1996 US Open pin flag Steve Jones Oakland Hills Country Club ryder british pga

Description

The
1996 U.S. Open
was the 96th
U.S. Open
, held June 13–16 at
Oakland Hills Country Club
in
Birmingham, Michigan
, a suburb northwest of
Detroit
.
Steve Jones
won his only
major
title, one stroke ahead of runners-up
Tom Lehman
and
Davis Love III
.
[1]
[2]
[3]
[4]
[5]
Jones went through an incredible journey just to get to Oakland Hills. He had won four
PGA Tour
events, the last in
1989
, but in November 1991 he was involved in a
dirt bike
accident that threatened to end his career. He separated his shoulder and sprained an ankle, as well as suffering ligament damage in his left ring finger.
[1]
[4]
Jones was sidelined for three years, not making it back on tour until
1994
. His win here came in his first U.S. Open since
1991
, and he was the first champion to go through sectional qualifying since tour rookie
Jerry Pate
in
1976
.
[4]
After this win, Jones won three additional events on tour.
This was the eighth major championship at the South Course, which previously hosted the U.S. Open in
1924
,
1937
,
1951
,
1961
, and
1985
, and the
PGA Championship
in
1972
and
1979
. It later hosted the PGA Championship in
2008
.
It was Lehman's third close call in a major (
1994 Masters
,
1995 U.S. Open
);
[4]
he regrouped and won the next,
The Open Championship
in
England
. Love won the
PGA Championship
the following year at
Winged Foot
.