Geoff Ogilvy won his only major title by one stroke in one of the wildest finishes in U.S. Open history.[4][5] He made clutch pars on the final two holes, including a chip-in on 17. Runners-up Jim Furyk, Colin Montgomerie, and Phil Mickelson all failed to par the 72nd hole. In the final pairing and seeking his third straight major championship, Mickelson double-bogeyed the final hole after hitting driver off the tee and failing to hit the fairway. Montgomerie double-bogeyed the same hole when his approach shot from the fairway ended up short and in the rough, then followed the difficult chip with three putts. Furyk bogeyed the 15th hole and then missed a 5-footer for par at the final hole. Tiger Woods missed the cut in a major as a professional for the first time, in his first major since the death of his father. All players finished over par for the first time in a U.S. Open since 1978. The total purse was $6.25 million with a winner's share of $1.225 million.
The 1974 edition was known as "The Massacre at Winged Foot," as Irwin won with a seven-over-par 287, and just seven sub-par rounds were recorded over the four days. In the years following World War II, only Julius Boros' 9-over total in high winds in 1963 was a higher winning score. Some thought the difficult set-up in 1974 was in response to Johnny Miller's final round 63 at Oakmont a year earlier.
The U.S. Open returned to Winged Foot fourteen years later in 2020.
Colin Montgomerie shot 69 and was the only player under par in the opening round. Phil Mickelson, the winner of the last two majors, was just one shot behind at even-par. Former U.S. Open champion Jim Furyk was also just one shot back. Tiger Woods shot a six over 76 in his first major since his father's death, his worst start ever in a major.
Steve Stricker led at a major for the first time since 1998 after a one-under 69, and was the only player under par after 36 holes. One stroke back was Montgomerie, while Woods missed the cut at a major as a professional for the first time, ending his record-tying streak of 39 consecutive cuts made at majors. He shot 76 for the second consecutive day missing the cut by three shots. Mickelson struggled throughout the day for 73, which put him four shots back entering the weekend.[7]
Following a one-under 69 in the third round, Mickelson shared the 54-hole lead with Kenneth Ferrie, who bogeyed the 18th for 71.[10] Ogilvy made two straight bogeys on the back and finished with a 72 that left him one shot back. Stricker led through much of the front nine but ended up at 76, three shots behind. Pádraig Harrington needed a birdie to catch Mickelson on the 18th hole, but barely made contact out of the deep rough, and moved the ball just 15 yards (14 m) into the fairway. Once out of a greenside bunker, he three-putted for a triple bogey seven and a disappointing 74.
In one of the most exciting final rounds in U.S. Open history, Ogilvy survived a brutal final day to win his only major title.[4][5] He took the lead early and led by two strokes after 7 holes, but lost his lead with four bogeys in seven holes. But Ogilvy finished his round with four pars, highlighted by a 30-foot (9 m) chip shot from the second fringe at the 17th. His tee shot on 18 found the fairway but was in a sand-filled divot, and his approach hit the green's false front and rolled back. He dropped a downhill six-footer for his final stroke as all his competitors collapsed around him. Mickelson and Montgomerie needed pars on the final hole to win, or bogeys to tie with Ogilvy, but they both double-bogeyed to hand Ogilvy a dramatic win. He became the first Australian to win a major since Steve Elkington in the 1995 PGA Championship, and the first to win a U.S. Open in a quarter century, since David Graham in 1981.
Montgomerie holed a 75-foot (23 m) putt for birdie on the 17th hole for a share of the lead and was in the middle of the 18th fairway, 172 yards (157 m) from the hole, in prime position to do no worse than a playoff. After an extended wait and much club deliberation, he finally selected a 7-iron[12] and proceeded to miss the green short and right, into deep rough. His difficult chip left a lengthy downhill par putt, and then three-putted for double bogey. Mickelson was in the right rough on the 16th, then the approach plugged into a greenside bunker and he bogeyed. He was well left of the fairway on the 17th into a trash can, but his slicing recovery shot found the green and he two-putted for par. On the 18th tee, Mickelson needed par to win or a bogey to tie, but could not finish off what would have been his third consecutive major championship victory. Using driver, his tee shot went so far left that it clattered through the trees by a hospitality tent. Still trying for par, he went for the green with his second shot but hit a tree, and the ball advanced just 25 yards (23 m). His third faded into the greenside bunker, buried with a "fried-egg" lie; the fourth shot from the sand to win had no spin and rolled off the other side of the green into the rough. Mickelson's chip for bogey and a Monday playoff with Ogilvy rolled six feet past the hole. He tied Sam Snead for the most second-place finishes by a player who has never won the U.S. Open, with four. Furyk needed par to force a playoff and his tee shot was to the left in the intermediate cut; the hooking approach found a greenside bunker and he missed the five-foot putt to save par. Harrington bogeyed the final three holes and finished two strokes behind. Five different players held the lead at one point on Sunday with 15 different lead changes between them.[13]
"I still am in shock that I did that. I just can't believe that I did that. I am such an idiot." - Phil Mickelson after double bogeying the 18th hole.
"The biggest reason why this is so disappointing is that this is a tournament that I dreamt of winning as a kid. I spent hours practicing, countless hours practicing, dreaming of winning this tournament. I came out here months in advance to get ready and had it right there in my hand, man. It was right there and I let it go." - Phil Mickelson on losing the U.S. Open.
"I think I was the beneficiary of a little bit of charity." - Geoff Ogilvy after watching from the club house as Furyk, Mickelson and Montgomerie all couldn't make par on the 18th hole.
"I'm disappointed. I played my heart out and it didn't work." - Jim Furyk after runner up finish.
"I love this game." - Geoff Ogilvy after putting out on the 18th hole
"I switched from a 6 to a 7. I thought adrenaline would kick in. I usually hit the ball 10 yards further in that circumstance. I caught it slightly heavy and it went slightly right. It was a poor shot, no question about that, and I put myself into poor position." - Colin Montgomerie on club selection on final hole.
Geoff Ogilvy
