1985 U.S. Senior Open Winner and Scores
Winner: Miller Barber, 285
Where it was played: Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course in Stateline, Nevada
Tournament dates: June 27-30, 1985
Leader after first round: Walt Zembriski, 68
Leader after second round: Walt Zembriski, 141
Leader after third round: Miller Barber, 214
What Happened in the 1985 U.S. Senior Open
Miller Barber took the lead in the third round, then started the final round hot to notch his third win five years in the U.S. Senior Open in 1985. Barber also won this trophy in 1982 and 1984. He thus became, by winning here, the tournament's first back-to-back champion, and its first 3-time winner. (Another 3-time winner didn't come along until the 2026 U.S. Senior Open.)Barber won 11 times in his PGA Tour career, but this was his 16th career win on the Champions Tour (then called the Senior PGA Tour). He went on to 24 total senior victories. It was the fifth and last of his senior major championship wins.
Unheralded Walt Zembriski had a 2-stroke lead following a first-round 68, which wound up being one of just two sub-70 scores in the entire tournament. Zembriski still led after Round 2, but a 78 in Round 3 knocked him out of contention. He finished tied fourth, but nine strokes behind.
Barber was three off the lead following the first round, two behind after the second. But a score of 71 in Round 3 was good enough to push him into the lead, and by three strokes over second-place Roberto De Vicenzo (whose 68 in Round 2 was the other sub-70 round).
Barber ended any possible drama early in the final round by birdieing three of his first four holes. He carded another 71 in the final round, De Vicenzo a 72, and Barber won by four strokes.
The high scoring this year produced a 36-hole cut at 158, 14-over par. That remains today the highest cut in U.S. Senior Open history.
1985 U.S. Senior Open Final Scores
| Miller Barber | 71-72-71-71—285 |
| Roberto De Vicenzo | 74-68-75-72—289 |
| Gay Brewer | 73-71-76-71—291 |
| Peter Thomson | 70-77-74-73—294 |
| Walter Zembriski | 68-73-78-75—294 |
| Harold Henning | 75-73-75-72—295 |
| Jack Fleck | 76-77-74-70—297 |
| Lee Elder | 75-73-75-75—298 |
| Jim King | 72-78-75-73—298 |
| Gene Littler | 75-76-74-73—298 |
| Orville Moody | 75-78-76-71—300 |
| Arnold Palmer | 72-76-76-76—300 |
| Billy Casper | 73-74-77-76—300 |
| Jim Ferree | 75-77-72-77—301 |
| Ben Smith | 72-78-75-76—301 |
| Gordon Jones | 74-73-78-77—302 |
| Charles Sifford | 74-74-82-72—302 |
| Ken Still | 73-83-74-73—303 |
| a-Bill Hyndman | 73-74-80-76—303 |
| Dean Lind | 75-77-76-75—303 |
| Tommy Bolt | 73-76-78-77—304 |
| Doug Higgins Jr. | 76-79-79-71—305 |
| Howie Johnson | 77-80-72-76—305 |
| a-John Richardson | 79-74-79-73—305 |
| Adolph Popp | 77-76-76-77—306 |
| Jesse Whittenton | 78-75-77-76—306 |
| Bill Collins | 80-77-76-73—306 |
| Mike Fetchick | 77-76-75-78—306 |
| Kel Nagle | 74-76-83-74—307 |
| Bob Stone | 73-75-83-76—307 |
| Ray Montgomery | 77-80-77-74—308 |
| Stan Thirsk | 75-80-79-74—308 |
| Dick King | 79-68-81-80—308 |
| Bill Ezinicki | 79-76-73-80—308 |
| Bob Goalby | 79-75-76-78—308 |
| George Bellino | 73-81-77-77—308 |
| Don Bergman | 78-73-77-80—308 |
| Pat Schwab | 75-81-73-79—308 |
| Rick Jetter | 76-76-82-75—309 |
| a-Amos Jones | 74-78-77-80—309 |
| Ken Towns | 78-80-78-73—309 |
| a-Frank Schmidt | -76-81-72-80—309 |
| Roland Stafford | 78-77-75-80—310 |
| Dow Finsterwald | 79-76-79-76—310 |
| Billy Maxwell | 78-78-78-77—311 |
| Pete Hessemer | 74-77-84-76—311 |
| Casmer Jawor | 83-73-74-81—311 |
| a-Jackie Cummings | 75-77-81-79—312 |
| George Bayer | 76-76-80-80—312 |
| Jerry Barber | 79-78-77-78—312 |
| Fred Hawkins | 79-78-78-77—312 |
| Bob McCallister | 79-79-77-78—313 |
| Walker Inman | 76-81-77-79—313 |
| a-Alton Duhon | 73-80-87-74—314 |
| a-Bob Rawlins | 76-80-78-80—314 |
| Bill Bisdorf | 81-73-81-80—315 |
| Al Balding | 77-75-84-79—315 |
| Dan Morgan | 74-84-78-80—316 |
| Roy Beattie | 77-77-82-81—317 |
| Edgar Bradley | 80-76-83-78—317 |
| Palmer Lawrence | 77-78-84-81—320 |
| Dick Lotz | 78-77-85-80—320 |
Sources:
PGA Tour. Senior Tour Book 1986, 1985 Tournament Summaries, USGA Senior Open.
PGATour.com. U.S. Senior Open Championship, Past Results, https://www.pgatour.com/pgatour-champions/tournaments/2026/u.s-senior-open-championship/S2026512/past-results.
United States Golf Association. U.S. Senior Open, Champions, https://championships.usga.org/ussenioropen/u-s--senior-open-champions.html.
United States Golf Association. U.S. Senior Open, Tournament Records, https://championships.usga.org/content/championships/ussenioropen/u-s--senior-open-records.html.
United States Golf Association. Official USGA Record Book, 1895-1990 (affiliate link), Triumph Books, 1992.
