They had written him off. At 40, Jack Nicklaus had gone winless in 1979 for the first time in his professional career, and the consensus was clear: the Golden Bear's best days were behind him. Then came the first round at Baltusrol Golf Club on June 12, 1980, when Nicklaus fired a 63 on the Lower Course -- tying the U.S. Open record -- and served notice that the obituaries had been premature. What followed over the next three days was not a coronation but a fight, as Japanese star Isao Aoki matched Nicklaus shot for shot in one of the great extended duels in major championship history.
Nicklaus was not the only player to light up the Lower Course on Thursday. Tom Weiskopf also carded a 63, tying the tournament record. But where Nicklaus built on his opening salvo, Weiskopf could not break 75 in any subsequent round and eventually finished 37th. After a second-round 71, Nicklaus held a two-stroke lead over Aoki, who had quietly posted three consecutive rounds of 68. By Saturday evening, Aoki had drawn level. The stage was set for one of the most compelling final rounds the U.S. Open had seen.
As the tournament unfolded, Nicklaus and Aoki were paired together for all four rounds -- an unusual circumstance that transformed the championship into an intimate two-man contest. In Sunday's final round, Nicklaus birdied the third hole while Aoki bogeyed the second, opening a two-shot gap. But Aoki refused to fade. On the 10th, after Nicklaus stuck his approach to three feet, Aoki drained a long putt from the fringe to match him. On the 17th, Nicklaus holed a 22-footer for birdie; Aoki answered with a five-footer of his own. Neither man would let the other breathe.
The championship came down to the final hole. Nicklaus rolled in a 10-foot birdie putt on the 18th to finish at 272, shattering the U.S. Open scoring record of 275 that he himself had set on the same Lower Course in 1967. The victory was his fourth U.S. Open title, tying him with Willie Anderson, Bobby Jones, and Ben Hogan -- the only players to have won four. It was also his 16th professional major championship. For a man the sporting world had consigned to gentle decline, it was an emphatic answer.
A footnote to the week carried its own drama. Seve Ballesteros, the reigning Masters and British Open champion and one of the tournament favorites, overslept on Friday morning, missed his tee time, and was disqualified. He had shot a 75 on Thursday and might not have contended, but the image of the dashing Spaniard eliminated by an alarm clock failure added color to an already vivid week. As for Nicklaus, those who thought the 1980 Open was a last hurrah were wrong again. He won the PGA Championship two months later, and six years on, at age 46, he claimed the 1986 Masters in what many consider the greatest final round in golf history. Baltusrol was not a farewell -- it was the opening chapter of Nicklaus's remarkable second act.
Located at 40.705N, 74.328W at Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield Township, Union County, New Jersey. From the air, the two manicured courses are clearly visible against the suburban landscape about 20 miles west of Manhattan. The club sits at the base of the Watchung Mountains. Nearest airports: Morristown Municipal (KMMU) approximately 10 nm northwest, and Newark Liberty International (KEWR) 12 nm east. Best viewed at 3,000-4,000 feet AGL to appreciate the dual-course layout.