Lee Trevino, defending champion and Tony Jacklin fight out a great battle for the 1972 Open with Jack Nicklaus trying to continue his bid to win the grand slam.
Impressive video quality! This is one of the most important golf tournaments ever, helping to establish Trevino as an all-time great, breaking Jacklin's heart, and denying Nicklaus a shot at the Grand Slam.
+Chris Morfas I remember watching this as a 12-year-old kid and don't recall ever having been more disappointed with any sporting event since. It's amazing how often you can trace someone's decline to a specific event and even a specific moment. When Jacklin missed that short putt on 17, that was the beginning of end for him as a competitor.
It's no exaggeration to describe this as perhaps the greatest championship of them all. Nearly 50 years later, it still may be true: Jack is denied the third leg of the grand slam in what would have been among the greatest fourth-round comebacks in golf history, while Jacklin, having won the 1969 Open and 1970 US Open, is forever damaged and misses out on becoming perhaps the greatest British pro since Vardon. Instead, Trevino pulls off one of the most miraculous victories ever and sets himself firmly on the path of becoming an all-time great. This tournament really deserves a full-blown one-hour documentary, with the available footage remastered as best as possible and interviews with Jack, Lee, and Tony while they're still alive.
In 2013, Jacklin said of his experience in the 1972 Open: "I was never the same again after that. I didn't ever get my head around it - it definitely knocked the stuffing out of me somehow."
Trevino beat them all when it came down to head to head. Player, Jacklin, Miller, and of course Nicklaus. Nicklaus admitted that Trevino and Tom Watson were the two hardest golfers for him to beat down the stretch.
The most amazing turnaround in golf history. Jacklin has said it was his reaction to the chip in which ruined him, he should have lagged the putt, hoped for it to drop, and gone tied to the last with Trevino. Tony has also said he was never, ever, the same player again.
I wonder, if electronic sportsbooks and live odds had been around that day, what Tony's and Lee's winning chances were as Lee stood over his chip on 17. Maybe -1000 for Tony, +2500 for Lee? Who knows? One of the most stunning turnarounds ever.
@@Botanica94 I'm getting 86% for Tony, 7% for Lee and for Jack I think the key is that Lee can get up and down and go to the 18th hole down by 1 stroke, tied with Nicklaus. Not a great position but the tournament is not over by any means, he can birdie 18 or Jacklin can bogey 18 Believe it or not I think the 3 putt is even more unlikely than the chip in
@@DanielSong39 Thanks for the numbers! Did you actually run a simulation? I'm not sure about Lee's probability distribution after his 4th shot on 17. Maybe 70% chance of getting up and down in two, 28% of three, 2% making it in 1? Chip-ins are pretty damn rare, even for pros, just off the green. As for Tony, probably about a 20% of making it, 78% of two-putting... and as you suggested, 3-putting from there was *extremely* unlikely! Maybe 2%? The most likely outcome was Lee making bogey and Jacklin making par, though Lee could have easily made double and/or Tony could have made his putt, in which case he'd be 2-3 down. Even so, being down by 1 with 1 to play is a pretty bad position- especially with the GOAT waiting in the clubhouse. An 18-hole playoff with Nicklaus would be most golfers' 9th layer of Hell. And yeah, I purposely didn't take vig into account ;-) But 10% juice sounds about right!
Lee doesn't get enough credit for absolutely stuffing his second shot on 18. That was a tough hole, and he still only had a 1 shot lead over Nicklaus and Jacklin. A par was hardly a sure thing, even from the fairway. Instead, bam, 8 feet away! Game over.
@@johnnypastrana6727 Trust me, they would have worn just as many logos as guys today, if anyone would have paid them to do so. Golfers (hell, athletes in general) made about as much money as dentists back then. Check out Lee's first place check: A whopping $13,750!
