Largest 54-Hole Leads Lost in U.S. Open

What is the largest lead after three rounds of a U.S. Open by a golfer who failed to win it? In the tournament's history, only three golfers have held leads of four or more after 54 holes and not gone on to win. And the biggest blown 54-hole lead is five strokes.

That's a very small number of blown leads of four or more for a tournament that dates to 1895 (72-hole U.S. Opens began in 1898). The primary reason for that is there haven't been a whole lot of 54-hole leads of four or more even by golfers who did go on to win. The U.S. Open is a major championship that tends to remain closely contested through the first three rounds.

Largest 54-Hole Leads in U.S. Open by Non-Winners

These are the biggest leads after three rounds of a U.S. Open by golfers who did not go on to win that year:

• 5 strokes — Mike Brady, 1919 U.S. Open. Led Walter Hagen by five after 54 holes, wound up losing to Hagen in an 18-hole playoff. Scored 80 in final round to Hagen's 75.
• 4 strokes — Payne Stewart, 1998 U.S. Open. Led Tom Lehman and Bob Tway by four following the third round, finished in second place by one stroke to Lee Janzen. Shot 74 in final round to Janzen's 68.
• 4 strokes — Shane Lowry, 2016 U.S. Open. Led by four over Andrew Landry and Dustin Johnson after the third round, finished in a tie for second, three behind Johnson. Lowry scored 76 in final round to Johnson's 69.

Mike Brady's loss in 1919 must have been particularly painful because he had to suffer through Hagen's showmanship. When Hagen reached the 72nd hole, he had a 10-foot putt to win outright. Hagen sent word to the clubhouse: He wanted Brady to come back to greenside to watch Hagen "win the U.S. Open." But Hagen missed that putt, so they tied at 301. In the next-day, 18-hole playoff, though, Hagen beat Brady by one, 77 to 78.

Alas, that was not the first time Brady blew a multi-stroke, third-round lead in this tournament. In the 1912 U.S. Open, Brady led by three following the third round, but finished tied for third, five behind winner Johnny McDermott.

In 1998, Stewart's lead over the second-place golfers was four following the third round, but he led Janzen by five. It was Janzen's second U.S. Open victory. And Stewart already had two U.S. Open wins, too. Stewart added a third one a year later in the 1999 U.S. Open, a few months before he was killed in a plane crash.

Related articles:

• Biggest comeback wins after 54 holes in U.S. Open
• Most U.S. Open appearances and consecutive starts
• More U.S. Open tournament records

Sources:
United States Golf Association. U.S. Open Championship 126th Record Book, 2026, All-Time Records.