UNKNOWN WINS U.S. OPEN

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33878, 25 June 1975, Page 30

UNKNOWN WINS U.S. OPEN

(N.Z.P A.Reuter—Copyright) MEDINAH, (Illinois). As an army private back in the 1960 s Lou Graham stood guard at the tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Washington. Today, at the age of 37, in his eleventh year as a golf professional, Graham is the "unknown United States Open champion.” Like Hale Irwin at Winged Foot last June, the laconic Tennessean came from out of the pack—and obscurity—on Monday to win the seventyfifth United States Open golf championship at the Medinah country club. Characteristically, Graham did it in workmanlike—although at times spectacular —fashion, shooting an evenpar 71 to defeat John Mahaffey by two strokes in an 18-hole play-off before a small gallery of about 5000 spectators. In a play-off match devoid of drama—and which at times had the air of a club exhibition—Graham took a one-stroke lead when he birdied the fourth hole and held the advantage throughout. A par-four at the eighteenth hole, where Graham ran in a 12ft putt after hit-

ting his drive into the rough, ensured his victory after Mahaffev also had narred the hole. Graham, playing solidly throughout, out-drove his younger rival on practically every hole, was deadly accurate on most of his approach shots, and putted brilliantly.