"I couldn't put the pencil on the card."

Ken Venturi visited the U.S. Open media center Monday and relived his 1964 U.S. Open win at Congressional. Tom Mackin has the highlights including this:

"I had one thing in mind, a girl I knew from Hawaii, Jackie Pung, who won the U.S. Open [in 1957 at Winged Foot, but was disqualified signing an incorrect scorecard]," Venturi said. "And I couldn't put the pencil on the card."

It took USGA executive director Joe Dey, who was also an official with Venturi's group that final day, to get Venturi to sign his card.

"All of a sudden there was a hand on my shoulder, and he said, 'Sign it Ken, it is correct,'" Venturi said. "I looked up and it was Joe Dey and that's when I signed my card."

Venturi never played a full 18 at Congressional again, yet the place remains almost sacred to him. He recently donated the irons from his 1964 win, a few of the scorecards, and two letters from President Eisenhower and Bobby Jones to the club.