1980 U.S. Senior Open Winner and Scores
Winner: Roberto De Vicenzo, 285
Where it was played: Winged Foot Golf Club (East Course) in Mamaroneck, New York
Tournament dates: June 26-29, 1980
Leaders after first round: Mike Fetchick, Charlie Sifford, Ted Kroll, a-Bill Tromley, 72
Leader after second round: a-William Campbell, 144
Leader after third round: Roberto De Vicenzo, 215
What Happened in the 1980 U.S. Senior Open
The United States Golf Association's U.S. Senior Open debuted in 1980 on the East Course at Winged Foot, with Roberto De Vicenzo emerging as the new tournament's first champion. The USGA used a 55-and-over age limit for its new championship, that age limit being commonly used at the time in senior amateur tournaments (including the USGA's U.S. Senior Amateur). Unfortunately, that age limit excluded the world's most popular golfer, 50-year-old Arnold Palmer. One year later, the USGA lowered the age eligibility to 50, and Palmer won the 1981 U.S. Senior Open.Here, De Vicenzo, the 1967 British Open champion, was 57 years old. The Senior PGA Tour (now known as PGA Tour Champions) debuted just one week earlier with a tournament from which De Vicenzo had to withdraw — he had the flu. But a week later, he was clearly feeling much better.
He was two off the lead after the first round, and three behind following the second round. But De Vicenzo surged into the lead with a third-round 68, tied for low round of the tournament.
At the start of the final round, Art Wall was in second place, two back, and amateur William (Bill) Campbell was five off the pace. De Vicenzo carded a final-round 70 to win by four over Campbell. Campbell, the 1964 U.S. Amateur winner, scored 32 on the final nine, with birdies at three of the final four holes, to pass Wall for second place.
De Vicenzo remained the tournament's oldest winner until Allen Doyle, nine months older, won the 2006 U.S. Senior Open (and Doyle's record has since been broken). Campbell's 289 remained the tournament's lowest final score by an amateur until 2005.
1980 U.S. Senior Open Final Scores
| Roberto De Vicenzo | 74-73-68-70—285 |
| a-William Campbell | 76-68-76-69—289 |
| Art Wall | 74-71-72-73—290 |
| Charles Sifford | 72-77-71-75—295 |
| a-Ed Tutwiler | 81-72-68-75—296 |
| Hampton Auld | 75-73-74-74—296 |
| Mike Fetchick | 72-77-78-69—296 |
| Julius Boros | 73-73-74-77—297 |
| Ted Kroll | 72-77-71-77—297 |
| Gaylon Simon | 76-74-76-72—298 |
| Tommy Bolt | 77-72-72-78—299 |
| Fred Hawkins | 74-75-73-77—299 |
| Jay Hebert | 80-73-75-71—299 |
| Jerry Barber | 79-73-75-73—300 |
| Jack Fleck | 76-74-78-73—301 |
| Fred Haas | 76-75-78-72—301 |
| Bob Duden | 76-72-77-77—302 |
| George Thomas | 75-75-78-74—302 |
| a-Lew Oehmig | 75-75-77-75—302 |
| Jim Shaw | 80-75-72-76—303 |
| Bill Johnston | 73-78-76-77—304 |
| Al Besselink | 75-72-79-78—304 |
| Travis Hudson | 77-79-75-74—305 |
| Doug Ford | 79-77-77-73—306 |
| Jackson Bradley | 73-79-77-77—306 |
| a-John Kline | 74-82-73-78—307 |
| Chuck Scally | 76-75-76-80—307 |
| William Kozak | 77-72-80-78—307 |
| a-Don Adderton | 79-75-78-76—308 |
| Eli Morovich | 73-78-75-82—308 |
| Herman Scharlau | 76-75-79-78—308 |
| Vernon Thwaites | 76-78-72-83—309 |
| Joe Sodd | 75-76-79-79—309 |
| Murry Jacobs | 78-78-80-73—309 |
| a-Nick Weslock | 80-73-76-81—310 |
| a-Bill Trombley | 72-77-83-79—311 |
| a-Glenn Johnson | 79-76-80-76—311 |
| Bob Gajda | 74-80-76-82—312 |
| a-W. Brown McDonald | 77-76-77-82—312 |
| a-Kenneth Weavil | 76-79-76-83—314 |
| Hans Merrell | 80-74-81-79—314 |
| Milon Marusic | 79-77-80-79—315 |
| a-Robert Cochran | 79-73-82-81—315 |
| Art Doering | 79-77-75-85—316 |
| Mike Homa | 76-79-80-82—317 |
| a-Dale Morey | 81-75-79-83—318 |
| a-Fletcher Wall | 78-76-80-84—318 |
| a-Richard Remsen | 81-75-84-79—319 |
| a-Robert Morris | 78-78-84-80—320 |
| a-Harry Welch | 83-73-81-85—322 |
| Bill Chaddock | 79-76-88-91—334 |
Next:
1981 U.S. Senior Open
Sources:
Fields, Bill. "1980: A New Championship Begins," USGA, August 8, 2016, https://www.usga.org/championships/2016/u-s--senior-open/articles/1980--the-birth-of-the-u-s--senior-open.html.
United States Golf Association. Official USGA Record Book, 1895-1990, Triumph Books, 1992.
United States Golf Association. U.S. Senior Open, Tournament Records, https://championships.usga.org/content/championships/ussenioropen/u-s--senior-open-records.html.
