| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Dates | June 17–21, 1971 |
| Location | Ardmore, Pennsylvania |
| Course(s) | Merion Golf Club, East Course |
| Organized by | USGA |
| Tour(s) | PGA Tour |
| Statistics | |
| Par | 70 |
| Length | 6,544 yards (5,984 m)[1] |
| Field | 150 players, 64 after cut |
| Cut | 148 (+8) |
| Prize fund | $192,200[2] |
| Winner's share | $30,000 |
| Champion | |
 Lee Trevino | |
| 280 (E), playoff | |
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The 1971 U.S. Open was the 71st U.S. Open, held June 17–21 at the East Course of Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, Pennsylvania, a suburb west of Philadelphia. Lee Trevino, the 1968 champion, won his second U.S. Open, defeating Jack Nicklaus by three strokes in an 18-hole playoff.[3][4][5] It was the second of Trevino's six major titles and the second of four times in which Nicklaus was the runner-up to Trevino in a major; Nicklaus won his third U.S. Open the following year.
The U.S. Open was just part of an outstanding year for Trevino in 1971 and following this playoff win, his confidence soared. Two weeks later he won the Canadian Open in a playoff;[6][7] the next week the British Open, and became the first to win those three national opens in the same year;[8][9] only Tiger Woods has done it since, in 2000. Trevino won six times on tour in 1971 with two majors and was PGA Player of the Year. He was named athlete of the year by the Associated Press and Sporting News, and was the Sports Illustrated "Sportsman of the Year."[10] Trevino was the first to win the U.S. and British Opens in the same year in 18 years, last accomplished by Ben Hogan in 1953. The others were Gene Sarazen in 1932 and amateur Bobby Jones in 1926 and 1930, his grand slam year. Subsequent winners of both were Tom Watson in 1982 and Woods in 2000.
For Jim Simons, a Pennsylvania native entering his senior year at Wake Forest, his fifth-place finish remains the most recent top ten by an amateur at the U.S. Open. It is the best since Nicklaus' tie for fourth in 1961, following his runner-up finish the year before at age 20 in 1960.[5] The last victory by an amateur at any major was at the U.S. Open in 1933, won by Johnny Goodman of Omaha. Bobby Jones won four U.S. Opens as an amateur, the last in 1930 was part of his grand slam.
This was the third U.S. Open played at Merion, which previously hosted in 1934 and 1950. A fourth was played in 1981, and a fifth in 2013.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
spokuso71rd5was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "U.S. Open history: 1971". USGA. Archived from the original on June 18, 2013. Retrieved June 21, 2012.
- ^ Werden, Lincoln A. (June 22, 1971). "No fooling for Trevino in victory over Nicklaus". Milwaukee Journal. (New York Times). p. 11.
- ^ Jenkins, Dan (June 29, 1971). "Remember the Battle of Merion". Sports Illustrated. p. 12.
- ^ a b Shedloski, Dave (June 5, 2013). "Looking Back...1971 U.S. Open at Merion". USGA. Archived from the original on May 8, 2014. Retrieved June 7, 2013.
- ^ Moss, Marv (July 5, 1971). "Lee charged; Wall came tumbling down". Montreal Gazette. p. 17.
- ^ "Trevino wins Canadian test". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. July 5, 1971. p. 3B.
- ^ Jenkins, Dan (July 19, 1971). "Now for the Mexican Open". Sports Illustrated.
- ^ Harig, Bob (June 10, 2013). "Nicklaus and Trevino: Major history". ESPN. Retrieved June 10, 2013.
- ^ Kirkpatrick, Curry (December 20, 1971). "Sportsman of the year: a common man with an uncommon touch". Sports Illustrated. p. 34.