Johnny Miller Fires a Final-Round 63 in the 1973 U.S. Open
| Memorable Sports Moments |
   |
| Invite Your Friends to Rate |
In the final round of the 1973 U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club, Johnny Miller put on a ball-striking clinic, hitting every green in regulation and ending up with a 63 -- the lowest single round ever in a major championship.
After playing the first two rounds with Arnold Palmer (and his "Army"), Miller was two-under par (140), but shot a 76 on Saturday to settle at three-over (216) for the championship. (He did not have his yardage book with him until the eighth hole; his wife Linda had to retrieve it from their rented house.) He began his final round in twelfth place, six shots behind the four leaders, which included Palmer. Teeing off at 1:36 pm, about 90 minutes ahead of the final group, Miller shot a scorching 63, eight strokes under par, in what is considered one of the most remarkable rounds in U.S. Open history. He passed the leading players of the day like Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Lee Trevino, and Palmer, who was in the final pairing with John Schlee. Miller birdied the first four holes and hit all 18 greens in regulation. He got five more birdies with only one bogey (a 3-putt on the 244 yard par-3 #8), and used only 29 putts during the round. Miller wound up at 5-under (279) for the championship, besting the runner-up Schlee by a single stroke, who shot a respectable 70. Only five players (Miller, Schlee, and three others) shot under-par in that final round.
