The 124th playing of the U.S. Open is taking place this week at Pinehurst No. 2.
Similar to our compilation of historic Masters gear, we wanted to build a bag with memorable clubs used in the U.S. Open over the years.
These aren’t necessarily the best clubs or the clubs I would want to use for a recreational round—but they are all memorable for one reason or another.
These are the clubs that hit some of the most iconic shots in U.S. Open history. In many cases they are representative of the greatest champions the tournament has witnessed.
Arnold Palmer’s Ben Hogan Persimmon Driver (1960)
Is there a more famous drive in golf history than Arnold Palmer hitting the first green of the 1960 U.S. Open from 346 yards away?
I couldn’t find much information on the club (please comment below if you know anything), but I’m sure it was remarkably difficult to hit by today’s standards. Palmer famously had a club contract with Wilson from 1954-1963 but played a Hogan driver. He then went out and beat Hogan himself to win that U.S. Open in Colorado, shooting 65 in the final round.
The above picture is a Hogan driver that is estimated to be from the 1950s or 1960s.
Tiger Woods’ NIKE Ignite T60 3-Wood (2003)
There are dozens upon dozens of historic Tiger Woods U.S. Open shots to choose from. You’ve probably seen all of them on repeat.
With that being the case, I’m going to offer one some of you might not remember. It came at the 2003 U.S. Open, a tournament he didn’t win.
After missing a fairway, Woods was 247 yards to the hole on the par-5 sixth when he sent a 60-yard slice around trees. It’s maybe his greatest “nobody else could do that” shot that few remember.
The club in question was a NIKE Ignite T60 3-wood—and, boy, does it scream mid-2000s’ nostalgia for this millennial.
Corey Pavin’s Cleveland Vas 4-Wood (1995)
In one of the greatest shots the U.S. Open has witnessed, Corey Pavin secured the 1995 U.S. Open at Shinnecock by knocking a 4-wood close on the 72nd hole. The 228-yard shot would be a mid-iron for modern players but Pavin striped his Cleveland Vas 4-wood to earn a major championship (he actually missed the short birdie putt but par was enough to win).
Pavin gamed a set of Cleveland Vas irons and woods during the tournament. The clubs are … quite something. Some claim they are the worst clubs to ever win a major. I don’t know about that but they are not pleasing to the eye. Maybe we should credit Pavin with two majors after winning with these.
That makes me want to include them here even more.
Jack Nicklaus’s MacGregor VIP 1-Iron (1972)
There are two particularly famous 1-iron approaches in U.S. Open history but I’m going with Nicklaus in 1972 at Pebble (rather than Hogan in 1950 at Merion).
Nicklaus just about knocked down the flagstick with his 1-iron on the par-3 17th during the final round, setting up what would be a three-stroke victory.
As discussed in the Masters bag I put together, Nicklaus used MacGregor SS1 and VIP irons for the majority of his major victories. This unforgettable shot was with the VIP.
Tiger Woods’s Titleist 681 Forged 2-Iron (2002)
Of Tiger’s three U.S. Open victories, the one that gets the least amount of shine is 2002 at Bethpage.
However, it was some of his most dominant, steady play. Nobody could squeeze the drama out of a tournament like Tiger.
On Sunday, he came to the par-5 13th hole holding a three-stroke lead. Looking at a second shot of 263 yards, he smashed a 2-iron to the center of the green and made a birdie, effectively ending the tournament. This was back when only one guy could do such a thing.
Also, how many epic stingers did this 2-iron witness? A ton.
This set of Titleist 681 Forged sticks are my favorite irons he has played in his career so I’m thrilled to have one in my set.
Jerry Pate’s Wilson Staff 5-Iron (1976)
Jerry Pate didn’t need to hit a 5-iron from the rough on the final hole of the 1976 U.S. Open at Atlanta Athletic Club—he had a one-stroke lead and could have settled for a playoff had he made bogey.
But Pate, only 22 years old at the time, decided to take on the risky shot over water and hit his approach to three feet. He would end up with a three-stroke victory over Al Geiberger and Tom Weiskopf. It was Pate’s only major victory, although he also won the first Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass.
The Wilson Staff iron was a classic of the time period. Is the company making a comeback? John Barba has more in this excellent Q&A about Wilson.
Dustin Johnson’s TaylorMade Tour Preferred MB ’14 6-Iron (2016)
Many are trying to claim that I am not a fan of Dustin Johnson due to his quiet fade into what feels like semi-retirement, but I merely long for the days when DJ was a formidable player.
The way he won the 2016 U.S. Open is the most admirable accomplishment of his career. He fought through the USGA’s bizarre handling of a ruling earlier in the day, putting an exclamation point on a victory by stuffing a 6-iron within a few feet on the 72nd hole.
The club, a classic muscle-back player’s blade, certainly has a place in history.
Jack Fleck’s Ben Hogan 7-Iron (1955)
Poor Ben Hogan, beaten with his own clubs.
Hogan came out with his line of clubs in 1953. Two years later, Fleck used Hogan irons for one of the great upsets in U.S. Open history when he defeated Hogan in a playoff at Olympic Club. Fleck needed a birdie on the 72nd hole to force a playoff—he hit a 7-iron to about seven feet from the hole and converted the putt for a final-round 67. The next day, he won an 18-hole playoff by three strokes.
