1963 U.S. Open (golf)
At 43, Boros was the second-oldest winner in U.S. Open history, and only a month younger than Ted Ray when he won the 1920 Open. For Palmer, it was the second consecutive year he lost in a playoff at the Open.
High winds made scoring conditions extremely difficult throughout the entire week, especially on Saturday during the final two rounds, when gusts approached 50 mph (80 km/h). The winning score of 293 remains the highest in post-World War II U.S. Open history, while the 77.4 final-round scoring average set a record for the post-war era, later broken in 1972 at Pebble Beach. For the first time in U.S. Open history, no amateur made the cut.
Defending champion and Masters winner Jack Nicklaus missed the cut by a stroke; his next missed cut at the U.S. Open came 22 years later in 1985. He rebounded in the next two majors in 1963, missing the playoff at the Open Championship in England by a stroke for third place and won the PGA Championship in Dallas the following week.
This U.S. Open was played the week after Father's Day.
Course
Composite Course
Hole | Name | Yards | Par | Hole | Name | Yards | Par | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Polo Field | 455 | 4 | 10 | Stockton | 435 | 4 | |
2 | Cottage | 190 | 3 | 11 | Primrose 1&2 | 445 | 4 | |
3 | Pond | 440 | 4 | 12 | Primrose 8 | 470 | 4 | |
4 | Hospital | 340 | 4 | 13 | Primrose 9 | 420 | 4 | |
5 | Newton | 415 | 4 | 14 | Quarry | 530 | 5 | |
6 | Bakers | 300 | 4 | 15 | Liverpool | 420 | 4 | |
7 | Plateau | 200 | 3 | 16 | Clyde | 175 | 3 | |
8 | Corner | 380 | 4 | 17 | Elbow | 365 | 4 | |
9 | Himalayas | 505 | 5 | 18 | Home | 385 | 4 | |
Out | 3,225 | 35 | In | 3,645 | 36 | |||
Total | 6,870 | 71 |
Round summaries
First round
Thursday, June 20, 1963
Place | Player | Score | To par |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Bob Gajda | 69 | −2 |
2 | Jacky Cupit | 70 | −1 |
T3 | Julius Boros | 71 | E |
Lionel Hebert | |||
Tony Lema | |||
Davis Love Jr. | |||
T7 | Walter Burkemo | 72 | +1 |
Don January | |||
Paul Kelly | |||
Dean Refram |
Source:
Second round
Friday, June 21, 1963
Place | Player | Score | To par |
---|---|---|---|
T1 | Jacky Cupit | 70-72=142 | E |
Dow Finsterwald | 73-69=142 | ||
Arnold Palmer | 73-69=142 | ||
T4 | Walter Burkemo | 72-71=143 | +1 |
Dean Refram | 72-71=143 | ||
T6 | Julius Boros | 71-74=145 | +3 |
Tony Lema | 71-74=145 | ||
Davis Love Jr. | 71-74=145 | ||
T9 | Bruce Crampton | 74-72=146 | +4 |
Don January | 72-74=146 | ||
Billy Maxwell | 73-73=146 |
Source:
Third round
Saturday, June 22, 1963 (morning)
Place | Player | Score | To par |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Jacky Cupit | 70-72-76=218 | +5 |
T2 | Walter Burkemo | 72-71-76=219 | +6 |
Tony Lema | 71-74-74=219 | ||
Arnold Palmer | 73-69-77=219 | ||
T5 | Julius Boros | 71-74-76=221 | +8 |
Bruce Crampton | 74-72-75=221 | ||
Dow Finsterwald | 73-69-79=221 | ||
Paul Harney | 78-70-73=221 | ||
Billy Maxwell | 73-73-75=221 | ||
T10 | Davis Love Jr. | 71-74-78=223 | +10 |
Dan Sikes | 77-73-73=223 |
Source:
Final round
Saturday, June 22, 1963 (afternoon)
Cupit owned the 54-hole lead by a stroke over Palmer, Tony Lema, and Walter Burkemo, with Boros in a group three behind. Boros recorded two birdies on his final three holes to post a 72 and 293 total. Cupit still held the lead until a double-bogey on the 17th dropped him into a tie with Boros and Palmer. He then missed a 12-foot (3.7 m) putt for birdie at the last that would have won the championship. Playing several groups in front of the final group of Jacky Cupit and Dow Finsterwald, Paul Harney came to the 18th hole at 9-over and went over the back of the green in two. Harney then chipped to some 11 feet below the hole and left his par putt one roll short dead center. Had that putt dropped, he would've been in the playoff the next day with Cupit, Palmer and Boros.
