1982 U.S. Open Golf Championship
Encyclopedia
The 1982 United States Open Championship was the 82nd U.S. Open
held from June 17-20, and was just the second U.S. Open (and third professional major) to be played at Pebble Beach Golf Links
. Previously, Jack Nicklaus
had won the 1972 U.S. Open
and Lanny Wadkins
had won the 1977 PGA Championship
.
The 1982 tournament was won by Tom Watson
by two strokes over Jack Nicklaus
. It was Watson's only U.S. Open Championship, but it was his sixth of an eventual eight professional majors. Watson is one of only a few golfers to have won two professional majors in a single season; the 1982 U.S. Open was the first of two for Watson that year (he also won the 1982 Open Championship
). The win earned Watson top prize money of $60,000.
entered the 1982 U.S. Open as one of the favorites and as the number 1 golfer in the world. A steady performer, Watson had 6 top 10 finishes in his previous 8 U.S. Opens, but had never finished closer than 3 strokes from the leader.
Watson did not get off to a fast start in 1982. His even par 72 opening round was nearly much worse; he was +3 through 14 holes when he began to catch fire, scoring three birdies on the final four holes. On a tough scoring day at Pebble Beach, the 72 put him just two back of first round leaders Bruce Devlin
and Bill Rogers
. Rogers was the defending British Open
champion and was coming off the best year of his career. Jack Nicklaus
opened with a disappointing 74. Nicklaus, though in the declining phase of his career, was considered a strong contender as well: he was a winner (at the time) of 17 professional majors including both the 1980 U.S. Open Golf Championship
(where Watson had his best previous U.S. Open finish, third place) and the 1972 U.S. Open Golf Championship
(the last U.S. Open held at Pebble Beach). Nicklaus had also finished one shot off the pace at the 1977 PGA Championship
, the last professional major held at Pebble, a course he considered perhaps his favorite in the world.
In the second round, Devlin surged into the lead with a brilliant 3-under 69. Devlin too was in the declining phase of his career. Devlin had 17 wins worldwide by that time, and had 15 top tens in majors to his credit. His last major top 10, however, had been in 1973, and at 44 years of age, a win would have made him (at that time) the oldest winner of the U.S. Open. Larry Rinker also surged into contention with a blistering 5-under 67, putting him two back of Devlin. Rogers lost a little ground with a second round 73.
Watson, meanwhile, was grinding. As he later said of his second round, "I shot a 77 and scored a 72." A master of the short game, Watson made several saves from the thick U.S. Open rough thanks to his skill chipping and putting. He saved bogey twice from greater than 20 feet, and birdied the difficult 17th and 18th for the second straight round.
Watson's Open turned around for him on the weekend, which he attributed to minor swing adjustments before the third round. On a day that saw a number of sub-70 rounds (including a 67 by 1977 PGA Champion
Lanny Wadkins
, also played at Pebble Beach), Watson was the best of the leaders, firing a 4-under 68. The score was enough to give him a share of the third round lead with Bill Rogers, who returned to contention with a 69. Devlin, meanwhile, slipped with a 75 and would not be a factor on Sunday after the first few holes.
The tournament at that point essentially became a three-way battle between Nicklaus, Rogers, and Watson. Rogers and Watson were paired together three groups behind Nicklaus. Watson missed a short birdie putt at 7, and Rogers played steadily early. Rogers lost the lead with a three-putt bogey at nine and also bogeyed the tenth.
The tenth was a pivotal hole for Watson as well. Watson pushed his approach shot badly, nearly sending it over the cliff into Carmel Bay. That the ball remained in play was encouraging, but it was so embedded in thick rough that it was difficult to find - it looked to be all Watson could do to save bogey. With an aggressive hack at it, Watson was able to get the ball to the green, but 25 feet short of the hole. But as he had been able to do in the second round, he struck another long saving putt into the cup for a par 4. Rogers later said the par save there was "unbelievable" . After another 20-footer (for birdie) at 11, Watson was two strokes in front of Nicklaus.
