Gear of the Greats

Jack Nicklaus

MacGregor JNP Classic 1-Iron

1972

Holding a comfortable three-shot lead heading into the 71st hole at Pebble Beach's hellishly tough par-3 17th, Jack Nicklaus selected his MacGregor JNP Classic 1-iron and told himself not to hit the ball to the right. At the top of his swing Nicklaus did a remarkable thing: feeling a breeze blowing in off the Pacific Ocean, he made an in-swing adjustment. As he’d later put it, "My timing was so good that week." Indeed it was. The ball landed a few feet in front of the flagstick, bounced once, hit the pin and settled about four inches from the cup. Although not decisive in his victory, the near hole-in-one remains one of the US Open’s most memorable shots.

Tom Watson

Wilson Dynapower Sand Wedge

1982

Pebble Beach's 17th hole is again the scene of drama as Tom Watson approached his short chip shot after watching his long iron fail to stop on the green. His caddie, Bruce Edwards, encouraged him to get it close. That was a tough proposition. The ball was in thick fescue and on a downslope. But Watson, who was tied with Jack Nicklaus for the lead, had bigger plans. "Get it close? Hell, I’m going to make it," he told Edwards.

Using a Wilson Dynapower 56-degree sand wedge he'd found in David Graham’s garage, Watson abbreviated his follow-through so the ball flew only eight feet and landed just a couple inches onto the green. From there it sped toward the hole where it rattled the pin for an unlikely birdie. After a short victory lap around the green, Watson pointed at Edwards and said, "I told you I was going to make it!"

The 32-year-old went on to birdie 18 for a two-stroke victory over Nicklaus. Of his eight major wins, it was his only US Open. Today, the Wilson wedge is on display at the Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia.