
It was a very hot week in the Washington, D.C., suburbs at Congressional Country Club, and following his morning 18 — in which he fired a 66 — Venturi was showing signs of dehydration. He nearly collapsed on the 15th hole of the morning round, and walked and played slowly after that.
But Venturi did play, followed by doctors. He tried to keep cool in the near 100F-degree temperatures by using cold compresses and ice packs. And as he staggered (sometimes literally) around the course that afternoon, Venturi kept making shots. He wound up shooting 70 to Jacobs' 76, claiming a four-stroke victory. When his final putt dropped into the cup, Venturi raised his arms and said, "My God, I've won the Open."
Venturi's win was certainly a surprise. He hadn't won on the PGA Tour in four years, and hadn't even qualified for the U.S. Open the previous three years. It was also something of a vindication for Venturi, who at the 1956 Masters, as an amateur, took a 4-stroke lead into the final round only to shoot 80 and lose.
But at the 1964 U.S. Open, against the odds — and against doctor's advice — Venturi achieved victory in a major championship.
Raymond Floyd played the U.S. Open for the first time this year, finishing tied for 14th. He was Venturi's playing partner on the final day, over the last 36 holes.
1964 U.S. Open Final Scores
| Ken Venturi | 72-70-66-70—278 |
| Tommy Jacobs | 72-64-70-76—282 |
| Bob Charles | 72-72-71-68—283 |
| Billy Casper | 71-74-69-71—285 |
| Gay Brewer | 76-69-73-68—286 |
| Arnold Palmer | 68-69-75-74—286 |
| Bill Collins | 70-71-74-72—287 |
| Dow Finsterwald | 73-72-71-72—288 |
| Johnny Pott | 71-73-73-72—289 |
| Bob Rosburg | 73-73-70-73—289 |
| George Bayer | 75-73-72-71—291 |
| Don January | 75-73-74-69—291 |
| Gene Littler | 73-71-74-73—291 |
| Bruce Crampton | 72-71-75-74—292 |
| Terry Dill | 73-73-75-71—292 |
| Raymond Floyd | 73-70-72-77—292 |
| Ed Furgol | 72-74-72-74—292 |
| Al Geiberger | 74-70-75-73—292 |
| Bobby Nichols | 72-72-76-72—292 |
| Tony Lema | 71-72-75-75—293 |
| Lionel Hebert | 73-74-72-75—294 |
| Bill Ogden | 73-73-73-75—294 |
| Ted Makalena | 73-74-75-73—295 |
| Jack Nicklaus | 72-73-77-73—295 |
| Gary Player | 75-74-72-74—295 |
| Dudley Wysong | 74-73-75-73—295 |
| Charlie Sifford | 72-70-77-77—296 |
| Jacky Cupit | 75-71-75-76—297 |
| Don Fairfield | 75-72-74-76—297 |
| a-John Farquhar | 74-73-77-73—297 |
| Labron Harris Jr. | 72-76-74-75—297 |
| Tom Nieporte | 73-73-76-76—298 |
| Doug Sanders | 74-74-76-74—298 |
| Monte Bradley | 75-74-73-77—299 |
| a-Bill Campbell | 71-73-79-76—299 |
| Mason Rudolph | 76-73-74-76—299 |
| Paul Scodeller | 72-76-72-79—299 |
| Sam Snead | 77-72-75-75—299 |
| George Archer | 75-74-76-75—300 |
| Larry Beck | 77-73-75-75—300 |
| Paul Harney | 75-73-79-73—300 |
| Bob Panasiuk | 72-78-78-73—301 |
| Davis Love Jr. | 77-72-71-82—302 |
| David Boies | 73-72-83-75—303 |
| Bill Martindale | 72-76-80-75—303 |
| Dan Sikes | 77-73-76-77—303 |
| Rex Baxter | 76-73-76-80—305 |
| Skee Riegel | 80-70-82-74—306 |
| Ron Howell | 78-72-78-79—307 |
| a-Jerry Greenbaum | 75-74-80-79—308 |
| Chick Harbert | 76-74-80-78—308 |
| Jimmy Clark | 73-77-78-81—309 |
| Babe Hiskey | 78-72-78-83—311 |
| William Gabal | 76-73-83-80—312 |
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