1996 U.S. Open Winner and Scores
The 1996 U.S. Open was the 96th edition of this major championship tournament. It produced a surprise winner, a golfer completing a long comeback from injuries.
Winner: Steve Jones, 278
Where it was played: Oakland Hills Country Club in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan
Tournament dates: June 13-16, 1996
Leader after first round: Woody Austin and Payne Stewart, 67
Leader after second round: Payne Stewart, 138
Leader after third round: Tom Lehman, 208
What Happened in the 1996 U.S. Open
Steve Jones, who was off the tour for three years in the early 1990s due to injuries, capped his comeback with a major championship title. And he capped this victory by being the only one of the three contenders to not bogey the tournament's final hole.Jones was a PGA Tour player of great promise in the late 1980s. He got his first tour win in 1988, and won three times in 1989. But in 1991 he was involved in a serious dirt bike accident, sustaining multiple injuries including to a shoulder and ankle. There was some question whether he would be able to resume his PGA Tour career. But after missing three years, Jones returned to the tour in 1994. And the 1996 U.S. Open was his first victory since the accident.
Jones, who got into this event through sectional qualifying, trailed by one stroke entering the final round. He battled third-round leader Tom Lehman plus Davis Love III through the last 18 holes. Love bogeyed the last two holes, including a 3-foot par miss on the last hole. Lehman and Jones were tied on the 72nd tee, but Lehman missed a 15-foot par putt. But Jones was able to two-putt for par and the trophy.
Tiger Woods, still an amateur, completed the U.S. Open for the first time in his career and tied for 82nd place. (He entered the previous year but withdrew with an injury.)
1996 U.S. Open Final Scores
| Steve Jones | 74-66-69-69—278 |
| Davis Love III | 71-69-70-69—279 |
| Tom Lehman | 71-72-65-71—279 |
| John Morse | 68-74-68-70—280 |
| Ernie Els | 72-67-72-70—281 |
| Jim Furyk | 72-69-70-70—281 |
| Scott Hoch | 73-71-71-67—282 |
| Vijay Singh | 71-72-70-69—282 |
| Ken Green | 73-67-72-70—282 |
| Lee Janzen | 68-75-71-69—283 |
| Greg Norman | 73-66-74-70—283 |
| Colin Montgomerie | 70-72-69-72—283 |
| Dan Forsman | 72-71-70-71—284 |
| Tom Watson | 70-71-71-72—284 |
| Frank Nobilo | 69-71-70-74—284 |
| Nick Faldo | 72-71-72-70—285 |
| David Berganio | 69-72-72-72—285 |
| Mark O'Meara | 72-73-68-72—285 |
| Mark Brooks | 76-68-69-72—285 |
| John Cook | 70-71-71-73—285 |
| Stewart Cink | 69-73-70-73—285 |
| Sam Torrance | 71-69-71-74—285 |
| Brad Bryant | 73-71-74-68—286 |
| Peter Jacobsen | 71-74-70-71—286 |
| Billy Andrade | 72-69-72-73—286 |
| Woody Austin | 67-72-72-75—286 |
| Curtis Strange | 74-73-71-69—287 |
| Peter Jordan | 71-74-72-70—287 |
| Jack Nicklaus | 72-74-69-72—287 |
| Payne Stewart | 67-71-76-73—287 |
| John Daly | 72-69-73-73—287 |
| Mike Swartz | 72-72-74-70—288 |
| Tom Purtzer | 76-71-71-70—288 |
| Billy Mayfair | 72-71-74-71—288 |
| Brett Ogle | 70-75-72-71—288 |
| Steve Gotsche | 72-70-74-72—288 |
| Michael Campbell | 70-73-73-72—288 |
| Anders Forsbrand | 74-71-71-72—288 |
| Sean Murphy | 71-75-68-74—288 |
| Lucas Parsons | 75-71-73-70—289 |
| J.L. Lewis | 76-69-73-71—289 |
| Bob Ford | 69-77-72-71—289 |
| Scott Simpson | 70-71-76-72—289 |
| Wayne Riley | 73-69-74-73—289 |
| Steve Elkington | 72-70-74-73—289 |
| Tommy Tolles | 77-68-71-73—289 |
| Corey Pavin | 73-70-72-74—289 |
| Kirk Triplett | 70-73-72-74—289 |
| Loren Roberts | 72-73-69-75—289 |
| Wayne Westner | 72-75-74-69—290 |
| Bob Gilder | 73-72-75-70—290 |
| Kenny Perry | 73-71-75-71—290 |
| Jeff Sluman | 70-74-74-72—290 |
| Joey Gullion | 73-72-73-72—290 |
| Hale Irwin | 72-71-73-74—290 |
| Alexander Cejka | 74-70-72-74—290 |
| Michael Bradley | 71-74-71-74—290 |
| Kelly Gibson | 71-73-71-75—290 |
| Justin Leonard | 71-76-67-76—290 |
| Steve Stricker | 74-71-75-71—291 |
| Steve Lowery | 73-74-73-71—291 |
| Bill Porter | 73-75-72-71—291 |
| Bill Murchison | 76-68-74-73—291 |
| a-Randy Leen | 77-71-70-73—291 |
| David Gilford | 74-69-74-74—291 |
| Dennis Harrington | 75-71-71-74—291 |
| David Duval | 75-72-75-70—292 |
| Andrew Morse | 76-72-74-70—292 |
| Paul Azinger | 69-74-78-71—292 |
| Frank Lickliter II | 75-71-73-73—292 |
| Jumbo Ozaki | 69-72-77-74—292 |
| Costantino Rocca | 71-74-73-74—292 |
| Wayne Grady | 71-75-72-74—292 |
| David Ogrin | 72-74-72-74—292 |
| Peter O'Malley | 75-73-70-74—292 |
| Curt Byrum | 70-76-71-75—292 |
| Jim Gallagher Jr. | 71-72-73-76—292 |
| Bob Tway | 72-75-68-77—292 |
| a-Trip Kuehne | 79-69-73-72—293 |
| Michael Christie | 72-75-72-74—293 |
| Ian Woosnam | 72-72-74-75—293 |
| a-Tiger Woods | 76-69-77-72—294 |
| John Huston | 73-72-76-73—294 |
| Kent Jones | 71-74-76-73—294 |
| Skip Kendall | 77-71-73-73—294 |
| Scott McCarron | 72-72-75-75—294 |
| Tom Kite | 76-71-72-75—294 |
| Brad Faxon | 70-72-76-76—294 |
| Neal Lancaster | 74-67-74-79—294 |
| Craig Parry | 70-76-75-74—295 |
| Javier Sanchez | 71-76-74-74—295 |
| Jack O'Keefe | 72-71-76-76—295 |
| Jay Haas | 73-72-74-76—295 |
| Anthony Rodriguez | 71-77-76-72—296 |
| Tom Pernice Jr. | 74-72-74-76—296 |
| Phil Mickelson | 76-71-73-76—296 |
| Jeff Maggert | 75-69-81-72—297 |
| Jim Thorpe | 75-71-78-73—297 |
| Blaine McCallister | 71-75-76-75—297 |
| Philip Walton | 69-73-78-77—297 |
| Omar Uresti | 76-72-74-76—298 |
| Olin Browne | 73-70-76-79—298 |
| Gary Trivisonno | 69-75-78-77—299 |
| Mark Wiebe | 74-74-75-77—300 |
| a-Steve Scott | 71-73-81-76—301 |
| Rich Yokota | 79-67-76-79—301 |
| Mike Burke Jr, | 78-70-77-77—302 |
| Shawn Kelly | 73-75-79-82—309 |
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