Johnny Miller

For other people named Johnny Miller, see Johnny Miller (disambiguation).

Johnny Miller
Personal information
Full name	John Laurence Miller
Born	April 29, 1947 (1947-04-29) San Francisco, California
Height	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Nationality	United States
Residence	Napa, California
Career
College	Brigham Young University
Turned professional	1969
Former tour(s)	PGA Tour
Professional wins	32
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour	25
European Tour	1
Japan Golf Tour	1
Other	5
Best results in Major Championships (Wins: 2)
Masters Tournament	T2: 1971, 1975, 1981
U.S. Open	Won: 1973
The Open Championship	Won: 1976
PGA Championship	T11: 1977
Achievements and awards
World Golf Hall of Fame	1996 (member page)
PGA Player of the Year	1974
PGA Tour leading money winner	1974

John Laurence Miller (born April 29, 1947) is an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour. He was one of the top players in the world during the mid-1970s; he ranked second in the world on Mark McCormack's world golf rankings in both 1974 and 1975 behind Jack Nicklaus. He is currently the lead golf analyst for NBC Sports, a position he has held since January 1990. He is also an active and successful golf course architect.

Early years and education

Miller was born and raised in San Francisco. In 1963, he joined the Olympic Club as a Junior Golf Section member, and became the top player on its junior team. He won the San Francisco city junior title in 1963 at age 16, and the following year won the 1964 U.S. Junior Amateur. He enrolled at Brigham Young University in 1965.

At the end of his freshman year, Miller qualified for the 1966 U.S. Open at the Olympic Club. His intimate knowledge of his home course helped him to finish in a tie for eighth place, the low amateur by three strokes, and earned him an invitation to the 1967 Masters.

Miller was an All-American at BYU and graduated in 1969 with a degree in physical education.

PGA Tour

Johnny Miller joined the PGA Tour in 1969 at age 22, and won his first tournament in 1971. He made a double eagle in the 2nd round on the fifth hole at Muirfield during the 1972 British Open. He won two major titles: the 1973 U.S. Open and the 1976 British Open.

1973 U.S. Open

Coming into the U.S. Open at the challenging par-71 Oakmont layout, Miller was a 26-year-old with just two tour victories in four years, but had done well in several majors. He tied for second at the 1971 Masters, and had top ten finishes at the U.S. Open in 1971 and 1972. Miller had yet to win in 1973, but by mid-June he had recorded eight top ten finishes, which included a tie for 6th at the Masters.

Miller played the first two rounds at Oakmont (near Pittsburgh) with Arnold Palmer and his "Army" gallery, at its largest in Palmer's native western Pennsylvania. Miller was two-under par (140) after the second round, but shot a five-over 76 on Saturday to settle at three-over (216) for the championship. Miller played the front nine without his yardage book on Saturday until his wife Linda retrieved it.

Miller began the fourth and final round in twelfth place, six shots behind the four co-leaders, which included Palmer. Teeing off at 1:36 pm, about an hour ahead of the final group, Miller shot a scorching eight-under 63, in what is considered one of the most remarkable rounds in U.S. Open history. He passed the leading players of the day, including future hall-of-famers Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Lee Trevino, and Palmer, who was in the final pairing with John Schlee.

Miller birdied the first four holes and hit all 18 greens in regulation. He got five more birdies with only one bogey (a 3-putt on the 244 yard par-3 #8), and needed only 29 putts during the round. Miller wound up at 5-under (279) for the championship, besting the runner-up Schlee by a single stroke, who shot a respectable 1-under 70. Only six players, Miller included, shot under-par in the final round. Miller earned $35,000 for the victory.

After Oakmont

Miller followed that triumph at Oakmont by finishing in a tie for second at the next major, The Open Championship (British Open) at Royal Troon a month later, three strokes behind winner Tom Weiskopf. This was the first of five consecutive top ten finishes for Miller at The Open.

In 1974, Miller was the leading money winner on the PGA Tour with 8 victories, which considerably outpaced the rest of the field; he amassed a then-record $353,201 (not exceeded until 1978), and unseated Nicklaus as the Tour's leading money winner for a season. Miller began 1975 with three more victories before finishing second to Nicklaus at the Masters, and third at The Open Championship at Carnoustie, just a single stroke from playoffs in both.

