Golf's Greatest Championship

The 1960 U.S. Open Golf Championship played at Cherry Hills Country Club in Denver, Colorado, remains perhaps the most dramatic, competitive, and passionate of all Open championships. In 1960 the young lions of the game were eager to reach the top tier occupied by venerable players such as Ben Hogan and Sam Snead. In this Open only a single stroke separated the three leaders-Ben Hogan, Arnold Palmer, and a young but talented amateur named Jack Nicklaus-on the final two holes. The stunning conclusion would prove a watershed in the lives of all three players, and in the game itself. Golf's Greatest Championship is a suspenseful, richly detailed chronicle of this epic chapter in the game of golf.

Julian I. Graubart has written for Golf Journal and other publications. He lives in Washington, D. C.