Nicklaus regained a tie for the lead with a birdie putt on 15 while Watson bogeyed 12 and had to save par at 13. On the uphill par 5 14th, Watson holed a 40-foot birdie putt that both he and his caddie (Bruce Edwards
) called the best read Edwards had ever given Watson. Watson had over-hit his short approach shot, leaving the ball in perhaps the worst position on the green - well above the hole. Although 40-feet in length, the putt required a very delicate touch. It was nearly impossible to stop the ball near the hole except by banging into the back of the cup and falling in - which is what Watson did.
Watson's next brilliant putt was a miss for par - but he would credit it as one of his most important putts of a tournament won with his putting. His tee shot at 16 landed in a narrow neck of a fairway bunker, requiring Watson to come out sideways. His approach shot landed 60 feet from the hole. Facing the prospect of a double bogey from that distance, Watson's severely-breaking putt was nearly holed and his tap-in saved bogey.
Pebble Beach has two of the great closing holes in golf - a par three of nearly 200 yards with a devilishly shaped green (17), and a par 5 hugging the cliffs of the Pacific Ocean (18). Watson had played these holes very well during the tournament, and would likely need to do so again to hold off Nicklaus, who was in the clubhouse at 4-under (shooting 69 on Sunday). The closing stretch began disastrously for Watson. His 2 iron at 17 sailed left of the flagstick and tumbled into the gnarly rough behind the green and above the hole. Nicklaus later said that, after seeing the tee shot on TV, he was confident he would at least have a chance at Watson in a playoff.
Watson knew he had a fairly good lie in the rough, but caddie Bruce Edwards also knew that the shot would be difficult to control and almost impossible to stop near the hole. There was a danger of failing to hit the shot crisply enough, leaving the ball above the hole with a slippery putt to follow, or of missing the hole and leaving a long uphill putt. Either scenario could lead to double bogey. To remind Watson to, at all costs, give himself a chance to make another par putt, he told Watson, "Get it close." Watson replied, "Get it close? Hell, I'm going to sink it."
Indeed, he struck the chip perfectly and it bounded into the flagstick before dropping in. Watson jubilantly ran after it, pointing at Edwards, enjoying one of the great moments in golf history. His confidence carried over to the final hole, which he also birdied, giving him a hard fought 70 and, at 6-under for the tournament, a two shot win over Nicklaus. It would be the 18th second-place finish at a major in Nicklaus's career (he would finish second again at the 1983 PGA Championship
) and turned out to be his last good shot to win his 5th U.S. Open. Although he called it a heartbreaking defeat, Nicklaus emerged from the clubhouse to congratulate Watson.
Instead, it was the only U.S. Open win for Tom Watson, who would go on to capture the 1982 Open Championship
as well.
U.S. Open (golf)
The United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open golf tournament of the United States. It is the second of the four major championships in golf, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour...
held from June 17-20, and was just the second U.S. Open (and third professional major) to be played at Pebble Beach Golf Links
Pebble Beach Golf Links
Pebble Beach Golf Links is a golf course located in Pebble Beach, California, on the west coast of the United States.Pebble Beach is widely regarded as one of the most beautiful courses in the world. It hugs the rugged coastline and has wide open views of Carmel Bay, opening to the Pacific Ocean,...