Just a point about the infamous Trevino bunker shot. It was a very difficult one to control because of the lie, but the myth which has developed over the years, that he thinned it horrendously and it was going over the green - is clearly untrue. (Even Peter Alliss, commentating live, says this, a natural over the top shocked reaction.) IN fact, Trevino played a wise percentage shot, simply to make sure to get the ball out, it wasn't thinned at all. If it had missed the hole, he'd of course have gone way past, but over the green ? No !! His luck was massive of course, turning a 4 into a 2, and ultimately winning him the championship (much as Calcaveccia had luck when pitching in on the fly in the 1989 Open last round).
Oh come on, it was a terrible shot. He hit it way, way too hard. Yes, he had a tough stance, but the ball was lying very well, perched atop the sand, so it really wasn't that hard of a shot. Absent miraculously flying into the hole, there is zero chance that ball would have stayed on the green. It was flying, about 20 miles per hour, downhill, downwind. But hey, it worked out, thanks to one of the most fortunate bounces in golf history! Also, Lee's reaction is one of my all-time favorites.
@@Botanica94 Hi, thanks for your reply. Sorry, I disagree! The ball wasn't thinned, it was hit 'down and hard' to be sure to get out of a bad lie in a deep bunker. It bounced before going in of course, and equally obviously we can't know whether spin would have stopped it on the green - my thought is it would have. Trevino was using a women's sand iron and has said ever since he could make it talk that week - hence the other chip ins. In the second round, Jacklin took 3 in a bunker on the par 3 13th by trying to be too 'cute' from a tricky spot - Trevino, aware of this, would have been focused 100% simply on getting somewhere on the green to make no worse than 4. Just look at it - I suspect we both know what a thinned bunker shot looks like (!), a thin goes much faster and (here's my main point) bounces much harder than that shot did.
@@ysgol3 It's possible that I underestimated the difficulty of the shot, though to me, the ball appeared to be lying pretty well. My point was that pure luck turned what looked to be a 4 or 5... into a 2, which is an unbelievable break, given that Lee only won by 1! If that ball hops a centimeter to the left or right, or bounces a tad bit harder or softer, it wouldn't have gone in, and he probably loses the tournament. Lee's reaction, 30+ seconds of breathless, disbelieving laughter, underscores the hilarity of the shot. Four hole-outs in one tournament is outrageous. Turn all of those into mere up-and-downs, and he finishes 4th. But hey, at the end of the day... the Claret Jug reads: "1972 - LEE TREVINO"!
@@Botanica94 Oh yes, his luck was incredible. And he had the cheek on the 17th to be 'annoyed' when a 35 footer for an eagle stopped just short! The historical significance is immense of course, Jack, one behind, lost the 3rd leg of the Grand Slam, and, since he won the 1971 PGA, he'd have held all 4 majors at the same time just like poor Tiger after the 2001 Masters (what a terrible shock his accident is BTW, awful). There's the 'official' film of this Open elsewhere on TH-cam showing various shots (including the bunker shot we've discussed) from different angles, and some other ones. For example, Jack misses from about 12 feet (possibly less) for a birdie on the 15th in the final round, then from about 5 feet for a par on the 16th then (unseen) he fails to get a birdie on the 17th. So he felt he lost it - a 344 finish would have won, he went 454. But of course, as you say, Trevino's luck was outrageous. Jacklin said that, until that Open. he'd always thought luck evened itself out over a tournament!
@@ysgol3 OMG, I knew Jack had won the Masters & US Open that year, but I didn't realize he'd won the last PGA! So Lee killed what might have been called the "Jack Slam". Damn! Check out Dan Jenkins' fantastic (as always!) recap of that tourney. He mentions how cold Jack's putter went on the back 9. vault.si.com/vault/1972/07/24/slamming-the-door-on-jack Yeah, what a putt from Lee on 17. It was tracking right in the heart, from long range! I've never seen someone drop so many bombs, from on and off the green, than Trevino that week. Clearly, his short game was incredible, so it's not lucky that he hit great chips and putts over and over again... but to have so many of them topple in was a bit fortunate. Tony was wrong. Luck evens out over the course of years, but in any given tourney, shite happens!
