This is the fifth in a series of articles, specially commissioned by The Pilot, about eight U.S. Opens considered the best ever played.

When Bobby Jones retired in 1930, so did the likelihood of another USGA Slam, which was what happened when someone held both the U.S. Open and the U.S. Amateur trophies at the same time. Jones did this in 1930, and many top amateurs since then tried to accomplish his feat.

Johnny Goodman won the 1933 U.S. Open in June but lost in the first round of match play in the U.S. Amateur that September. He was the last amateur to win the U.S. Open.

Now, well after the Jones era, the professional game had advanced such that the best amateurs were induced to join the professional ranks.

In 1961, Jack Nicklaus bullied the field of the U.S. Amateur at Pebble Beach. He won his last three matches by margins of 4 and 3, 9 and 8, and 8 and 6. He won the same title in 1959. He nearly won the 1960 U.S. Open and tied for fourth in 1961.

Professional golf at the time, on the other hand, was dominated by the King, Arnold Palmer, and was an entirely different game from amateur golf.

Nicklaus turned professional late in 1961. Prior to this event, he had played in 17 tour events, including major championships, and made the 36-hole cut in 16. He was going to be a preeminent professional, but he was only 22 years old. Plenty of time to learn.

Arnie was 33 and at the top of his game when the 1962 U.S. Open went to his back yard. Oakmont Country Club was fewer than 40 miles from Latrobe, Pa., where he grew up. Arnie’s Army, the noisiest and most loyal group of golf fans, was quartered here.

Over his first seven years as a professional, Palmer won 24 titles, including four majors, going into 1962. This year, he’d already taken the Palm Springs, Phoenix and Masters titles. He was oddly off the last round of the Masters, shooting 75, allowing Gary Player and Dow Finsterwald to tie him. But Arnie was dominant in the playoff.

Nicklaus had not yet won on tour; but he was going to be, certainly, a challenger at Oakmont, along with Gene Littler (the 1961 champion), Gary Player, Bob Rosburg, Ken Venturi and other favorites.

Nicklaus was not the chief pretender to Palmer’s throne atop the tour — not before this Open, anyway.

The championship developed, however, into a prodigious battle between homeboy Palmer and Nicklaus.

Littler made a laudable opening in defense of his title. His 69, two under par, was one ahead of Rosburg and Bobby Nichols. Palmer had 71; Nicklaus shot 72.

Palmer was at his championship best the second day, and his 68 tied Rosburg at 139. Littler had putting problems and fell from contention.

Rosburg was ahead by one Saturday morning as he and Palmer stepped to the tee of the 292-yard 17th hole. Palmer stunned the leader by driving the green and sinking his 12-foot eagle putt. Rossie took bogey 5 and began his slide from the top.

Arnie had an easy birdie putt at the 18th hole, ran it past the hole and missed a short par putt that briefly dazed the King. He finished the morning round sharing the lead with Bobby Nichols at 212. Nicklaus and Gary Player were only two shots back.

Because competitors were not re-paired for the afternoon round, Palmer again played with Rosburg, seven minutes after Nicklaus and Billy Maxwell.

Nearly 25,000 fans had gathered, breaking the one-day attendance total. Most belonged to "Arnie’s Army," on hand to witness his second U.S. Open victory.

Palmer birdied the second and fourth holes, while Nicklaus three-putted the first for bogey. Nicklaus was five behind.

Palmer bogeyed the par-five ninth when he stubbed a short pitch shot after being in position to make birdie. Nicklaus birdied the seventh and ninth to cut Palmer’s lead to two shots.

Nicklaus birdied the 11th and Palmer bogeyed the 13th to force a tie, and their shot-by-shot battle remained that way. Nicklaus escaped with a par four on the short 17th hole and missed a 12-foot birdie putt at the home hole. Palmer, watching each shot ahead of him, missed birdies from 8 and 12 feet at the close.

Phil Rodgers and Nichols tied for third place, two shots behind Nicklaus and Palmer.

Palmer shot 73 and 71 the final day of regulation play, while Nicklaus charged in with 72 and 69. If this was a hint that momentum had swung to the younger man, the 10,000 fans who showed for the Sunday 18-hole playoff did not let on.

Typical of U.S. Open playoffs, this was less a lively battle than a nervous, balky one. Palmer bogeyed the first and fourth holes. Nicklaus birdied the par-3 sixth, where Palmer bogeyed. He was four shots down.

Palmer birdied the 9th, 11th and 12th holes, hinting at a famous charge and only one behind.

Arnie appeared uncharacteristically hesitant at the tee of the 161-yard 13th hole but safely reached the green. He three-putted, howeve, for the 10th time in the championship, falling two behind Nicklaus, quashing his charge and, for all practical purposes, deciding the championship.

Nicklaus bogeyed the last hole, but Palmer double-bogeyed to fall three behind. The pretender took the crown, 71 to 74, a new king who would reign for more than two decades.

One telling factor in this outcome: Palmer three-putted the always-slick Oakmont greens 10 times over five rounds, Nicklaus only once.

Fittingly, Nicklaus’ first victory as a professional came in the U.S. Open, a crown he would gain three more times. And he accomplished something not done since Bobby Jones — he had the U.S. Open and U.S. Amateur titles at the same time.

One more tie to Jones out of this U.S. Open: Nicklaus was the youngest U.S. Open champion since Jones won his first title.

What: 1962 U.S. Open

When: June 14-17

Where:Oakmont Country Club near Pittsburgh, Pa.

Palmer was not finished winning majors — he would take the 1964 Masters Tournament, and he’d win plenty more tour events. But losing to Nicklaus on his own turf signaled not so much his own downfall as the ascendancy of a mightier champion.

Arnie would keep his legions, but Jack would win major championships as no one had before or after.

This Open ignited the intense competitive rivalry between these two, a special golf theater they would play out many times subsequently as the duo were paired in many events.

Perhaps ironically, Nicklaus and Palmer played extremely well together in international team competitions. But one has to wonder if these partner events were yet other forums for them to outdo one another one more time.

Golf fans loved their head-to-head battles, a dramatic point missing today on the PGA Tour.

Nicklaus, over 25 years of PGA Tour wins, took 70 tour titles and 18 professional majors. Palmer, over 19 years, won 60 tour titles and five majors.

At a time that television fueled the popularity of this game, golf needed such a disparate pair of superstars.