| 1965 U.S. Open | |
Gary Player became the third player in golf history to achieve the "career Grand Slam" when he won the 1965 U.S. Open.
Player joined Gene Sarazen and Ben Hogan as the only golfers to that point to win all four of what we now consider the professional majors: The Masters, U.S. Open, British Open and PGA Championship.
Player earned the title by beating Australian Kel Nagle in an 18-hole playoff, 71 to 74. The playoff was necessitated when Player blew a three stroke lead with three holes to play in the final round, double-bogeying the 71st hole while Nagle birdied it.
Player earned $26,000 for the win, but he kept only $1,000 of it for himself. The rest he donated to the USGA, with the bulk of the donation going toward junior golf programs. The USGA's history of this tournament notes that Player's donation "... was the start of the USGA eventually forming a foundation to assist grassroots junior golf programs as well as programs for those with disabilities."
The U.S. Open had a change in format this year, switching to 18 holes of play for each of four days. Previously, the tournament began with 18 holes each on two days, then 36 holes on the third day.
Arnold Palmer missed the cut, the only time from 1962 to 1967 that Palmer failed to finish inside the Top 5 in the U.S. Open.
Tom Weiskopf made his major championship debut in the 1965 U.S. Open, finishing tied for 40th.
1965 U.S. Open Golf Tournament Scores
Results from the 1965 U.S. Open golf tournament played on the par-70 Bellerive Country Club in St. Louis, Missouri (x-won playoff; a-amateur):
| x-Gary Player | 70-70-71-71--282 | $26,000 |
| Kel Nagle | 68-73-72-69--282 | $13,500 |
| Frank Beard | 74-69-70-71--284 | $9,000 |
| Julius Boros | 72-75-70-70--287 | $6,500 |
| Al Geiberger | 70-76-70-71--287 | $6,500 |
| Bruce Devlin | 72-73-72-71--288 | $4,500 |
| Raymond Floyd | 72-72-76-68--288 | $4,500 |
| Tony Lema | 72-74-73-70--289 | $2,500 |
| Gene Littler | 73-71-73-72--289 | $2,500 |
| Dudley Wysong | 72-75-70-72--289 | $2,500 |
| a-Deane Beman | 69-73-76-72--290 | |
| Mason Rudolph | 69-72-73-76--290 | $1,650 |
| Doug Sanders | 77-73-69-71--290 | $1,650 |
| Billy Maxwell | 76-73-71-71--291 | $1,500 |
| Steve Oppermann | 72-77-73-70--292 | $1,400 |
| Gay Brewer | 72-74-71-76--293 | $1,300 |
| Billy Casper | 73-73-76-72--294 | $1,087 |
| Charles Huckaby | 73-74-73-74--294 | $1,087 |
| George Knudson | 80-69-73-72--294 | $1,087 |
| Bob Verwey | 73-74-75-72--294 | $1,087 |
| Gardner Dickinson | 77-73-71-74--295 | $925 |
| Eric Monti | 76-71-75-73--295 | $925 |
| Lou Graham | 70-77-76-73--296 | $850 |
| Wes Ellis | 73-76-77-71--297 | $732 |
| Labron Harris Jr. | 74-76-74-73--297 | $732 |
| Ted Kroll | 76-74-72-75--297 | $732 |
| Sam Snead | 75-71-77-74--297 | $732 |
| Dutch Harrison | 78-72-72-76--298 | $630 |
| Tommy Jacobs | 76-71-74-77--298 | $630 |
| Dean Refram | 71-79-72-76--298 | $630 |
| Terry Wilcox | 74-73-73-78--298 | $630 |
| Miller Barber | 72-76-74-77--299 | $550 |
| Bruce Crampton | 74-76-72-77--299 | $550 |
| Gordon Jones | 71-74-75-79--299 | $550 |
| Jack Nicklaus | 78-72-73-76--299 | $550 |
| Duff Lawrence | 73-73-75-79--300 | $495 |
| Dan Sikes | 72-78-75-75--300 | $495 |
| Bob Rosburg | 73-75-75-78--301 | $480 |
| a-Ed Tutwiler | 77-73-76-75--301 | |
| Rex Baxter | 70-75-79-78--302 | $455 |
| Chi Chi Rodriguez | 78-72-77-75--302 | $455 |
| Dick Hendrickson | 74-76-72-80--302 | $455 |
| Tom Weiskopf | 76-72-77-77--302 | $455 |
| Dick Hart | 74-75-80-74--303 | $420 |
| Jack Lumpkin | 74-74-74-81--303 | $420 |
| Bill Ogden | 75-73-79-76--303 | $420 |
| Sam Carmichael | 76-74-76-78--304 | $400 |
| Paul Kelly | 75-74-78-78--305 | $385 |
| Robert Reith | 73-76-73-83--305 | $385 |
| Franklin Keller | 77-73-79-78--307 | $370 |
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More on the U.S. Open
• Masters Winners
• British Open Winners
• PGA Championship Winners
• U.S. Open FAQ
• U.S. Open Index on About.com
