Comeback at Cherry Hills

In practice, the world's finest golfer looked unbeatable. Tanned and trim, Arnold Palmer (TIME Cover, May 2), spent hours perfecting his power off the tee, sent shots that seemed to soar forever in the rarefied, mile-high air of the Cherry Hills Country Club outside of Denver. On the greens, the 30-year-old Palmer had the same gentle touch that had brought him from behind in April to win the prestigious Masters, give him a big lead as the year's top money winner. Ready to turn Cherry Hills into a pitch-and-putt course, Palmer was a confident 4-1 favorite when the field of 150 amateurs and pros teed off last week in the 60th U.S. Open, the biggest tournament in golf.

On the very first hole, Arnold Palmer splashed into the water, and the 1960 Open was suddenly turned from a one-man romp into the most dramatic in history. With his pre-tournament perfection gone, Palmer labored like a Sunday duffer. His drives wandered about the fairways, his putts tantalizingly lipped the cup. Only his famed talents for "scrambling" kept him in the tournament at all. After the first 36 (of 72) holes, Palmer's one-over-par 143 tied him for a sorry 15th behind the surprise leader, Mike Souchak.

Birdie-Birdie. A burly muscle-boy, Souchak not only was driving the ball out of sight, as expected, but his erratic putter was so steady that his two-round total of 135 was the lowest in Open history. Full of his customary good cheer, Souchak seemed about to disprove the old golfing axiom that relaxed guys finish last. But in the third round, Souchak began to suffer. Startled by the sudden sound of a spectator's camera, he drove out-of-bounds on the 18th, and smiled no more. Still, going into the final round, he had what seemed a safe, two-stroke lead on the field. Taut with frustration, Arnold Palmer was still floundering back in 15th place, a full seven strokes behind Souchak.

Then Palmer began one of golf's great rounds. His first shot was fantastic: a drive that carried the green 346 yds. away. He putted for a birdie. On the second, he pulled off another astonishing shot: a 30-ft. chip into the cup for a birdie. "I really felt then I was on my way." he said later. On the third, his second shot stopped a yard from the pin to set up another birdie. On the fourth, he canned a twisting 20-ft. putt--for his fourth straight birdie. He parred the fifth, then sank a 25-ft. putt on the sixth and a 6-footer on the seventh for birdies, finished the first nine in five under par. Around the course the word passed with electric swiftness: "Palmer made the turn in 30."

The next nine holes were decisive. Hitting with full power, Palmer reached the green on the 563-yd. eleventh hole in two shots, holed out in two putts for another birdie to go four under par for the tournament. With Souchak fading fast, the Open turned into a frantic, four-way fight between Palmer, Jack Fleck, 38, the 1958 winner, Jack Nicklaus. 20, the husky U.S. Amateur champion, and a fagged-out Ben Hogan, 47, gallantly trying for his fifth victory in the event.

Pressure Cooker. Certain that his three rivals knew of his tremendous rally. Palmer coolly switched to a conservative brand of golf and waited for the pressure to do its work. One by one. Palmer's competitors cracked. Saddest sight of all was the collapse of Hogan. Tied with Palmer at four under par going into the last two holes, Hogan landed in the water on the 1 7th for a bogey. On the 18th, the old mechanical man made a pitiable mechanical mistake: he lifted his head on a putt, topped the ball and suffered a triple-bogey 7 that shoved him back to even par. Playing with calm assurance. Palmer drove with an iron for safety's sake on the 18th, but the ball still carried 265 yds. From 80 ft. off the green, he chipped within a yard of the cup to set up the final putt.

Palmer's comeback, giving him a 280 total, and the title by two strokes over Nicklaus, was the most spectacular ever staged in the Open. By winning, he earned $14,400, boosted his total winnings this year to $66,600, and became the heavy favorite to complete his sweep of golfing's major titles this summer--in the British Open and the P.G.A. championship.

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