The 1981 U.S. Open was the 81st

U.S. Open U.S. Open or US Open are open championship sporting tournaments that are hosted in the United States and in which anyone, especially amateur and professional, or American and non-American, may compete. The term may also be applied to non-sporting ev ...

, held June 18–21 at the East Course of

Merion Golf Club Merion Golf Club is a private golf club which is located in Haverford Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania, a township bordering Philadelphia to the northwest along the historic Main Line. The club has two courses: the East Course, and the ...

Ardmore, Pennsylvania Ardmore is an Unincorporated area#United States, unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) spanning the border between Delaware County, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, Montgomery counties in the U.S. ...

, a suburb northwest of

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. David Graham won his second

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title and became the first

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n to win the U.S. Open, three strokes ahead of runners-up

George Burns George Burns (born Nathan Birnbaum; January 20, 1896March 9, 1996) was an American comedian, actor, writer, and singer, and one of the few entertainers whose career successfully spanned vaudeville, radio, film, and television. His arched eyeb ...

and Bill Rogers. After a first round 66,

Jim Thorpe James Francis Thorpe (; May 22 or 28, 1887March 28, 1953) was an American athlete who won Olympic gold medals and played professional American football, football, baseball, and basketball. A citizen of the Sac and Fox Nation, Thorpe was ...

made history as the first African-American since

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to lead the U.S. Open. Burns took a one-stroke lead over Graham with a 66 in the second round, then increased his lead to three strokes after 54 holes. In the final round on Sunday, Graham shot one of the most precise rounds in U.S. Open history. He hit nearly every green in regulation, missed just one fairway, and recorded four birdies, missing several other opportunities from within . The only bogey was a three-putt at the fifth, after his approach shot stopped above the hole. After a string of eight pars, Graham finally passed Burns with birdies at the 14th and 15th holes. Graham carded a 67 to Burns' 73 to win by three strokes. Rogers shot 69 to tie Burns for 2nd and won the

British Open The Open Championship, often referred to as The Open or the British Open, is the oldest golf tournament in the world, and one of the most prestigious. Founded in 1860, it was originally held annually at Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland. Later th ...

four weeks later. This was the fourth U.S. Open played at Merion, all at its East Course. Previous editions were hosted in

1934 Events January–February * January 1 – The International Telecommunication Union, a specialist agency of the League of Nations, is established. * January 15 – The 8.0 1934 Nepal–Bihar earthquake, Nepal–Bihar earthquake strik ...

1950 Events January * January 1 – The International Police Association (IPA) – the largest police organization in the world – is formed. * January 5 – 1950 Sverdlovsk plane crash, Sverdlovsk plane crash: ''Aeroflot'' Lisunov Li-2 ...

, and

1971 * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses (Solar eclipse of February 25, 1971, February 25, Solar eclipse of July 22, 1971, July 22 and Solar eclipse of August 20, 1971, August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 1971 lunar eclip ...

. At , the same length as 1971, it was the shortest U.S. Open course since

1947 It was the first year of the Cold War, which would last until 1991, ending with the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Events January * January–February – Winter of 1946–47 in the United Kingdom: The worst snowfall in the country i ...

. With heavy rains softening the course before the tournament, 93 rounds of par 70 or better were recorded. Fifteen players were under par after 36 holes, but only five finished under par for the four rounds. Five more were at even par 280, including defending champion

Jack Nicklaus Jack William Nicklaus (; born January 21, 1940), nicknamed "the Golden Bear", is an American retired professional golfer and List of golf courses designed by Jack Nicklaus, golf course designer. He is widely considered to be one of the greate ...

, a four-time winner. After 1981, the U.S. Open was not played at Merion until

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Course layout

East Course Source: Lengths of the course for previous U.S. Opens: *

: , par 70 *

: , par 70

Round summaries

First round

''Thursday, June 18, 1981''

Second round

''Friday, June 19, 1981'' Amateurs: ''Rassett (E)'', Cooksey (+6), Norton (+8), Pavin (+9), DeFrancesco (+10), White (+10), Sindelar (+11), Faxon (+12), Lawrence (+14), Sanchez (+14), Moore (+15),

Mudd Mudd is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Daniel Mudd (born 1956), American CEO, son of Roger Mudd * David Mudd (1933–2020), English politician * Harvey Seeley Mudd (1888–1955), American mining engineer, namesake of Harvey ...

(+15), Yokoi (+15), Biancalana (+16), Jones (+16), Ludwig (+16),

Magee Magee may refer to: People * Magee (surname) Places and institutions * Magee, Mississippi, a city in Simpson County, Mississippi, U.S. * Magee, New York, also known as Magee's Corners, a hamlet in the Town of Tyre, Seneca County, New York, U.S. ...

(+17), Hurter (+21),

Brodie Brodie can be a given name or a surname of Scottish origin, and a location in Moray, Scotland, its meaning is uncertain; it is not clear if Brodie, as a word, has its origins in the Scottish Gaelic, Gaelic or Pictish languages. In 2012 this nam ...

(+22).

Third round

''Saturday, June 20, 1981''

Final round

''Sunday, June 21, 1981'' Amateur: Rassett (+14).

Scorecard

''Final round'' ''Cumulative playoff scores, relative to par'' : Source:

References

External links

USGA Championship Database
– 1981 U.S. Open {{coord, 40.001, -75.312, type:event, display=title U.S. Open (golf) Golf tournaments in Pennsylvania

U.S. Open (golf) The United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open national championship of golf in the United States. It is the third of the four men's major golf championships, and is on the official schedule of both the P ...