Tom Lehman and 1996 United States Open

"I was trying to win the US Open," a devastated Tom Lehman said in the press tent after making a bogey on the 72nd hole of the 1996 Open at Oakland Hills. He had hit his driver, on the line he wanted, to the severely sloped fairway.  Sadly, the ball took a brutal left bounce into the bunker of death. He had not driven it quite far enough to get it around the bunker. It was the second high risk shot he had taken that Sunday and both decisions cost him dearly. I was there with Tom's brother, Jim, walking inside the ropes, with a bird's eye view of every decision, every swing.

Throughout the 1990's Tom Lehman was a dominant figure in golf around the world. With five PGA Tour wins and another on the European Tour, he was the # 1 player in the world following his win at the 1996 British Open Championship. He won the Tour Championship, was awarded the Vardon Trophy and named the 1996 PGA Tour Player of the Year.

The Lehman family have been life long friends of mine, with Jim Lehman, Tom's brother and agent, being a particularly good friend. So it was a great thrill to follow Tom on his tear through the highest levels of golf.

Each year when the US Open rolled around, Jim would typically go out early in the week to meet with his PGA Tour clients, coming home midweek. This was his schedule for the 1996 tournament.

As the tournament unfolded, Jim and I talked about going to Oakland Hills if Tom was in the hunt as he had been the previous year at Shinnecock. After Friday's round Tom was at 141 and out of the top ten. "Looks like our plan was just that," said Jim on Friday night.  

Things took a dramatic turn on Saturday with Tom, for the second year in a row, going low and jumping into the lead. His 65 at Oakland Hills was the low round of the tournament. He was in the final group again.

"Are you in?" Jim asked on the phone Saturday night. "There's a flight at 8:00 AM. I can have someone pick us up. With the time time change we'll get to the course by 11:30, easily."

Some of the best memories in life come from spur of the moment ideas and decisions. This was one of those times. I wanted to be there when Tom won the US Open. What friend wouldn't? The question had been called. "I'm in."

At 8:00 AM the plane pulled back from the ramp, taxied down the runway and took off. Like clockwork we were in Detroit, caught our ride and were at Oakland Hills and the final round of the 1996 US Open by 11:15.

At the time I was a USGA Committee member with a badge granting access to all areas including "players and officials only" at every USGA event. As a player agent, Jim had access into the tournament and with my "magic USGA button" we could wander freely.  

There is something about the excitement of a US Open. It's not just another Sunday tournament round. There's a palpable sense of the importance of the day. The emotional makeup of great players to be able to respond to the high heat of a Sunday at the US Open is something I cannot comprehend. Tom was now there in the final pairing for the second year in a row. 

At Shinnecock in 1995, tied for the lead with Greg Norman, he was bested by Corey Pavin who shot a final round 68 to beat Greg Norman by two. Tom faltered on the back side to 74, for third place.

"Hi, Cal Simmons," I said, as the Aussie Frank Nobilo sat down with us in the player grill to have a bite before heading to the first tee. Eventually finishing 13th, few remember the TV analyst as a  good player 20 years ago. Young amateur Tiger Woods was on the practice tee as we wandered down to watch 55 year old Jack Nicklaus warm up before playing the final round in his 40th consecutive US Open. Watching golf professionals hit practice balls is an education in just how good the players are. Every ball is struck solidly with the identical ball flight and movement.  During a round, tension and the mind enter into the equation. On the practice tee, it's a free flowing swing with rhythm and balance.

The crowds were enormous as the 2:20 starting time approached. Tom was paired with Steve Jones who was one shot back. In the pressure cooker of the day, it was a good pairing because the two competitors were friends from Scottsdale, AZ.

"Now on the tee for the 2:20 starting time, from Scottsdale, AZ, Tom Lehman," announced the starter. The crowd went completely silent. Tom went through his pre shot routine, made a good swing hitting it down the right side of the fairway, but landed in the rough. 

As Tom left the first tee with his long time caddie Andy Martinez on the Taylor Made logo bag, I was certain this was the year Tom would win the Open. Some may remember it was Andy that was on Johnny Miller's bag during his hay day in the 70's. Tom and Andy were leaving the first tee in the final group, together for the second consecutive year. Experience like that on the bag is invaluable.

Always considered a much better ball striker than he was a putter, Tom's success in several US Opens could be attributed to his straight driving.  However, it was the distance control with his irons that was so impressive. Moving his shot from right to left, the ball would come up next to the hole over and over again. As close as Tom hit it to the hole, he didn't have to be a great putter to do well at the Open and on tour.  

By the third tee it was obvious there were way too many people for us to follow along.  "This is ridiculous," I said, as we stood ten deep around the third tee.  "I have the magic button, you're Tom's brother and agent - let's slip inside and walk along the ropes."

"Really? We don't want to cause a problem here," said Jim.  

"What are they going to do?  If we are questioned we will just go back behind the ropes," I assured him. 

"Ok, let's give it a shot."

We ducked inside with some trepidation and started our march around the course. We watched two towering players in the game go toe to toe, hitting great shot after great shot.

Tom bogeyed the first hole but then birdied three of the next six holes, giving him a three shot lead.  

Walking from the 7th green to the 8th tee we cut across the players walkway, a few steps in front of Tom. He looked directly at and right through us. He was so focused he was oblivious to everything around him, including his brother. His eyes were big and had a glassy look. We could have shouted at him and he wouldn't have heard us.

Jones made a birdie at the 9th hole to cut the lead to 2 shots at the turn. Even though both players were playing solidly, there was still the feeling that Tom was in control.