Understandably sucked the soul out of Tony Jacklin that back nine for years after.. who wouldn't question God after all those unlikely holeouts, especially when Lee yelled to Tony on 17, " I'm done,it's all yours". Gawd I love this cruel game⛳🏌️🇨🇦👍
True! No excuse for not getting it within 10 feet. I'm guessing he got a bit conservative after Lee's terrible 4th shot and just wanted to leave himself an easy putt underneath the hole, to secure a par. He obviously didn't take Super Mex into account!
@@Botanica94 Nicklaus was already in at 5 under so he had every incentive to build a 2 stroke cushion there. Of course, Lee could always get it up and down and birdie 18 so he wasn't out of it either.
@@DanielSong39 Maybe after he saw how Lee's ball shot forward, he overcompensated to make sure his ball stayed on the green & under the hole. Regardless, it was a poor effort, especially for a top 10 player & multiple major champion. No one is immune to pressure! ;-)
I would think of course you always want to win a tournament but you don’t want it givin to you…now on the other hand your not gonna give it back are you 😂😂😂😂
Impressive video quality!
This is one of the most important golf tournaments ever, helping to establish Trevino as an all-time great, breaking Jacklin's heart, and denying Nicklaus a shot at the Grand Slam.
+Chris Morfas I remember watching this as a 12-year-old kid and don't recall ever having been more disappointed with any sporting event since. It's amazing how often you can trace someone's decline to a specific event and even a specific moment. When Jacklin missed that short putt on 17, that was the beginning of end for him as a competitor.
Richard Stephen Stewart Cink taking the Claret Jug from Tom Watson 2009 was the one for me
Watch this video about once every 6 months. Trevino's in my top three players of all time
Trevino (SuperMex) was on fire in this tournament! ... what a player! :)
It's no exaggeration to describe this as perhaps the greatest
championship of them all. Nearly 50 years later, it still may be true:
Jack is denied the third leg of the grand slam in what would have been
among the greatest fourth-round comebacks in golf history, while
Jacklin, having won the 1969 Open and 1970 US Open, is forever damaged
and misses out on becoming perhaps the greatest British pro since
Vardon. Instead, Trevino pulls off one of the most miraculous victories
ever and sets himself firmly on the path of becoming an all-time great.
This tournament really deserves a full-blown one-hour documentary, with
the available footage remastered as best as possible and interviews with
Jack, Lee, and Tony while they're still alive.
@Chris Morfas
Well said. I agree. That would be a phoenominal documentary.
Absolutely agree.
In 2013, Jacklin said of his experience in the 1972 Open: "I was never the same again after that. I didn't ever get my head around it - it definitely knocked the stuffing out of me somehow."
If anyone was robbed, it was Tony but full credit to Lee, a great player and entertainer. Could do with more like him these days.
Lee Trevino just casually having a grand ole time demolishing the golf course in a major championship
Trevino beat them all when it came down to head to head. Player, Jacklin, Miller, and of course Nicklaus. Nicklaus admitted that Trevino and Tom Watson were the two hardest golfers for him to beat down the stretch.
Trevino became HUGE in the States after this, after chipping in 4 times.
He was already a big star by that time but his legacy only grew
The most amazing turnaround in golf history. Jacklin has said it was his reaction to the chip in which ruined him, he should have lagged the putt, hoped for it to drop, and gone tied to the last with Trevino. Tony has also said he was never, ever, the same player again.
And still showed admirable sportsmanship on 18th green when play was complete...much respect 🇬🇧🇺🇲🇨🇦
I wonder, if electronic sportsbooks and live odds had been around that day, what Tony's and Lee's winning chances were as Lee stood over his chip on 17. Maybe -1000 for Tony, +2500 for Lee? Who knows? One of the most stunning turnarounds ever.
@@Botanica94 I'm getting 86% for Tony, 7% for Lee and for Jack
I think the key is that Lee can get up and down and go to the 18th hole down by 1 stroke, tied with Nicklaus. Not a great position but the tournament is not over by any means, he can birdie 18 or Jacklin can bogey 18
Believe it or not I think the 3 putt is even more unlikely than the chip in
Electric sportsbooks would probably have -1000 for Tony, +800 for Lee and Jack. Don't forget about the juice, LOL
@@DanielSong39 Thanks for the numbers! Did you actually run a simulation?
