1986 U.S. Senior Open Winner and Scores
Winner: Dale Douglass, 279
Where it was played: Scioto Country Club in Columbus, Ohio
Tournament dates: June 26-29, 1986
Leader after first round: Dale Douglass, 66
Leader after second round: Dale Douglass, 138
Leader after third round: Dale Douglass, 206
What Happened in the 1986 U.S. Senior Open
The 1986 U.S. Senior Open was the Dale Douglass show. Douglass, a 3-time winner during his PGA Tour career, won this championship just three months after becoming eligible by turning 50. He did it by leading wire-to-wire, expanding his lead after each of the second and third rounds. In the end, he took a one-stroke victory over runner-up Gary Player.Douglass still holds the tournament record for youngest winner, which, in this case, means the golfer who won closest to his 50th birthday. His winning total of 279 made him the first golfer to play a U.S. Senior Open in fewer than 280 strokes (that scoring record stood for just one year, broken in 1987 by Player).
He had another tournament-first in his first-round 66: Douglass was the first golfer to birdie five consecutive holes, which he did on holes 6-10 in the opening round.
Douglass led by two following that opening 66, led by three after the second round, and led by four following the third round.
But he had some shaky moments during the final round, and after the 11th hole Player pulled within one stroke. Douglass maintained that lead until the 15th, when he saved par from a greenside bunker while Player three-putted for bogey. The margin was back to three after Player also bogeyed the 16th, then Douglass held on over the final two holes to win.
Douglass already had two wins on the Senior PGA Tour, and went on to win 11 senior titles total. He didn't make his final appearance in the U.S. Senior Open until 2011, and his 26 starts in the tournament (all consecutive) remain the record.
1986 U.S. Senior Open Final Scores
| Dale Douglass | 66-72-68-73—279 |
| Gary Player | 71-73-66-70—280 |
| Harold Henning | 70-72-70-69—281 |
| Bruce Crampton | 70-72-73-68—283 |
| Peter Thomson | 71-73-70-69—283 |
| Jim Ferree | 69-72-71-72—284 |
| Miller Barber | 72-72-73-68—285 |
| Gene Littler | 72-76-69-69—286 |
| Orville Moody | 73-75-71-68—287 |
| Chi Chi Rodriguez | 74-72-70-72—288 |
| Billy Casper | 71-76-71-70—288 |
| Bob Charles | 72-75-70-71—288 |
| Jack Fleck | 71-74-71-72—288 |
| Bob Toski | 70-73-73-72—288 |
| Lee Elder | 68-75-74-73—290 |
| Doug Sanders | 73-73-73-72—291 |
| Walker Inman | 75-67-77-72—291 |
| Al Chandler | 78-70-71-73—292 |
| Ken Still | 69-72-76-75—292 |
| Jim King | 71-79-69-73—292 |
| Buck Adams | 70-74-76-73—293 |
| Quinton Gray | 73-73-73-74—293 |
| Chuck Workman | 70-72-73-78—293 |
| Charles Sifford | 72-75-72-75—294 |
| Art Silvestrone | 72-75-73-75—295 |
| Arnold Palmer | 78-74-73-70—295 |
| Gay Brewer | 72-72-78-73—295 |
| Bob Bruno | 72-78-75-70—295 |
| Joe Campbell | 73-72-74-76—295 |
| Art Wall | 75-76-72-73—296 |
| Joe Jimenez | 73-76-77-70—296 |
| Howie Johnson | 75-77-71-73—296 |
| Ken Mast | 75-73-73-75—296 |
| Billy Maxwell | 73-76-73-75—297 |
| El Collins | 72-78-75-73—298 |
| Stan Dudas | 74-76-73-75—298 |
| a-Bob Hoff | 76-75-71-77—299 |
| Jerry Barber | 73-79-75-72—299 |
| Gordon Jones | 73-73-75-79—300 |
| Hulen Coker | 71-77-77-75—300 |
| a-John Paul Cain | 75-76-76-73—300 |
| Dean Lind | 75-73-76-77—301 |
| a-Bob Lowry | 75-77-73-76—301 |
| Charles Green | 75-78-73-75—301 |
| Bobby Nichols | 71-79-76-75—301 |
| George Lanning | 75-73-76-77—301 |
| Al Balding | 76-76-73-76—301 |
| Bob Goalby | 78-75-71-77—301 |
| Ralph Montoya | 78-75-73-75—301 |
| Dick Plummer | 74-74-76-78—302 |
| James Hatfield | 69-77-79-77—302 |
| a-John Harbottle | 73-80-77-73—303 |
| a-Morris Beecroft Jr. | 75-76-76-76—303 |
| Walter Zembriski | 76-75-75-77—303 |
| Bill Ezinicki | 76-76-78-75—305 |
| Dow Finsterwald | 77-75-76-77—305 |
| Dick Sarta | 75-76-78-77—306 |
| Gordon Waldespuhl | 71-76-77-82—306 |
| Jack Webb | 76-77-76-79—308 |
| John Woodard Jr. | 74-79-76-79—308 |
| M.C. Fitts | 74-79-79-76—308 |
| George Clark | 75-77-76-82—310 |
| Hap Rose | 75-78-84-77—314 |
| Allen Cross | 77-76-81-83—317 |
| a-Clifford Taylor | 78-75-84-81—318 |
Previous and next:
1985 U.S. Senior Open - 1987 U.S. Senior Open
Sources:
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.
