Steve Melnyk, 22, of Brunswick, Ga., played four rounds at Oakmont Country Club near Pittsburgh in 286 strokes, only three strokes higher than Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer when they tied for the Open Championship in 1962, and Ben Hogan when he won the 1953 Open Championship over the same course. Melnyk won by five strokes over Marvin (Vinny) Giles, III, of Lynchburg, Va., who had 291. Allen Miller, of Pensacola, Fla., was third with 293.

This was the third consecutive year in which Giles finished second. Melnyk led every round and was the only player in the field to return scores under Oakmont's par of 71. He had rounds of 70-73-73-70. He led Rick Jones, a reinstated amateur, and Giles by two strokes after the first round, and Miller by three after 36 holes. He led by six strokes after the first nine of the third round, but lost control of his game and needed a birdie 3 on the final hole to preserve a three-stroke lead over Miller and Giles after 54.

He lost another stroke of his lead with a bogey 5 on the first hole of the final round and then led Giles by two strokes. However, he birdied the second as Giles made a bogey 5, and then scored an eagle 3 on the par-5 fourth with an explosion shot from a bunker into the hole. His lead then was six strokes, and he increased it to eight by the end of the first nine.