I'm not sure about Lee's probability distribution after his 4th shot on 17. Maybe 70% chance of getting up and down in two, 28% of three, 2% making it in 1? Chip-ins are pretty damn rare, even for pros, just off the green.
As for Tony, probably about a 20% of making it, 78% of two-putting... and as you suggested, 3-putting from there was *extremely* unlikely! Maybe 2%?
The most likely outcome was Lee making bogey and Jacklin making par, though Lee could have easily made double and/or Tony could have made his putt, in which case he'd be 2-3 down. Even so, being down by 1 with 1 to play is a pretty bad position- especially with the GOAT waiting in the clubhouse. An 18-hole playoff with Nicklaus would be most golfers' 9th layer of Hell.
And yeah, I purposely didn't take vig into account ;-) But 10% juice sounds about right!
Lee was simply the best at that time ... after all it is said ... you make your own luck! :)
God loves Lee!!!!!
Lee doesn't get enough credit for absolutely stuffing his second shot on 18. That was a tough hole, and he still only had a 1 shot lead over Nicklaus and Jacklin. A par was hardly a sure thing, even from the fairway. Instead, bam, 8 feet away! Game over.
I love how the British Open flag sticks were very short back in the day.
U.S. Open Merion Golf course used to also have very short flag sticks with baskets on top instead of flags.
In the days b4 pro golfers became walking billboard ads.
So true, a disgusting turn...
@@johnnypastrana6727 Trust me, they would have worn just as many logos as guys today, if anyone would have paid them to do so. Golfers (hell, athletes in general) made about as much money as dentists back then. Check out Lee's first place check: A whopping $13,750!
Jacklin was skinned alive in that open!!
It seemed like if Tony had shot 59 Lee would have shot 58 he was just destined to win.
"god is a Mexican"said lee trevino
Which Open?
There are a lot of Opens.
I've always liked Lee Trevino, but he still owes me 20 bucks ! I hate that. I'll keep tracking him
Half a Century ago!
He didn't pull the putt on 17. He misread the line and it never curved in. He thought it would break and it kept straight
On the 17th poor Jacklin couldn't get it into the hole and had trouble getting it out too.
Frazzled brain
AYE HAI HAIIEEE!
Jacklin was never the same player after this
I think he was mentally beaten after the three putt on the 17th!
Just a point about the infamous Trevino bunker shot.
It was a very difficult one to control because of the lie, but the myth which has developed over the years, that he thinned it horrendously and it was going over the green - is clearly untrue. (Even Peter Alliss, commentating live, says this, a natural over the top shocked reaction.)
IN fact, Trevino played a wise percentage shot, simply to make sure to get the ball out, it wasn't thinned at all. If it had missed the hole, he'd of course have gone way past, but over the green ? No !! His luck was massive of course, turning a 4 into a 2, and ultimately winning him the championship (much as Calcaveccia had luck when pitching in on the fly in the 1989 Open last round).
Oh come on, it was a terrible shot. He hit it way, way too hard. Yes, he had a tough stance, but the ball was lying very well, perched atop the sand, so it really wasn't that hard of a shot. Absent miraculously flying into the hole, there is zero chance that ball would have stayed on the green. It was flying, about 20 miles per hour, downhill, downwind. But hey, it worked out, thanks to one of the most fortunate bounces in golf history! Also, Lee's reaction is one of my all-time favorites.
@@Botanica94 Hi, thanks for your reply.
Sorry, I disagree!
The ball wasn't thinned, it was hit 'down and hard' to be sure to get out of a bad lie in a deep bunker. It bounced before going in of course, and equally obviously we can't know whether spin would have stopped it on the green - my thought is it would have. Trevino was using a women's sand iron and has said ever since he could make it talk that week - hence the other chip ins. In the second round, Jacklin took 3 in a bunker on the par 3 13th by trying to be too 'cute' from a tricky spot - Trevino, aware of this, would have been focused 100% simply on getting somewhere on the green to make no worse than 4. Just look at it - I suspect we both know what a thinned bunker shot looks like (!), a thin goes much faster and (here's my main point) bounces much harder than that shot did.