. Previously, Jack Nicklaus
Jack Nicklaus
Jack William Nicklaus , nicknamed "The Golden Bear", is an American professional golfer. He won 18 career major championships on the PGA Tour over a span of 25 years and is widely regarded as one of the greatest professional golfers of all time. In addition to his 18 Majors, he was runner-up a...
had won the 1972 U.S. Open
1972 U.S. Open Golf Championship
The 1972 U.S. Open Championship was the 72nd U.S. Open played June 15–18 at Pebble Beach Golf Links in Pebble Beach, California. Jack Nicklaus won the championship.-Final leaderboard:-External links:* - at USGA Championship database...
and Lanny Wadkins
Lanny Wadkins
Jerry Lanston "Lanny" Wadkins, Jr. is an American professional golfer. He ranked in the top-10 of the Official World Golf Rankings for 86 weeks from their debut in 1986 to 1988....
had won the 1977 PGA Championship
1977 PGA Championship
The 1977 PGA Championship was the 59th PGA Championship played August 11–14 at Pebble Beach Golf Links in Pebble Beach, California. Lanny Wadkins won the championship in a sudden-death playoff over Gene Littler.-Final leaderboard:...
.
The 1982 tournament was won by Tom Watson
Tom Watson (golfer)
Thomas Sturges Watson is an American professional golfer who has played on the PGA Tour and now mostly on the Champions Tour....
by two strokes over Jack Nicklaus
Jack Nicklaus
Jack William Nicklaus , nicknamed "The Golden Bear", is an American professional golfer. He won 18 career major championships on the PGA Tour over a span of 25 years and is widely regarded as one of the greatest professional golfers of all time. In addition to his 18 Majors, he was runner-up a...
. It was Watson's only U.S. Open Championship, but it was his sixth of an eventual eight professional majors. Watson is one of only a few golfers to have won two professional majors in a single season; the 1982 U.S. Open was the first of two for Watson that year (he also won the 1982 Open Championship
1982 Open Championship
The 1982 Open Championship was the 111th Open Championship held from 15-18 July at Royal Troon Golf Club in Troon, Scotland. Tom Watson won his fourth Open Championship, second consecutive major title, and seventh major title by one stroke over Peter Oosterhuis and Nick Price.-First round:-Second...
). The win earned Watson top prize money of $60,000.
First three rounds
Winner of five professional majors, Tom WatsonTom Watson (golfer)
Thomas Sturges Watson is an American professional golfer who has played on the PGA Tour and now mostly on the Champions Tour....
entered the 1982 U.S. Open as one of the favorites and as the number 1 golfer in the world. A steady performer, Watson had 6 top 10 finishes in his previous 8 U.S. Opens, but had never finished closer than 3 strokes from the leader.
Watson did not get off to a fast start in 1982. His even par 72 opening round was nearly much worse; he was +3 through 14 holes when he began to catch fire, scoring three birdies on the final four holes. On a tough scoring day at Pebble Beach, the 72 put him just two back of first round leaders Bruce Devlin
Bruce Devlin
Bruce William Devlin is an Australian professional golfer, sportscaster and golf course designer.Devlin was born in Armidale, Australia. He turned pro in 1961 and joined the PGA Tour in 1962 after an amateur career in Australia which included a win at the Australian Amateur in 1959...
and Bill Rogers
Bill Rogers (golfer)
William Charles Rogers is an American professional golfer who is best known as the winner of the 1981 Open Championship....
. Rogers was the defending British Open
The Open Championship
The Open Championship, or simply The Open , is the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf. It is the only "major" held outside the USA and is administered by The R&A, which is the governing body of golf outside the USA and Mexico...
champion and was coming off the best year of his career. Jack Nicklaus
Jack Nicklaus
Jack William Nicklaus , nicknamed "The Golden Bear", is an American professional golfer. He won 18 career major championships on the PGA Tour over a span of 25 years and is widely regarded as one of the greatest professional golfers of all time. In addition to his 18 Majors, he was runner-up a...
opened with a disappointing 74. Nicklaus, though in the declining phase of his career, was considered a strong contender as well: he was a winner (at the time) of 17 professional majors including both the 1980 U.S. Open Golf Championship
1980 U.S. Open Golf Championship
The 1980 United States Open Championship was the 80th U.S. Open. The event was held from June 12-15 at Baltusrol Golf Club, Lower Course in Springfield Township, Union County, New Jersey. Jack Nicklaus won his fourth U.S. Open and 16th major title by two strokes over Isao Aoki.-Final...
