Nashville golfer Lou Graham, winner of the 1975 U.S. Open, dies at 88

Nashville golfer Lou Graham, winner of the 1975 U.S. Open, dies at 88

Former PGA Tour golfer Lou Graham, winner of the 1975 U.S. Open, died on May 11, according to longtime Richland Country Club golf professional Joe Taggart where Graham was a member.

Graham was 88 and had been in hospice care. Final arrangements are pending.

"Lou Graham is right there at the top of the gentleman golfers that we've ever been blessed with in Tennessee," said Dick Horton, former Tennessee Section PGA executive director and Tennessee Golf Foundation President. "Anybody that ever met Lou became a friend or an admirer. His character, his personality, and his golf game were exceptional. He was a man of deep faith. He loved the game; he embodied all of the characteristics that you would want your own children to have in life."

Graham, who grew up caddying at Shelby Golf Course and later playing at Father Ryan, Memphis State, and in the U.S. Army, won the 1975 U.S. Open at Medinah Country Club in the Chicago suburbs, defeating John Mahaffey by two strokes in a thrilling 18-hole playoff.

The headline on the front page of The Tennessean on June 24, 1975, read, "Graham Wins Golf's Biggest Prize."

Adding to the drama of the victory was television broadcaster Bob Rosburg whispering to a national television audience that Graham "Has no shot." Graham, with a two-shot lead, examined his position on his approach shot from the rough on the 18th hole, with several low-hanging limbs hovering above. Graham then shocked the crowd, which was 10-rows deep, by using his 4-iron to send his shot bending 180 yards and landing 10 feet from the green and 60 feet from the flag.

After chipping onto the green, Graham sank his putt, leaving Mahaffey needing a birdie, which he failed to make.

Several of Graham's friends from the Richland Country Club, where he was a member, were there to celebrate with Graham.

"I was at the grill room with a lot of members at Richland, and we were watching Lou play the last hole on Sunday (the day before the playoff)," Taggart said. "As soon as that last putt went in, I said, 'Anybody want to go to Chicago with me tomorrow?' Lou had us picked up at the airport the next day, and we followed him around and watched him win the U.S. Open."

Graham joined the PGA Tour in 1964, and his first win came three years later at the Minnesota Golf Classic at Hazeltime National Golf Club. He went on to win five other times on the PGA Tour, including the U.S. Open. He played on three Ryder Cup teams (1973, 1975, 1977) and was a member of the winning 1975 World Cup team.