New York has produced memorable U.S. Open moments

From Corey Pavin at Shinnecock to Jack Nicklaus at Baltusrol to Phil Mickelson at Winged Foot, the New York area has been the scene of a pantheon of U.S. Open highlights and lowlights.

By Brian Wacker, PGATOUR.COM Site Producer

New York. Is there anything that ain’t happened here?

Well, the Space Shuttle ain’t never landed there, though the Big Apple did give astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins a ticker-tape-parade. Bobby Jones got one, too, after winnin’ the 1926 British and U.S. Opens. The Yankees, had, I dunno know, 26 of ‘em? 

The latter was just one of many memorable moments involving golf ‘n Gotham -- though oddly enough, the greater New York City area ain’t never produced a major championship winner. Pfft, there have been some pretty unfuhgettable moments (and the best pizza you’ll ever have) to come out of the greatest city in the world, none more so than at the U.S. Open.

The most recent of those came at The Foot (Winged Foot to the rest of ya) in 2006 when my man Philly Mick famously said, “I am such an idiot,” after givin’ away the title with a infamous double bogey on the 72nd hole.

There wasn’t any such drawma the first and last time the U.S. Open went to The Black (Bethpage Black to the rest of ya). Another major, ‘nother victory for Tigah! Seriously, Al from White Plains and Mikey from Montclair could hardly contain themselves at The People’s Open. They didn’t even hafta sleep in their cars to get a spot near the first tee.

How ‘bout that 4-wood from the Little Bulldog, Corey Pavin, at Shinnecock in ’95?

Jack Nicklaus won his fourth and final U.S. Open across the River (Jersey to the rest of ya) at the 1980 Open at Baltusrol.

‘Member Forest Fezler? Yea, me neither so we’ll skip Hale Irwin’s ‘74 victree at Winged Foot in Mamaronek, N.Y. Say it wit’ me -- Muh-mare-uh-neck. New York’s almost as famous for its names a towns that outta-towners can’t pronounce as it is its golf (and its pizza, baby).

There were other great moments in U.S. Open hisstree in ‘n round New York -- Jack over Arnie in ’67; Bobby Jones winnin’ a playoff in ’29 for the first of two straight U.S. Opens; Jones winnin’ a playoff in ’23; and, of course, James Foulis holding off Horace Rawlins in 1896 in the second U.S. Open and first in the area.

See, New Yorkas know their golf ‘n love it, too. That’s why they love playin’ courses like Van Courtlandt Park in ‘da Bronx and why architects like Donald Ross, Walter Travis, A.W. Tillinghast Robert Jones Sr., William H. Tucker and Devereaux Emmet all built courses all over New York and why the USGA has held a buncha U.S. Amateurs here.

It’s why there's Chelsea Piers. Where else you gunna find a 30-acre sports complex smack in the middle of a city with a three-tiered driving range that’ll get ya for 50 bucks for 200 balls? Kapeesh?

Speakin’ of the greatest city (and pizza) in the world, how ‘bout the greatest Mayor in the world and the greatest Fire Department in the world, the FDNY. New York, yea it got punched in the gut on 9/11, but it rallied ‘round Rudi (Rudi Giuliani to the rest of ya) and the boys at the fire department created the “world’s largest golf tournament.” It’s so big, they now go down to Myrtle Beach, S.C., with firefighters comin’ in from all over the country.

And we can’t fuhgetabout Dave or The Donald when talkin’ ‘bout New York (David Letterman and Donald Trump to the rest of ya).

No Tigah! yet, but Ben Curtis, Geoff Ogilvy and Trevor Immelman all made appearances on Dave. ‘Member when Curtis hit that shot off the roof of Dave’s show? Man, that was sumthin’. And Trump’s golf courses, not only do you gotta be rich to play ‘em, you, well, you gotta be really rich.

That’s the beauty of The Black (Bethpage Black to the rest of ya). Anybody can play a U.S. Open course. Like I was sayin’, is there anything that ain’t happened here?