"He needs to make a couple of birdies and he'll have it", said Jim, as we walked to the 10th tee.  "His ball striking is at the top, he just needs to make a couple of putts." 

An errant drive into the rough led to a bogey at the 10th and narrowed the lead to one. This was followed by a Jones birdie at 11.  All even.

At the fateful 12th, a 560 yard par five, both players hit good drives and had a decision to make, to go for the green or not. Jones chose to lay up to about 80 yards.  

The hole location was in the back right of a large, narrow green, with a bunker hard up against the back right center of the green.  

As we stood watching, the same thought ran through our minds.  "He's going to have to make a birdie here. Jones will. This hole is the best opportunity the rest of the way," I said.

Andy Martinez went over the distance to the hole and discussed the shot. A great shot here could mean an eagle and give tremendous momentum to the round. Tom pulled the club and went through his pre shot routine. He was going to hit driver from the fairway!  

"Can you believe this?" said Jim. "There are so many bad things that can happen with that club."

"I agree.  A high risk play."

The club came back and changed direction at the top of the swing perfectly. The strike was solid, the ball flew high and true, the characteristic twitch with his head evident as he watched.

"Great shot!" a spectator next to me yelled. It was a wonderful shot but, with the firm USGA greens, stopping a driver landing on a green is nearly impossible. The ball landed in the right middle of the green, took one bounce and was in the bunker.  Adrenalin caused him to hit it further than he thought he could. Instead of landing on the up slope in front of the green, kicking up and stopping on the green, the ball carried onto the green and over into the bunker.

Just like a machine, Steve Jones hit it to five feet. The strength of Jones' game was his putting.  He would not miss a putt of this length. Tom had to hit a great bunker shot to stop the momentum that had moved to his fellow competitor.  

As he walked up onto the green and saw the ball, he knew he had a serious problem. The ball was below his feet with a severe down slope to the hole onto a rock hard surface. If he went directly at the hole he would not keep the ball on the green. After a lengthy discussion with Andy on how to play the shot, he took his best option - a bunker shot away from the hole. It ended up nearly 50 feet away from the hole.

It was a very unsettling situation. Just a few minutes earlier he had been looking at trying to make a three or a four. After the best bunker shot he could make, he was going to be lucky to make five. And, after a poor lag and a missed ten foot par attempt, he left the green having made bogey. Tom traded the chance of making an eagle for the possibility of making a bogey and lost.

When Steve Jones putted well, few were better. Jones poured in his five foot putt and suddenly, walking to the 13th tee, he was in the lead by two. Jones had made three birdies in four holes while Tom was two over.  

Jim and I were stunned as we made our way up the rough on 13.  How could this have happened?  Suddenly a young woman with a headset on, wearing a USGA shirt, approached us saying, "What are you guys doing?"  Somehow she had spotted us inside the ropes with no obvious credentials.

"I'm a USGA committeeman," I said reaching into my pocket for my badge to prove my statement, "and this is Jim Lehman, Tom's brother.  We're walking along the ropes, out of the way."

She looked at us for what seemed like the longest time and then said, "Okay, stay back and you are good."  

"Wow, how about that!" I said. 

Tom bounced back hitting great shots and good putts all the way in.  He had terrible luck at #16 when a putt going for the middle of the hole spun out. Then, on the 205 yard uphill #17, he hit a 6 iron that he called "the best shot of the week". It flew over the top of the flag stick and, with one bounce, was in the rough. It required all his talent to get it up and down for par.

In the mean time, Jones was hanging on and made a bogey at #17. They arrived at the 18th tee all even.  

The anxiety, tension, and anticipation flowed through my body. "How do these guys perform in this situation?" I asked Jim.  "Unbelievable."

Tom was up first. The 18th fairway sloped severely right to left with a very penal bunker on the left of the fairway starting at about 260 yards from the tee. The safe play was to hit a 3 wood that would finish short of the bunker, even if it took a severe left bounce from the middle of the fairway. That's what Andy Martinez lobbied for. However, if Tom could hit driver and avoid the bunker, he would have an uphill shot of 140 or so yards, to a fairly exposed hole location.  

And that's what he chose to do, hitting a solid drive where he wanted, down the right center of the fairway. "Looks good," I said, watching the ball in flight. Then, watching in disbelief, the ball took a huge bounce straight left into the death bunker.  

"How can that happen?" Jim said. But it did and now Tom would need a miracle to make a par.

Jones made the safe play hitting 3 wood down the middle finishing perfectly on the left center of the fairway.  He then hit a solid shot onto the green twenty feet from the hole.

It was anticlimactic.  Tom hit as good a shot as he could but only advanced the ball to 75 yards from the hole. While somewhat open, the hole was cut in a difficult sloping position and Tom was unable to get it up and down. Jones two putted and was the US Open Champion.

The aggressive plays on the 12th and 18th holes bit him.  "A bogey on a par five on the back nine hurts a lot," said Tom in the press tent.

Was he trying too hard to make something happen, while Jones took a more conservative route both times just letting it happen?

"I have never seen Tom with such a look of disappointment," his brother Jim would say later. Devastating. 

"One of these times it will happen," said Andy Martinez.

Three weeks later Tom would win The British Open Championship and achieve the world's #1 status. Andy was right. Tom was the greatest player in the world with a unequaled record of being in contention in the US Open, British Open and Masters during the mid-nineties. It was exciting to be around it.

It was a long plane ride home thinking about the day. Watching a friend, from inside the ropes,  almost win the US Open Championship was quite a thrill in A Life In Golf.