This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Oakmont, Pa.
Tony Finau walked toward Oakmont Country Club's No. 1 tee Monday afternoon, eager to launch an 18-hole practice round and take his first look at the difficult course that Johnny Miller once mastered.
"I want to see the whole thing," Finau said.
When they reached the middle of the course, Boyd Summerhays stood in awe of the 63 that Miller shot in the final round of the 1973 U.S. Open. "Just seeing the first few holes … just incredible," said Summerhays, who coaches two contestants in this week's tournament — his younger brother, Daniel, and Finau.
In 2000, Golf Magazine ranked Miller's 63 in '73 as the round of the century, and nothing has happened since then to alter its status. The history-making clubs that once were displayed in the Thanksgiving Point clubhouse now reside in the World Golf Hall of Fame in Florida, but Utah natives such as Finau and the Summerhays brothers will always feel a connection to Oakmont's history — thanks to Miller, a former BYU golfer and part-time Heber Valley resident.
Finau, a Lehi resident, and Daniel Summerhays, of Fruit Heights, made the field as alternates from sectional qualifying. Their presence makes the 2016 U.S. Open even more meaningful to Utahns. This is the 50th anniversary of the late Billy Casper's victory in San Francisco, and the return to Oakmont evokes memories of Miller's stunning performance.
On this stage, with everything that winning the U.S. Open means in golf, Miller's 63 is the greatest one-day achievement for any athlete from a Utah school. Steve Young's six touchdown passes and MVP showing in the Super Bowl come close, but he merely faced the San Diego Chargers. Miller took on Oakmont, with all of its defenses.
Walking the first four holes brings it all to life, how Miller opened with four birdies and charged toward the lead, overtaking the likes of Arnold Palmer, Tom Weiskopf, Lee Trevino and Jack Nicklaus by making nine birdies and one bogey. A couple of dozen other golfers have shot 63s in major tournaments since Miller, but none of them did it in a winning effort on a Sunday — and certainly not at Oakmont, in the three U.S. Opens played here since then.
Just watch how many rounds in the 60s are posted this week, on what's now a par-70 course. This might be the one venue the United States Golf Association never has to worry about toughening very much. Historically speaking, Miller benefits from Oakmont's reputation, so he happily plays along in labeling it "the most difficult test of golf in America." It's true, though.
"The course is a killer from the get-go," Miller wrote in "I Call the Shots," his 2004 book. "It's always at its toughest for the U.S. Open, not only because of the way the USGA prepares it, but because of the influence of its membership. They demand that the course play even more difficult for the pros than it does for them, and that means tough."
Some mystical — and mythological elements — came into play that day. "As I stood on the practice tee warming up Sunday, a little voice in my head told me to fan my left foot open toward the target," Miller wrote. "I'd never tried it before, but I decided to try it. It led to one of my best ball-striking rounds ever; I missed a bunch of putts and still shot 63. From then on, I trusted my intuition and my heart."
Myths that have been addressed over the past four decades involve how rain early in the week softened the course, and there are suggestions that sprinklers accidentally came on the night before the final round. None of that would explain how only two other golfers shot in the 60s on Sunday, of course, or how none of those legendary golfers who started the day ahead of him could come remotely close to matching Miller's score.
And nobody will this week, either.
Twitter: @tribkurt —
U.S. Open
Thursday-Sunday
At Oakmont, Pa.
TV • FS1, Fox