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Jack Nicklaus won seven of his 18 major championships with this 1-iron in his bag. He used it to hit two of the most memorable shots of his U.S. Open career – his approach to the 72nd at Baltusrol in 1967 and his tee shot at the 71st at Pebble Beach in 1972
In the final round at Baltusrol, Nicklaus led by four strokes approaching the par-5 18th. He pushed his tee shot into the right rough and mishit an 8-iron back into play. From there, he hit the longest 1-iron of his life – 238 yards, uphill and into the wind – onto the green. Nicklaus made the putt to break Ben Hogan’s 72-hole U.S. Open scoring record and win his second U.S. Open title.
Five years later at Pebble Beach, Nicklaus had a three-stroke lead in the final round going to the 219-yard par-3 17th. On his backswing, Nicklaus felt himself shutting the face of the 1-iron, but his timing was so good that week that he adjusted mid-swing and struck it flush. The ball landed on the green, took one bounce, hit the flagstick and dropped six inches from the hole for a tap-in birdie to seal his third U.S. Open victory.
Michael Trostel is Senior Curator/Historian, USGA Museum. Email him at mtrostel@usga.org