(where Watson had his best previous U.S. Open finish, third place) and the 1972 U.S. Open Golf Championship
1972 U.S. Open Golf Championship
The 1972 U.S. Open Championship was the 72nd U.S. Open played June 15–18 at Pebble Beach Golf Links in Pebble Beach, California. Jack Nicklaus won the championship.-Final leaderboard:-External links:* - at USGA Championship database...
(the last U.S. Open held at Pebble Beach). Nicklaus had also finished one shot off the pace at the 1977 PGA Championship
1977 PGA Championship
The 1977 PGA Championship was the 59th PGA Championship played August 11–14 at Pebble Beach Golf Links in Pebble Beach, California. Lanny Wadkins won the championship in a sudden-death playoff over Gene Littler.-Final leaderboard:...
, the last professional major held at Pebble, a course he considered perhaps his favorite in the world.
In the second round, Devlin surged into the lead with a brilliant 3-under 69. Devlin too was in the declining phase of his career. Devlin had 17 wins worldwide by that time, and had 15 top tens in majors to his credit. His last major top 10, however, had been in 1973, and at 44 years of age, a win would have made him (at that time) the oldest winner of the U.S. Open. Larry Rinker also surged into contention with a blistering 5-under 67, putting him two back of Devlin. Rogers lost a little ground with a second round 73.
Watson, meanwhile, was grinding. As he later said of his second round, "I shot a 77 and scored a 72." A master of the short game, Watson made several saves from the thick U.S. Open rough thanks to his skill chipping and putting. He saved bogey twice from greater than 20 feet, and birdied the difficult 17th and 18th for the second straight round.
Watson's Open turned around for him on the weekend, which he attributed to minor swing adjustments before the third round. On a day that saw a number of sub-70 rounds (including a 67 by 1977 PGA Champion
1977 PGA Championship
The 1977 PGA Championship was the 59th PGA Championship played August 11–14 at Pebble Beach Golf Links in Pebble Beach, California. Lanny Wadkins won the championship in a sudden-death playoff over Gene Littler.-Final leaderboard:...
Lanny Wadkins
Lanny Wadkins
Jerry Lanston "Lanny" Wadkins, Jr. is an American professional golfer. He ranked in the top-10 of the Official World Golf Rankings for 86 weeks from their debut in 1986 to 1988....
, also played at Pebble Beach), Watson was the best of the leaders, firing a 4-under 68. The score was enough to give him a share of the third round lead with Bill Rogers, who returned to contention with a 69. Devlin, meanwhile, slipped with a 75 and would not be a factor on Sunday after the first few holes.
Round 4
Nicklaus, meanwhile, shot a 71 and was 3 shots behind the leaders. Nicklaus had not truly been a factor in the tournament, despite playing (according to him) some of his very best golf. His tee to green game had been excellent, but he was unable to make putts to score birdies. On Sunday, Nicklaus was one-over after the two relatively easy starting holes, and then electrified the tournament crowd with birdies at 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7.The tournament at that point essentially became a three-way battle between Nicklaus, Rogers, and Watson. Rogers and Watson were paired together three groups behind Nicklaus. Watson missed a short birdie putt at 7, and Rogers played steadily early. Rogers lost the lead with a three-putt bogey at nine and also bogeyed the tenth.
The tenth was a pivotal hole for Watson as well. Watson pushed his approach shot badly, nearly sending it over the cliff into Carmel Bay. That the ball remained in play was encouraging, but it was so embedded in thick rough that it was difficult to find - it looked to be all Watson could do to save bogey. With an aggressive hack at it, Watson was able to get the ball to the green, but 25 feet short of the hole. But as he had been able to do in the second round, he struck another long saving putt into the cup for a par 4. Rogers later said the par save there was "unbelievable" . After another 20-footer (for birdie) at 11, Watson was two strokes in front of Nicklaus.
