Breaking down miller’s 63

hich gets us back to Miller. He was 26 when he won at Oakmont, yet to embark on his January 1974 through January 1975 run of 10 victories—the last three by margins of eight, 14 and nine strokes— that would establish him as a historic golfer whose capacity for “hot” has been matched only by Woods. But the seeds were planted with Miller’s 63, which still has more bona fides than any other. It was shot in the championship designed to be the hardest. The place was Oakmont, historically the toughest of all U.S. Open sites, which was then a par 71 (35-36), not the par 70 it first became in 2007. It was shot in the last round, one Miller started six strokes behind the leader, trailing a pack of 12 golfers that included Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino, Player, Nicklaus, Julius Boros, Gene Littler, Weiskopf and Jerry Heard. Miller took the lead on the back nine, ending his round with two birdie putts that lipped out. All told, it’s why the first 63 remains the best.

Miller will tell you about it. His frequent references to the round— especially as a commentator—have caused a backlash. When he says things like, “I mean, it was sort of an easy 63—pretty pure,” Miller, now 69, seems a victim of “the older I get, the better I used to be” syndrome. But his playing partner that day at Oakmont, Miller Barber, said, “It very easily could have been 60.” A closer look reveals Miller’s round has mostly been underappreciated.