The Greatest U.S. Opens: High Drama at Golf’s Most Challenging Championship

Barrett (The Story of the Masters) writes with aplomb and enthusiasm about 20 U.S. Opens from 1913 to 2021. One of the four grand slam events in men’s golf, the U.S. Open is considered the ultimate test of golfing skill because of its courses’ extremely narrow fairways, high roughs, and speedy greens. Competitors are selected based on individual performances, tournament action, impact of results, and significance of venue. Barrett aptly captures the excitement of the action and the pressure felt by golfers, without hyperbole or hype. Readers do not need to know golf terms and history to enjoy this book and its engrossing accounts. Lacing the pages are the biggest names in men’s golf history—Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Bobby Jones, Arnold Palmer, and Ben Hogan, to name a few—playing some of their most historical rounds. At the end of each tournament chapter is a list of the top 10 finishers and their scores, showing how one or two shots could have made a difference in the final standings.