1997 U.S. Open Golf Tournament Winner, Scores
The 1997 U.S. Open was the 97th edition of the tournament. And while it wasn't easy, The Big Easy (aka Ernie Els) earned another victory.
Winner: Ernie Els, 276
Where it was played: Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Maryland
Tournament dates: June 12-15, 1997
Leader after first round: Colin Montgomerie, 65
Leader after second round: Tom Lehman, 137
Leader after third round: Tom Lehman, 205
What Happened in the 1997 U.S. Open
Ernie Els won his second U.S. Open title by one stroke over Colin Montgomerie at the 1997 U.S. Open, just three years after Els had beaten Montgomerie in a playoff in another Open. At the 1994 U.S. Open, Els, Monty and Loren Roberts played an 18-hole playoff. Els won that playoff in extra holes for his first major championship title.Here in 1997, Els began the final round two strokes behind the 36- and 54-hole leader, Tom Lehman. Montgomerie was three back of Lehman, one behind Els. In the final round, Els and Mongomerie matched 69s, while Lehman scored 73.
Lehman was in the mix throughout the final round, but hit a ball into water on the 71st hole and finished in third. Montgomerie also bogeyed the 71st hole, the dropped stroke that provided Els' final margin of victory.
After playing the tournament twice while still an amateur, Tiger Woods made his professional debut in the U.S. Open and tied for 19th place. Two months earlier, he had won his first major at the 1997 Masters. Fuzzy Zoeller, 1984 U.S. Open champ, tied for 28th place, the last time he made the cut in a U.S. Open.
1997 U.S. Open Final Scores
| Ernie Els | 71-67-69-69—276 |
| Colin Montgomerie | 65-76-67-69—277 |
| Tom Lehman | 67-70-68-73—278 |
| Jeff Maggert | 73-66-68-74—281 |
| Bob Tway | 71-71-70-70—282 |
| Jim Furyk | 74-68-69-71—282 |
| Olin Browne | 71-71-69-71—282 |
| Jay Haas | 73-69-68-72—282 |
| Tommy Tolles | 74-67-69-72—282 |
| Scott McCarron | 73-71-69-70—283 |
| Scott Hoch | 71-68-72-72—283 |
| David Ogrin | 70-69-71-73—283 |
| Loren Roberts | 72-69-72-71—284 |
| Stewart Cink | 71-67-74-72—284 |
| Billy Andrade | 75-67-69-73—284 |
| Bradley Hughes | 75-70-71-69—285 |
| Jose Maria Olazabal | 71-71-72-71—285 |
| Davis Love III | 75-70-69-71—285 |
| Nick Price | 71-74-71-70—286 |
| Lee Westwood | 71-71-73-71—286 |
| Tiger Woods | 74-67-73-72—286 |
| Paul Stankowski | 75-70-68-73—286 |
| Hal Sutton | 66-73-73-74—286 |
| Len Mattiace | 71-75-73-68—287 |
| Scott Dunlap | 75-66-75-71—287 |
| Edward Fryatt | 72-73-73-69—287 |
| Steve Elkington | 75-68-72-72—287 |
| Paul Goydos | 73-72-74-69—288 |
| Paul Azinger | 72-72-74-70—288 |
| Payne Stewart | 71-73-73-71—288 |
| Mark McNulty | 67-73-75-73—288 |
| Hideki Kase | 68-73-73-74—288 |
| Fuzzy Zoeller | 72-73-69-74—288 |
| Kelly Gibson | 72-69-72-75—288 |
| Jeff Sluman | 69-72-72-75—288 |
| Justin Leonard | 69-72-78-70—289 |
| Grant Waite | 72-74-72-71—289 |
| Steve Stricker | 66-76-75-72—289 |
| Mark O'Meara | 73-73-71-72—289 |
| Stuart Appleby | 71-75-70-73—289 |
| John Cook | 72-71-71-75—289 |
| Frank Nobilo | 71-74-70-74—289 |
| Darren Clarke | 73-74-73-70—290 |
| Phil Mickelson | 75-68-73-74—290 |
| Fred Funk | 73-70-72-75—290 |
| Chris Perry | 70-73-71-76—290 |
| Craig Parry | 70-74-69-77—290 |
| Jesper Parnevik | 72-75-73-71—291 |
| David Duval | 74-73-70-74—291 |
| Nick Faldo | 72-74-69-76—291 |
| David White | 70-72-73-77—292 |
| Lee Janzen | 72-73-75-73—293 |
| Jack Nicklaus | 73-71-75-74—293 |
| Hale Irwin | 70-73-76-74—293 |
| Fred Couples | 75-72-72-74—293 |
| Peter Teravainen | 71-73-74-75—293 |
| Paul Broadhurst | 77-69-72-75—293 |
| Larry Mize | 70-74-76-74—294 |
| Clarence Rose | 72-71-73-78—294 |
| Chris Smith | 77-69-74-75—295 |
| Duffy Waldorf | 73-73-73-76—295 |
| Rodney Butcher | 73-74-70-78—295 |
| Steve Jones | 72-75-69-79—295 |
| Tom Watson | 72-74-72-78—296 |
| Dave Schreyer | 68-73-82-74—297 |
| Ben Crenshaw | 73-74-76-74—297 |
| Brad Faxon | 72-74-76-75—297 |
| Tom Kite | 75-69-82-72—298 |
| Mike Hulbert | 73-73-77-75—298 |
| Greg Kraft | 77-69-76-76—298 |
| John Morse | 71-74-76-77—298 |
| Stephen Ames | 73-73-75-77—298 |
| Thomas Bjorn | 71-75-73-79—298 |
| Jimmy Green | 75-72-79-73—299 |
| Randy Wylie | 71-76-77-76—300 |
| Andrew Coltart | 74-71-76-79—300 |
| Dick Mast | 73-69-83-76—301 |
| Greg Towne | 71-73-83-74—301 |
| Vijay Singh | 71-76-77-77—301 |
| Perry Parker | 75-71-77-78—301 |
| Donnie Hammond | 75-71-76-79—301 |
| Jacob Ferenz | 72-75-80-76—303 |
| Marco Dawson | 75-71-80-78—304 |
| Slade Adams | 71-74-78-83—306 |
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