Nicklaus regained a tie for the lead with a birdie putt on 15 while Watson bogeyed 12 and had to save par at 13. On the uphill par 5 14th, Watson holed a 40-foot birdie putt that both he and his caddie (Bruce Edwards
Bruce Edwards (caddy)
Bruce Edwards was a long-time caddie for Hall of Fame golfer Tom Watson.Edwards began caddying for Watson in 1973 and worked with him until 1989. Edwards left to assist Greg Norman but returned to Watson's side in 1992 and stayed until 2003...
) called the best read Edwards had ever given Watson. Watson had over-hit his short approach shot, leaving the ball in perhaps the worst position on the green - well above the hole. Although 40-feet in length, the putt required a very delicate touch. It was nearly impossible to stop the ball near the hole except by banging into the back of the cup and falling in - which is what Watson did.
Watson's next brilliant putt was a miss for par - but he would credit it as one of his most important putts of a tournament won with his putting. His tee shot at 16 landed in a narrow neck of a fairway bunker, requiring Watson to come out sideways. His approach shot landed 60 feet from the hole. Facing the prospect of a double bogey from that distance, Watson's severely-breaking putt was nearly holed and his tap-in saved bogey.
Pebble Beach has two of the great closing holes in golf - a par three of nearly 200 yards with a devilishly shaped green (17), and a par 5 hugging the cliffs of the Pacific Ocean (18). Watson had played these holes very well during the tournament, and would likely need to do so again to hold off Nicklaus, who was in the clubhouse at 4-under (shooting 69 on Sunday). The closing stretch began disastrously for Watson. His 2 iron at 17 sailed left of the flagstick and tumbled into the gnarly rough behind the green and above the hole. Nicklaus later said that, after seeing the tee shot on TV, he was confident he would at least have a chance at Watson in a playoff.
Watson knew he had a fairly good lie in the rough, but caddie Bruce Edwards also knew that the shot would be difficult to control and almost impossible to stop near the hole. There was a danger of failing to hit the shot crisply enough, leaving the ball above the hole with a slippery putt to follow, or of missing the hole and leaving a long uphill putt. Either scenario could lead to double bogey. To remind Watson to, at all costs, give himself a chance to make another par putt, he told Watson, "Get it close." Watson replied, "Get it close? Hell, I'm going to sink it."
Indeed, he struck the chip perfectly and it bounded into the flagstick before dropping in. Watson jubilantly ran after it, pointing at Edwards, enjoying one of the great moments in golf history. His confidence carried over to the final hole, which he also birdied, giving him a hard fought 70 and, at 6-under for the tournament, a two shot win over Nicklaus. It would be the 18th second-place finish at a major in Nicklaus's career (he would finish second again at the 1983 PGA Championship
1983 PGA Championship
The 1983 PGA Championship was the 65th PGA Championship held from August 4-7 at the Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles, California. Hal Sutton won his first major championship by one stroke over Jack Nicklaus.-Final leaderboard:-External links:*...
) and turned out to be his last good shot to win his 5th U.S. Open. Although he called it a heartbreaking defeat, Nicklaus emerged from the clubhouse to congratulate Watson.
Instead, it was the only U.S. Open win for Tom Watson, who would go on to capture the 1982 Open Championship
1982 Open Championship
The 1982 Open Championship was the 111th Open Championship held from 15-18 July at Royal Troon Golf Club in Troon, Scotland. Tom Watson won his fourth Open Championship, second consecutive major title, and seventh major title by one stroke over Peter Oosterhuis and Nick Price.-First round:-Second...
as well.
