Fleck recalls glory days of ’55

Jack Fleck has three significant memories of his epic 1955 US Open victory over Ben Hogan.

“Don’t play any more than one round because you’ll get gun shy and never hit that fairway,” Fleck said.

On the Saturday prior to the championship, Fleck played an afternoon round. Then came rounds on Sunday and Monday, 27 holes on Tuesday and 36 holes on Wednesday.

“I loved the golf course. It was my favourite because I could hit those fairways like nothing flat.”

The second memory also preceded his victory – a moment of divine guidance from a visitor to his golf shop.

“An elderly man came in my shop. I was all alone. ‘I’ve got to congratulate you. You qualified for the Open. You’re doing good on the tour.’ Fleck says he told the man that he hadn’t come close to winning on the tour.

“Don’t you play to win?” Fleck says the man asked him, to which he replied “no.”

Fleck said the man walked around for a moment, and then came back with a message.

“‘I want you to pray for the power and the strength to compete.’

“Well, that hit me like a ton of bricks,” Fleck said.

The third moment was on the course. Hogan had given his golf ball to an official and said to give it to Golf House, the headquarters of the USGA. But Fleck was still on the course and he had a chance. And with the help of a roving marshal with a walkie talkie on the back nine, he knew exactly how much of a chance he had.

“He told me when I got to 15, he said, ‘Hogan’s in. All you need is one more birdie to tie.”

Fleck then birdied the par 5 16th and made par at the difficult 17th. At 18, he played a perfect knockdown seven iron approach to eight feet to set up a birdie chance. He capitalised, making the birdie and setting up an 18-hole playoff with Hogan, which he won by shooting one under 69 to Hogan’s 72.

Erin go brea

Erin Hills, a public course northwest of Milwaukee, will host the 2017 US Open.

Built on rolling, sandy soil and featuring a minimalist design, it recently underwent a major renovation to make it better able to host a US Open.

“Erin Hills boasts one of the greatest natural inland sites for a golf course that I have ever seen,” said Mike Davis, USGA senior director of Rules and Competitions.

Pebble Beach, which will also host the 2018 US Amateur, will be celebrating its centennial when it hosts the 2019 US Open.

The US Open will be played at Congressional Country Club in Washington, DC, next year.

Here’s Johnny

NBC commentator Johnny Miller, the 1973 US Open champion, doesn’t mix his words.

“A lot of guys just cannot handle the US Open pressure,” the 63-year-old said this week. “Everything plays out after the first round.

“I’m excited to see what does happen, to see if Tiger Woods can actually come out of the box and put all his stuff behind him and actually turn back the clock to 2000 and do his thing.”

Tough at the 14th

Rory McIlroy reckons the 14th at Pebble Beach is a bear of a par-five.

“I think the 14th hole is the most difficult par-five I’ve ever played in my life,” McIlroy said before the start.

It certainly took its toll early in the first round with Francesco Molinari taking a seven and big-hitter like Ricky Barnes and Nick Watney only managing bogeys.

“You better play that well for four rounds,” Tom Watson said. “That can cost you big time. And obviously it cost some people big numbers at the AT&T earlier this year, same with the US Open.” American Paul Goydos blew his chances of winning the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am at the 14th earlier this year. He was one of four players to make a nine there.