According to auction information, Hogan gifted the set of irons to Fleck. The only other similar set used in the 1955 Open was by Hogan himself.
Phil Mickelson’s Callaway X Tour 8-Iron (2006)
Memorable is not always a good thing, especially when it comes to Mickelson’s breakdown during the 2006 U.S. Open at Winged Foot.
Mickelson came to the 72nd hole needing par to win and bogey to force a playoff with Geoff Ogilvy. After his drive went way left and his second shot hit a tree, Mickelson hoisted an 8-iron over the trees … and into a plugged lie in the bunker.
That was the beginning of the end as he made double-bogey and lost the tournament.
Matt Fitzpatrick’s PING S55 9-Iron (2022)
In terms of recent U.S. Opens over the past handful of years, this is the shot that stands out to me.
Fitzpatrick held a one-stroke lead over Will Zalatoris on the 72nd hole during the 2022 U.S. Open at Brookline. After hitting his tee shot into an awkward position in the fairway bunker, he cut a 9-iron into the heart of the green and wound up with the title.
The S55 irons were released to the public in 2013—Fitzpatrick used them for a decade before switching to Blueprint S irons. It shows the timelessness of the design.
I had the S56 irons featured in my Masters bag (Louis Oosthuizen) and I’m doubling down with the S55s this time around.
Rory McIlroy’s 48-Degree Titleist Vokey Pitching Wedge (2011)
There was no single shot that defined the 2011 U.S. Open at Congressional but we saw an awful lot of pitching wedges into soft greens. McIlroy’s approach play was dialed in that week.
Rory had a lot of success after switching to NIKE a couple of years later but I love his Titleist setup during this time period.
Tom Watson’s 58-Degree Ram Tour Grind Wedge (1982)
Arguably the single most famous hole-out in U.S. Open history, Tom Watson sunk a chip shot with a 58-degree Ram wedge down the hill on the 71st hole of the 1982 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach.
Had the ball not hit the flag, Watson might have suffered a bogey and would have needed a birdie at the last to get into a playoff with Nicklaus. Instead, Watson earned a two-shot victory.
Ram never reached the heights of MacGregor or Wilson but it was still highly influential (I recommend reading Barba’s detailed story on the company history).
Gary Woodland’s 64-Degree TaylorMade Hi-Toe Wedge (2019)
It might be a tournament that gets forgotten but I appreciate this shot from Woodland in the 2019 event at Pebble. Like Watson, his big moment came on the 17th hole in the final round.
He came to the 71st hole nursing a two-stroke lead over Brooks Koepka. Woodland flared his tee shot to the right side of the hourglass green. Choosing to putt it would likely be conceding a bogey so Woodland grabbed his 64-degree wedge and clipped a perfect pitch, saving par.
Nerves of steel to do that in a U.S. Open with that kind of spotlight.
Payne Stewart’s SeeMore Bronze FGP Putter (1999)
The 1999 U.S. Open was perhaps the greatest event in tournament history.
The way it ended will be remembered forever—Payne Stewart making a 15-foot par putt on the 72nd hole to beat Mickelson—but it’s sometimes forgotten that Stewart needed just 24 putts during that final round. His putting, which also included a monumental par save on No. 16, is what won him the tournament.
Stewart’s victory sparked interest in SeeMore and its patented RifleScopeTechnology alignment system. More than 50,000 orders were placed in the weeks following his victory.
Following Stewart’s tragic passing in October 1999, SeeMore produced 1,000 limited-edition commemorative Bronze FGP putters. Some were sold or donated at the time but SeeMore held onto many of them and recently released 300 of the putters.
Those are the 14 clubs in my U.S. Open history bag.
Any omissions or additions? Let me know below in the comments.
And check out some of our other U.S. Open coverage this week:
Tom Lassar MD
7 hours ago
I worked for Jack Fleck in the late 1960’s at the now defunct Green Acres CC in Northfield, Illinois. Green Acres was a predominantly Jewish club with membership made up of many of the wealthiest Chicagoans. Jack took a number of us who were serious golfers from the local high school golf teams under his wing, and gave us seasonal jobs shagging balls (there were no automated pickers in those days), working in the pro shop, and of course caddying. Often if a member was late or cancelled, he would call us in off the range and give us brief lessons and swing tips, so I personally saw the above pictured Hogan irons in his bag on the range almost daily… and of course, his famous preshot waggle. Reportedly these clubs were among the first sets produced by Hogan’s startup golf club company (rumored to be set #2), and were delivered by Hogan himself to Jack on the range at the Olympic Club just before the landmark ’55 US Open which was “stolen” by Fleck. Jack was tall, thin, quiet, and to me, then a teenager, a little intimidating, so I tried to avoid making eye contact whenever possible. His son Craig (who I repeatedly drubbed in the yearly caddy tournament) was the assistant caddie master, later became a pro, and eventually accompanied his dad to “Lil Bit ‘O Heaven’ a golf course they built together in Arkansas. Interestingly, although I knew he was a “famous” club teaching pro, it was not until l read an article in Golf Digest about Jack 50 years later upon the anniversary return of the US Open to Olympic, that I learned exactly who he was and of his accomplishment with those clubs.