Johnny Miller makes emotional return to U.S. Open, public eye

LOS ANGELES — After Johnny Miller completed his Monday follow spherical on the 1973 U.S. Open at Oakmont, a mysterious fan approached him by the 18th inexperienced and advised him he was going to win that week.  

“I’m never wrong,” the lady stated, as Miller remembers it. “You don’t have to worry; you’re going to win.”

The subsequent day, she reappeared and relayed the identical message. And once more on Wednesday. And Thursday. And Friday, too. Even on Saturday, after Miller had posted a third-round 76 that left him a distant six off the lead, his fortune-telling good friend was nonetheless portending that Miller would prevail.

“I never saw her again after that,” Miller stated Wednesday throughout a press convention on the 123rd U.S. Open. “I was a little bit down on the fact that — not because she wasn’t there, but [because] I was starting to believe her, that I was going to win. I went to the practice tee on Sunday, and I was not very hopeful at all. I wasn’t even a little bit hopeful that I had a chance because I saw the guys that were in front of me on the leaderboard.”

Palmer, Weiskopf, Trevino, Nicklaus, Player. A assassin’s row of contenders.

Miller would want to do one thing magical, and if even solely somewhat golf historical past, that’s precisely what occurred subsequent. Miller hit 18 greens in regulation — with 10 of his method photographs stopping inside 15 toes of the opening — and wanted solely 29 putts. On a day when solely three different gamers broke 70, Miller posted a surprising seven-birdie 63 to win by one.

“It was like somebody was helping me up there,” he stated, his voice cracking and eyes welling. “It was not a normal round.”

Miller has spoken of that Sunday extra occasions than anybody can rely, with element that not often lacks for bluster and bravado. There’s a operating joke amongst golf writers that if you would like to understand how good that spherical was, simply ask Miller. And but…effectively, it’s been some time since Miller has revisited that Open in a room filled with media. In truth, since he retired from his NBC asserting submit in 2019, it’s been some time since we’ve seen him in any respect.

“I’ve been sort of not available for press things since I retired,” he stated. “I just wanted to sort of walk away like “Dandy” Don Meredith. Remember how he walked away? I used to be like, that’s cool.” (Meredith, the star quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys within the Nineteen Sixties, unexpectedly retired from the NFL earlier than the 1969 season.)

Miller wasn’t drawn up the coast from his Monterey, Calif., residence to L.A. this week to regale reporters with tales from Oakmont. He got here to obtain an honor: the USGA’s Bob Jones Award, which acknowledges “an individual who demonstrates the spirit, personal character and respect for the game.” The USGA gave the award to Miller at a dinner Tuesday evening, at which Miller stated, “There was a lot of good feelings, a lot of emotion, a lot of tears. We brought tears to a lot of people’s eyes, and mine. I was sleeping like a rock this morning. Normally I wake up at 6 a.m. every morning. I think I could have slept until 9. It was emotional.”

Among the audio system who honored Miller was his son Todd, who’s the director of golf at Brigham Young University, in Utah. “We’re really tight, the two of us, and he made me sort of break down, in a nice way,” Miller stated. “I don’t mind breaking down if it’s from the heart.”

Miller was glassy-eyed for a lot of his Tuesday press convention, too. Talking golf can do this to the sport’s legends. Miller reminisced of studying the sport within the basement of his San Francisco residence, the place his father hung “a bunch of Army surplus World War II canvas” into which younger Johnny may beat balls. He credited the hilly programs round his residence for serving to him to turn into such a sound iron participant. (You had to have the ability to brush that grass,” he stated.) He recalled the very best piece of recommendation he ever heard from Lee Trevino: “If you’re choking, buddy, just hit it low. It doesn’t have time to get off line.”

For a man who has been reluctant to sit for interviews, he regarded and appeared like there was no place else he’d reasonably be.

Alan Bastable

Golf.com Editor

As GOLF.com’s govt editor, Bastable is answerable for the editorial route and voice of one of many sport’s most revered and extremely trafficked information and repair websites. He wears many hats — modifying, writing, ideating, growing, daydreaming of sooner or later breaking 80 — and feels privileged to work with such an insanely gifted and hardworking group of writers, editors and producers. Before grabbing the reins at GOLF.com, he was the options editor at GOLF Magazine. A graduate of the University of Richmond and the Columbia School of Journalism, he lives in New Jersey along with his spouse and foursome of youngsters.