Letter From Saugerties: Memories Of '71 At Merion

Former USGA Executive Director Frank Hannigan was at the center of the madness that was the epic 1971 U.S. Open at Merion and shared a few thoughts on the events which have become a huge part of USGA and golf lore.

It was my privilege to work for the USGA in various roles, for modest wages, staging the US Open for 28 years, from 1961 through 1988. The best of the lot, artistically and as a public spectacle, was that of 1971 at glorious old Merion. The factors of my opinion are:

-- Merion, sublime in appearance,was created by members just for the hell of it, not to sell houses. It was revised in the early 1920s by the architect Bill Flynn who had the inspiration to come up with the  watery little 11th hole where the Grand Slam of Bob Jones concluded in 1930. It has now been lengthened and narrowed to the point where it may no longer be quaint.   Let us hope not.
 
-- It happened to be in superb shape which I define as meaning there were no ball marks on the greens. But three weeks prior to the event it was in bad shape. Golf course superintendent Richie Valentine then performed some sort of miracle including the application of tons of sand, so much so that the USGA was terrified.  It looked like a beach. (Valentine's father Joe, Merion's earlier superintendent, had discovered Merion blue grass near the 16th tee). Whatever the risk, the process worked.
 
-- The two best players in the world then were Jack Nicklaus and Lee Trevino. After 72 holes they tied for first at even par - 280.   The playoff, although interrupted by a thunderstorm for about an hour, was memorable.
 
--There was also the romance of an amateur. The dream that victory by an amateur, which was last done by Johnny Goodman in 1933, would somehow happen. Jim Simons, a Wake Forest stalwart, actually led after 54 holes. Paired  with Nicklaus on the last day.  Simons held up, but not quite, finishing with a 76 and an overall tie for 5th.     
 
--My job was to preside over the l8th  green, making the odd ruling but primarily concerned that the players returned scorecards with the proper scores and signatures. I was ensconced in an 8 ' x 8 ' royal blue tent just to the left of the green. There were also minimal financial transactions, i.e, the club would cash checks if signed by me.  I put $150 into risk for the hugely popular amateur Ben Crenshaw.  The check bounced.
 
--Trevino, two holes ahead of Nicklaus-Simons, had employed his unique swing (British golf writer Leonard Crawley described it as "agricultural") to grasp a one-stroke lead coming to the 18th, a truly heroic par 4. He carved his drive into the fairway but then lashed a four wood over the green. Just as he was about to pitch back to the green a kid fell out of a tree.    Trevino made 5.
 
-- Nicklaus methodically parred 16 and 17 before exploding a drive on the 18th where it had become virtually impossible to carry the the ball up to the green without it bounding beyond.  Not Nicklaus. He hit the ultimate four iron so that his ball stopped 15 feet short of the hole.  His putt to to win the Open drifted over an edge.
 
--In the playoff Nicklaus failed to get out of greenside bunkers on both the 2nd and 3rd holes.   Later, at the short par 4 10th, he almost drove the green but failed to get on the green from about 40 yards.  (Trevino said "God gave Jack everything except a wedge.")
 
--Trevino broke a tie with a birdie on12 and then played impeccably.   His score was a truly impressive 68. It was his summer.  Within a another month he would also win the Canadian and British  Opens.
 
--What I always remember is sitting in that little tent with him after he gave back  that precious stroke on Sunday. I mumbled something to the effect that the wood he hit into the 18th green seemed like a lot of club.  Lee said "Frank. I was choking so bad I didn't think I could get a club back.  So I took too much club. But I flushed it.'

--In the play off  I was able to get outside so I walked inside the ropes for the whole thing. The referee was USGA President Phil Strubing, who was eminent in the law and had been a primary jock at Princeton in the 30s, including starting in the backfield of the team that beat Ohio State. Like me, he was a lover of the ancient jazz.  He swore up and down to me that he attended Princeton prom at which Bix Beiderbecke played his cornet.  It's such an enormous thing to say that I had trouble accepting it.  It's like saying I knew Hitler a little bit. Anyway, Phil was laughing on 2nd hole. Trevino had a contract with Faultless the Chicago equipment maker that for a time was hugely successful selling cheap stuff.  Strubing said Trevino played a Faultless on the 1st hole, threw it in  the ball pouch and then played Titleist the other 17 holes.