OB Sports Golf & Leisure

SPRING 2017

Golf sports and leisure

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OB SPORTS GOLF & LEISURE x SPRING 2017 x obsports.com l THE PROS fi Open setup. Erin Hills in 2017 will be a different kind of U.S. Open test, but no less challenging. Third, the U.S. Open is living, breathing golf history. First contested in 1895, it is the oldest tour- nament in North America. If tradition's your thing, just look at the first-ballot Hall of Famers on the trophy: Harry Vardon, Bobby Jones, Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nick- laus, Tom Watson, Tiger Woods. Among 20th century legends, only Sam Snead and Phil Mickelson are ab- sent from the list. And finally – and cer- tainly not least – the U.S. Open has been scheduled to finish on Father's Day every year since 1965, providing an unforgettable annual bonding expe- rience for dads, sons and daughters. Celebrating dads and making lasting memories are what Father's Day is all about. The U.S. Open has seldom dis- appointed on either count. Jack Nick- laus, Arnold Palmer and Tiger Woods all had fathers who were incredibly in- fluential in their golf careers and U.S. Open wins. I treasure every Father's Day mem- ory of watching Nicklaus, Palmer and Woods with my dad. Sometimes we couldn't be together, such as when I was attending the tournament, but I al- ways made a point of bringing back a U.S. Open souvenir. The one he liked best was the personalized cap em- bossed with the stitching that said: "Eddie Number 1 Dad." Another reason I elevate the U.S. Open is because it was the first major to broadcast all 18 holes. That let the viewing drama build as it should, with ebbs and flows, ecstasy and heartbreak. Sometimes it happened early in a round, as it did in 1985 at rainy Oak- land Hills, when leader T.C. Chen from Taiwan double-hit his escape effort from gnarly, wet rough at the par-4 fifth hole. Penalized one stroke for the double-hit, Chen made 8. He would lose to Andy North by one shot. His mournful assessment of what hap- pened: "I make double-par." Flip it to 1992, when Tom Kite was battling gale-force gusts at Pebble Beach. At the tiny, downhill 107-yard par-3 seventh on the final day, some players were hitting 6-irons. Kite's ef- fort missed the green, but his chip clanked against the wind-whipped flagstick and dropped into the cup for a birdie 2. Dad was glued to the TV set; I was steps away in person. Kite would win by two. In fact, if you needed to confine U.S. Open excitement simply to Pebble Beach alone, you'd have all you re- quired. I was too young to witness Jack Nicklaus slapping a 1-iron into the The U.S. Open has been scheduled to finish on Father's Day every year since 1965. << the championship comes to erin hills this year for the first time. USGA/John Mummert

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