A glance at the five previous majors played at Winged Foot
MAMARONECK, N.Y. (AP) -- A capsule look at the previous five major championships held at Winged Foot: ------
1929 U.S. Open
Winner: Bobby Jones.
Runner-up: Al Espinoza.
Winning Score: 294 (Jones shot 141 in a 36-hole playoff to Espinoza's 164)
First-place check: $0 (Jones was an amateur).
Summary: Jones blew a three-shot lead in the final round and had two 7s on his card, but he holed a tricky 12-foot par putt on the 72nd hole to close with a 79 and get into a playoff with Espinoza, who shot 75. The playoff was 36 holes, and Espinoza had no chance. Jones shot 141 to win the playoff by 23 shots and collect his third U.S. Open title.
------1959 U.S. Open
Winner: Billy Casper.
Runner-up: Bob Rosburg.
Winning Score: 282.
First-place check: $12,000.
Summary: Casper won his first major championship by conquering the contoured greens of Winged Foot, one-putting the last four greens in the third round to build a three-shot lead over Ben Hogan, and finishing the week with 31 one-putt greens. Despite closing with a 74, he beat Rosburg by one shot. Hogan shot 76. Arnold Palmer and Sam Snead started the final round four shots behind but could not make up any ground.
------1974 U.S. Open
Winner: Hale Irwin.
Runner-up: Forrest Fezler.
Winning Score: 287.
First-place check: $35,000.
Summary: A year after Johnny Miller closed with 63 to win at Oakmont, it appeared the USGA was out for revenge. The greens were firm and fast, the rough was deep and par felt like birdie. The result was what became known as the "Massacre at Winged Foot," with Irwin winning at 7 over par. Tom Watson had a one-shot lead going into the final round but shot 79. It was at Winged Foot in '74 when Sandy Tatum, in charge of setting up the course for the USGA, delivered what has become a mantra for the U.S. Open: "We're not trying to humiliate the best players in the world," he said. "We're simply trying to identify who they are."
------1984 U.S. Open
Winner: Fuzzy Zoeller.
Runner-up: Greg Norman.
Winning Score: 276 (Zoeller shot 67 in the 18-hole playoff to Norman's 75).
First-place check: $94,000.
Summary: Instead of a massacre, this U.S. Open is remembered more for a white towel. Norman erased a three-shot deficit on the back nine and saved par on the 18th hole with a 40-foot breaking putt. Zoeller was watching from the fairway, thought the putt was for birdie and waved a white towel. Zoeller made par to force a playoff, then buried the Shark the next day with a 67, winning by eight. Walking up the 18th together, it was Norman waving a white towel. It was the second major for Zoeller, and the first leg of the "Grand Slam Playoff" for Norman, the only player to lose all four majors in a playoff.
------1997 PGA Championship
Winner: Davis Love III.
Runner-up: Justin Leonard.
Winning Score: 269.
First-place check: $470,000.
Summary: In a year in which Tiger Woods won the Masters by 12, many believe Love's performance at Winged Foot was the best in a major for 1997. He had the lowest score on a demanding golf course, closing with 66-66 on the weekend for a five-shot victory over Leonard. As Love made a 12-foot birdie putt on the final hole, a spectacular rainbow emerged over Winged Foot. It was a poignant end to this PGA Championship. Love's father, a PGA professional, was killed in a plane crash nine years earlier.
Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.