Arnold Palmer became frustrated with Billy Casper when his partner stopped speaking to him during the final round of the 1966 US Open at the Olympic Club.
No wonder Palmer was confident he was on track to win a second U.S. Open title when he took the turn Sunday.
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At this point, Palmer had a seven-stroke lead over Casper. As reported by Golf Channel, Casper’s focus was on holding on to second place, with Jack Nicklaus his closest challenger.
In other words, there was a cooperative atmosphere between Palmer and Casper in the final group. In fact, the King insisted that he would do whatever he could to help Casper see off the Golden Bear.
How Billy Casper defeated Arnold Palmer at the 1966 US Open
Casper and Palmer won back-to-back U.S. Opens in 1959 and 1960, respectively. Remarkably, Palmer only lost in both 1962 and 1963 after contending for the playoffs.
But in 1966 it seemed inevitable that he would win his second trophy.
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However, Casper played the final nine holes at 3 under. Palmer, meanwhile, made five bogeys and secured another playoff berth.
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Golf Channel reported that Casper felt he had a chance and the two stopped talking with a few holes left in the final round.
But it upset Palmer. He was angry that Casper had been looking to him for encouragement, and now he was trying to get the trophy himself.
Unfortunately for Palmer, he ended up enduring more pain in the playoffs. In fact, he had a two-stroke lead when they turned on Monday.
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However, he finished 5 over par in the final seven holes, finishing four strokes behind Casper.
Arnold Palmer’s US Open runner-up days aren’t over
Sadly, Arnold Palmer had already won the last major tournament of his career by that stage. It happened at the 1964 Masters.
In fact, he finished second again at the 1967 U.S. Open, only four strokes behind Jack Nicklaus.
Casper finished fourth that week. This was the last time he finished in the top five in golf’s toughest test.