Place | Player | Score | To par | Money ($) |
---|---|---|---|---|
T1 | Julius Boros | 71-74-76-72=293 | +9 | Playoff |
Jacky Cupit | 70-72-76-75=293 | |||
Arnold Palmer | 73-69-77-74=293 | |||
4 | Paul Harney | 78-70-73-73=294 | +10 | 5,000 |
T5 | Bruce Crampton | 74-72-75-74=295 | +11 | 3,166 |
Tony Lema | 71-74-74-76=295 | |||
Billy Maxwell | 73-73-75-74=295 | |||
T8 | Walter Burkemo | 72-71-76-77=296 | +12 | 1,875 |
Gary Player | 74-75-75-72=296 | |||
10 | Dan Sikes | 77-73-73-74=297 | +13 | 1,550 |
Source:
Playoff
Sunday, June 23, 1963
Boros took command early in the playoff and had a three-stroke lead at the turn. Palmer took himself out of contention with a triple-bogey at 11, while Cupit bogeyed the same hole. Boros cruised to the win from there, carding a 70 to Cupit's 73 and Palmer's 76.
First prize was $16,000, and each of the three playoff participants received a bonus of $1,500 from the playoff gate receipts.
Place | Player | Score | To par | Money ($) |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Julius Boros | 70 | −1 | 17,500 |
T2 | Jacky Cupit | 73 | +2 | 8,500 |
Arnold Palmer | 76 | +5 |
- Included in earnings is a playoff bonus of $1,500 each, from the playoff gate receipts.
- Previously, three-way playoffs determined a third-place finisher (last in 1950); non-winners now tied for second.
Scorecard
Cumulative playoff scores, relative to par
Birdie Bogey Double bogey Triple bogey+
Source:
References
- ^ Grimsley, Will (June 24, 1963). "Boros' 70 wins 63rd Open". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. p. 8.
- ^ "U.S. Open history: 1963". USGA. Archived from the original on June 7, 2012. Retrieved June 19, 2012.
- ^ Bartlett, Charles (June 24, 1963). "Boros wins Open title by 3 strokes". Chicago Tribune. p. 1, sec. 3.
- ^ Wright, Alfred (July 1, 1963). "Big Jay has his day". Sports Illustrated. p. 16.
- ^ Smith, Red (June 24, 1963). "Views of Sports: Walking with Francis". Youngstown Vindicator. Ohio. p. 13.
- ^ Bartlett, Charles (June 21, 1963). "Unheralded Gajda leads Open on 69". Chicago Tribune. p. 1, sec. 3.
- ^ "National Open Scorecard (second round)". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. June 22, 1963. p. 13.
- ^ Bartlett, Charles (June 22, 1963). "Palmer in 3-way tie for Open lead". Chicago Tribune. p. 1, sec. 2.
- ^ Bartlett, Charles (June 23, 1963). "Palmer, Boros, and Cupit decide Open title in playoff today". Chicago Tribune. p. 1, sec. 2.
- ^ "Palmer, Boros, Cupit tied in Open". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. June 23, 1963. p. 1B.
- ^ Bartlett, Charles (June 23, 1963). "Palmer, Boros, and Cupit tie". Chicago Tribune. p. 1, part 2.
- ^ "Winners, playoff cards". Montreal Gazette. Associated Press. June 24, 1963. p. 17.
External links
- GolfCompendium.com – 1963 U.S. Open
- USGA Championship Database
- USOpen.com - 1963