1974 U.S. Open (golf)
| Dates | June 13–16, 1974 |
|---|---|
| Location | Mamaroneck, New York |
| Course(s) |
Winged Foot Golf Club West Course |
| Organized by | USGA |
| Tour(s) | PGA Tour |
| Par | 70 |
| Length | 6,961 yards (6,365 m) |
| Field | 150 players, 66 after cut |
| Cut | 153 (+13) |
| Prize fund | $227,700 |
| Winner's share | $35,000 |
 Hale Irwin
|
|
| 287 (+7) | |
|
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The 1974 U.S. Open was the 74th U.S. Open, held June 13–16 at Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck, New York, a suburb northeast of New York City. In what became known as the "Massacre at Winged Foot," Hale Irwin's score of 287 (+7) was good enough for the first of his three U.S. Open titles, two strokes ahead of runner-up Forrest Fezler.
Tom Watson shot a third-round 69 to hold a one-stroke lead over Irwin after 54 holes. In the final round, Watson bogeyed the 4th, 5th, and 8th on his way to a 79 and a tie for fifth. Still at the beginning of his career, it was the first Top 10 finish in a major for the future U.S. Open champion. In a week of brutal scoring conditions, Irwin and Fezler were the last players standing. After making long par putts at 16 and 17, Fezler could not convert another par save at the last, missing a 15-footer. Irwin, meanwhile, bogeyed 15, 16, and needed a 10-footer to save par at 17. With a two-shot lead heading to the 18th, Irwin hit his approach to the center of the green and two-putted for par and the championship.
Winged Foot played extremely difficult throughout the tournament, leading sportswriter Dick Schaap to coin the phrase "The Massacre at Winged Foot," the title of his book. Not a single player broke par in the first round, and Irwin's to-par score of 7-over was the second-highest in post-World War II history (Julius Boros was 9-over at the 1963 Open). Many complained that the USGA had intentionally made the course setup treacherous in response to Johnny Miller's record-breaking 63 the year before.
Arnold Palmer finished five strokes back in a tie for fifth, his final top-5 finish in a major championship. 1964 U.S. Open champion Ken Venturi played in his final major and missed the cut.
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