@@ysgol3 It's possible that I underestimated the difficulty of the shot, though to me, the ball appeared to be lying pretty well. My point was that pure luck turned what looked to be a 4 or 5... into a 2, which is an unbelievable break, given that Lee only won by 1! If that ball hops a centimeter to the left or right, or bounces a tad bit harder or softer, it wouldn't have gone in, and he probably loses the tournament. Lee's reaction, 30+ seconds of breathless, disbelieving laughter, underscores the hilarity of the shot.
Four hole-outs in one tournament is outrageous. Turn all of those into mere up-and-downs, and he finishes 4th. But hey, at the end of the day... the Claret Jug reads: "1972 - LEE TREVINO"!
@@Botanica94 Oh yes, his luck was incredible. And he had the cheek on the 17th to be 'annoyed' when a 35 footer for an eagle stopped just short!
The historical significance is immense of course, Jack, one behind, lost the 3rd leg of the Grand Slam, and, since he won the 1971 PGA, he'd have held all 4 majors at the same time just like poor Tiger after the 2001 Masters (what a terrible shock his accident is BTW, awful).
There's the 'official' film of this Open elsewhere on TH-cam showing various shots (including the bunker shot we've discussed) from different angles, and some other ones. For example, Jack misses from about 12 feet (possibly less) for a birdie on the 15th in the final round, then from about 5 feet for a par on the 16th then (unseen) he fails to get a birdie on the 17th. So he felt he lost it - a 344 finish would have won, he went 454. But of course, as you say, Trevino's luck was outrageous. Jacklin said that, until that Open. he'd always thought luck evened itself out over a tournament!
@@ysgol3 OMG, I knew Jack had won the Masters & US Open that year, but I didn't realize he'd won the last PGA! So Lee killed what might have been called the "Jack Slam". Damn!
Check out Dan Jenkins' fantastic (as always!) recap of that tourney. He mentions how cold Jack's putter went on the back 9.
vault.si.com/vault/1972/07/24/slamming-the-door-on-jack
Yeah, what a putt from Lee on 17. It was tracking right in the heart, from long range! I've never seen someone drop so many bombs, from on and off the green, than Trevino that week. Clearly, his short game was incredible, so it's not lucky that he hit great chips and putts over and over again... but to have so many of them topple in was a bit fortunate.
Tony was wrong. Luck evens out over the course of years, but in any given tourney, shite happens!
Understandably sucked the soul out of Tony Jacklin that back nine for years after.. who wouldn't question God after all those unlikely holeouts, especially when Lee yelled to Tony on 17, " I'm done,it's all yours". Gawd I love this cruel game⛳🏌️🇨🇦👍
Better than luck.
We forget about Jacklin's terrible chip from off the green which left him a 20 foot birdie putt
True! No excuse for not getting it within 10 feet. I'm guessing he got a bit conservative after Lee's terrible 4th shot and just wanted to leave himself an easy putt underneath the hole, to secure a par. He obviously didn't take Super Mex into account!
@@Botanica94 Nicklaus was already in at 5 under so he had every incentive to build a 2 stroke cushion there. Of course, Lee could always get it up and down and birdie 18 so he wasn't out of it either.
@@DanielSong39 Maybe after he saw how Lee's ball shot forward, he overcompensated to make sure his ball stayed on the green & under the hole. Regardless, it was a poor effort, especially for a top 10 player & multiple major champion. No one is immune to pressure! ;-)
Who is the american commentator on the 17th?
Mark McCormack
@@MrAJR76 thanks!
Latinos always have an upper hand on anglo's hehehe!
hehehe! douchedouchedouche!!!
Well, not always...por ejemplo Donaldo Juanito y Andres Manuel...
Didn't in The Falklands 🤷♂️
I would think of course you always want to win a tournament but you don’t want it givin to you…now on the other hand your not gonna give it back are you 😂😂😂😂