1960 U.S. Open Golf Tournament Winner and Scores
The 1960 U.S. Open was the 60th time the tournament was played, and it boasted an all-time great comeback. Arnold Palmer came from seven strokes off the lead at the start of the final round to win.
Winner: Arnold Palmer, 280
Where it was played: Cherry Hills Country Club in Cherry Hills Village, Colorado
Tournament dates: June 16-18, 1960
Leader after first round: Mike Souchak, 68
Leader after second round: Mike Souchak, 135
Leader after third round: Mike Souchak, 208
What Happened at the 1960 U.S. Open
What is one of the most famous come-from-behind wins in golf history happened at the 1960 U.S. Open, and Arnold Palmer is the golfer who pulled it off. The leader after three rounds of play at Cherry Hills Country Club was Mike Souchak. In fact, Souchak had led wire-to-wire for the first three rounds. And Souchak was seven strokes ahead of Palmer at the start of the final round. Palmer was so far back he wasn't even considered among the contenders, who included Julius Boros and Dow Finsterwald, Ben Hogan and a 20-year-old amateur named Jack Nicklaus.Nicklaus, in fact, took the lead about midway through the final round. Hogan, playing with Nicklaus, said afterward that Nicklaus should have won. But the Golden Bear was still just a cub, and he 3-putted the 13th and 14th holes. Nicklaus wound up second, the best finish by an amateur since Johnny Goodman won the 1933 U.S. Open. Nicklaus' 282 total set a U.S. Open record (since broken) for low score by an amateur.
Hogan kept himself in the mix most of the final round, too. He hit every green through the 16th hole (in total, over the final two rounds, Hogan hit 34 consecutive greens), but just couldn't make any putts. Then he found water on the last two holes, and fell back to a tie for ninth. Hogan could have tied Palmer at 280 with pars on the 71st and 72nd holes, but played them in 4-over.
But the story of the day was Palmer. Souchak struggled to a 75 and wound up tied for third, but Palmer immediately charged, driving the 346-yard first hole and making birdie. Birdies followed on the second, third and fourth holes, and more later as Palmer fashioned a front-nine 30. Unlike Hogan, Palmer didn't make a mess of the final two holes, parring both to record a 65 and post 280. Starting the last round seven strokes behind, Palmer wound up winning by two over Nicklaus.
Palmer's feat remains the best final-round comeback by a winner in tournament history. His victory in the 1960 U.S. Open wound up being Palmer's only win in this tournament, although he came close many more times. After this, Palmer recorded four second-place finishes in the tournament (which was a tournament record until surpassed by Phil Mickelson), including three losses in U.S. Open playoffs.
Palmer had earlier won the 1960 Masters, and with the first two legs of the Grand Slam in his possession, he traveled to the U.K. to play the 1960 British Open — something that was unusual, at the time, for American golfers. Palmer finished second in that Open Championship. But his decision to play and his explanation of wanting to win the Grand Slam cemented in the golfing world the idea of the modern Grand Slam as the four professional majors.
Lloyd Mangrum, winner of the 1946 U.S. Open, played this tournament for the final time. He made the cut and tied for 23rd place. Two-time U.S. Open champ Cary Middlecoff tied for 43rd place, the last time he made the cut in a U.S. Open.
1960 U.S. Open Final Scores
| Arnold Palmer | 72-71-72-65—280 |
| a-Jack Nicklaus | 71-71-69-71—282 |
| Julius Boros | 73-69-68-73—283 |
| Dow Finsterwald | 71-69-70-73—283 |
| Jack Fleck | 70-70-72-71—283 |
| Dutch Harrison | 74-70-70-69—283 |
| Ted Kroll | 72-69-75-67—283 |
| Mike Souchak | 68-67-73-75—283 |
| Jerry Barber | 69-71-70-74—284 |
| a-Don Cherry | 70-71-71-72—284 |
| Ben Hogan | 75-67-69-73—284 |
| George Bayer | 72-72-73-69—286 |
| Billy Casper | 71-70-73-72—286 |
| Paul Harney | 73-70-72-71—286 |
| Bob Harris | 73-71-71-72—287 |
| Johnny Pott | 75-68-69-75—287 |
| Dave Marr | 72-73-70-73—288 |
| Donald Whitt | 75-69-72-72—288 |
| Jackson Bradley | 73-73-69-74—289 |
| Bob Goalby | 73-70-72-74—289 |
| Gary Player | 70-72-71-76—289 |
| Sam Snead | 72-69-73-75—289 |
| Al Feminelli | 75-71-71-73—290 |
| Lloyd Mangrum | 72-73-71-74—290 |
| Bob Rosburg | 72-75-71-72—290 |
| Ken Venturi | 71-73-74-72—290 |
| Claude Harmon Sr. | 73-73-75-70—291 |
| Lionel Hebert | 73-72-71-75—291 |
| Robert Shave Jr. | 72-71-71-77—291 |
| Richard Stranahan | 70-73-73-75—291 |
| Chick Harbert | 72-74-69-77—292 |
| Harold Kneece | 76-71-71-74—292 |
| Rex Baxter | 79-67-76-71—293 |
| Frank Boynton | 73-72-75-73—293 |
| Dave Douglas | 75-71-76-71—293 |
| Doug Ford | 73-72-70-78—293 |
| Huston Laclair | 70-74-76-73—293 |
| Bruce Crampton | 70-71-75-78—294 |
| Stan Dudas | 71-74-73-76—294 |
| Al Mengert | 75-71-74-74—294 |
| David Ragan | 71-72-78-73—294 |
| Bill Johnston | 73-74-73-75—295 |
| Cary Middlecoff | 77-70-72-77—296 |
| Henry Ransom | 69-76-73-78—296 |
| Art Wall | 72-73-78-73—296 |
| Doug Sanders | 70-68-77-82—297 |
| Charlie Sifford | 74-70-77-76—297 |
| Jim Turnesa | 76-71-72-78—297 |
| Walter Burkemo | 74-72-72-80—298 |
| Howie Johnson | 72-75-74-77—298 |
| Sam Penecale | 73-73-77-75—298 |
| Frank Stranahan | 72-73-74-79—298 |
| Bob Verwey | 75-72-79-75—301 |
| Robert Watson | 72-73-73-84—302 |
| Bob Goetz | 73-74-74-85—306 |
Previous and next:
1959 U.S. Open - 1961 U.S. Open