Final leaderboard
| # | Player | Country | Score | To par | Winnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tom Watson Tom Watson (golfer) Thomas Sturges Watson is an American professional golfer who has played on the PGA Tour and now mostly on the Champions Tour.... |
72-72-68-70 = 282 | -6 | $60,000 | |
| 2 | Jack Nicklaus Jack Nicklaus Jack William Nicklaus , nicknamed "The Golden Bear", is an American professional golfer. He won 18 career major championships on the PGA Tour over a span of 25 years and is widely regarded as one of the greatest professional golfers of all time. In addition to his 18 Majors, he was runner-up a... |
74-70-71-69 = 284 | -4 | $34,506 | |
| T3 | Bill Rogers Bill Rogers (golfer) William Charles Rogers is an American professional golfer who is best known as the winner of the 1981 Open Championship.... |
70-73-69-74 = 286 | -2 | $14,967 | |
| Dan Pohl Dan Pohl Danny Joe Pohl is an American professional golfer who has played on the PGA Tour and the Champions Tour.Pohl was born in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan. He attended the University of Arizona in Tucson, where he was a member of the school's golf team... |
72-74-70-70 = 286 | ||||
| Bobby Clampett Bobby Clampett Robert Daniel Clampett, Jr. is a television golf analyst, golf course architect, writer, and professional golfer, who played on the PGA Tour from 1980 to 1995. Clampett began playing on the Champions Tour in April 2010.... |
71-73-72-70 = 286 | ||||
| T6 | Gary Koch Gary Koch Gary D. Koch is an American professional golfer, sportscaster and golf course designer, who formerly played on the PGA Tour, Nationwide Tour and Champions Tour.- Early years :... |
78-73-69-67 = 287 | -1 | $8,011 | |
| David Graham David Graham (golfer) Anthony David Graham is a former professional golfer from Australia.Born in Windsor, Australia, Graham turned professional in 1962 at age 16 and spent much of his career in the United States, playing on the PGA Tour. Turning age 50 in 1996, he joined the Senior PGA Tour, later known as the... |
73-72-69-73 = 287 | ||||
| Lanny Wadkins Lanny Wadkins Jerry Lanston "Lanny" Wadkins, Jr. is an American professional golfer. He ranked in the top-10 of the Official World Golf Rankings for 86 weeks from their debut in 1986 to 1988.... |
73-76-67-71 = 287 | ||||
| Jay Haas Jay Haas Jay Dean Haas is an American professional golfer.Haas was born in St. Louis, Missouri, and grew up in Belleville, Illinois. He attended Wake Forest University and was a member of the NCAA Championship team of the middle 1970s with Curtis Strange and Bob Byman that Golf World has called "the... |
73-76-67-71 = 287 | ||||
| T10 | Bruce Devlin Bruce Devlin Bruce William Devlin is an Australian professional golfer, sportscaster and golf course designer.Devlin was born in Armidale, Australia. He turned pro in 1961 and joined the PGA Tour in 1962 after an amateur career in Australia which included a win at the Australian Amateur in 1959... |
70-69-75-74 = 288 | E | $6,332 | |
| Calvin Peete Calvin Peete Calvin Peete is an American professional golfer. He was the most successful African-American on the PGA Tour, with 12 wins, before the emergence of Tiger Woods.... |
71-72-72-73 = 288 |
Tournament notes
- The win was Watson's only U.S. Open title; he won 8 majors overall
- The low amateur was Nathaniel CrosbyNathaniel CrosbyNathaniel Patrick Crosby is an American golfer.Crosby was born at Hillsborough, California. He is the seventh child of the actor and singer Bing Crosby and the youngest of his three children from his second marriage to the actress Kathryn Grant.Crosby performed with his father, mother, brother...
, son of Hollywood legend Bing CrosbyBing CrosbyHarry Lillis "Bing" Crosby was an American singer and actor. Crosby's trademark bass-baritone voice made him one of the best-selling recording artists of the 20th century, with over half a billion records in circulation....
, who finished 59th (+15) - The only other amateur to make the cut was future U.S. Open champion Corey PavinCorey PavinCorey Allen Pavin is an American professional golfer on the PGA Tour. He spent over 150 weeks in the top-10 of the Official World Golf Rankings between 1986 and 1997.-Biography:...