He won his second and final major in 1976, a six stroke victory over Nicklaus and a 19-year-old Seve Ballesteros at The Open Championship at Royal Birkdale. Miller shot a 66 in the final round to tie the course record and earned £7,500 for the victory, about $14,000.

Following this win, Miller, never known as a great putter, lost the form that made him a frequent winner in his early career and failed to win for the next three years, due to a physical condition widely known as the "yips". In 1980 Miller notched his first win in almost four years, the Jackie Gleason-Inverrary Classic.

In 1981 Miller enjoyed one final spectacular season; his victory at the Million Dollar Challenge in Sun City, South Africa (following an epic 9-hole sudden death play-off with Seve Ballesteros) that made him that year's leading worldwide money-winner in golf after two earlier wins in the U.S.

Miller finished his career with 25 PGA Tour wins and 105 Top 10 finishes. He played on two Ryder Cup teams, 1975 and 1981. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1998.

Subsequent career

Although Miller became eligible for the Champions Tour in 1997, he decided forgo regular play on the senior tour in part due to the strain the sport puts on the knees of a player. Instead, he has focused on his role as lead golf analyst for NBC Sports' limited golf schedule and other business ventures. This was despite his victory in the 1994 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, at age 46, after he had semi-retired in 1990 to take up broadcasting. As a commentator he became known for his straightforward and sometimes blunt remarks, which sometimes earned him the enmity of players. One example came on June 16, 2008, when he referred to Rocco Mediate, during the broadcast of the U.S. Open's 18-hole playoff, as "looking like the guy who cleans Tiger Woods's pool". Mediate, who has battled many physical problems throughout his career, nevertheless played superbly, and took the heavily-favored Woods to an 18-hole playoff before losing; Mediate later laughed off the remark. Miller has also written a column for Golf Digest magazine for several years, offering insight into various aspects of golf, often featuring the professional game.

Miller wrote the book I Call The Shots, a look at the PGA Tour's personalities during his peak years, the Tour's current stars, as well as broadcasting insights.

An offshoot to his broadcasting career has been a string of movie and TV appearances as himself in the role of "beloved golf great". In one movie, The Associate, with Whoopi Goldberg, an aging billionaire is willing to transfer management of all his assets in exchange for the opportunity to play a round of golf with Johnny Miller.

Miller is a partner in a limited partnership which purchased Silverado Country Club in Napa, California on July 1, 2010. He also owns a golf design company and a golf academy and designed the Thanksgiving Point Golf Course in Lehi, Utah, host of the Champion's Challenge. Miller has helped design 34 golf courses, however Silverado was the first course he redesigned himself.

Personal

Miller is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He and his wife Linda have six children and live in Napa, California and Utah.

Professional wins (32)

PGA Tour wins (25)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning Score	Margin of Victory	Runner(s)-up
1	Sep 12, 1971	Southern Open Invitational	-13 (65–67–68–67=267)	5 strokes	Deane Beman
2	Nov 26, 1972	Sea Pines Heritage Classic	-4 (71–65–75–70=281)	1 stroke	Tom Weiskopf
3	Jun 17, 1973	U.S. Open	-5 (71–69–76–63=279)	1 stroke	John Schlee
4	Jan 6, 1974	Bing Crosby National Pro-Am	-8 (68–70–70=208)	4 strokes	Grier Jones
5	Jan 13, 1974	Phoenix Open	-13 (69–69–66–67=271)	1 stroke	Lanny Wadkins
6	Jan 20, 1974	Dean Martin Tucson Open	-16 (62–71–71–68=272)	3 strokes	Ben Crenshaw
7	Mar 31, 1974	Sea Pines Heritage Classic	-8 (67–67–72–70=276)	3 strokes	Gibby Gilbert
8	Apr 28, 1974	Tournament of Champions	-8 (75–69–67–69=280)	1 stroke	Buddy Allin, John Mahaffey
9	Aug 25, 1974	Westchester Classic	-19 (69–68–65–67=269)	2 strokes	Don Bies
10	Sep 15, 1974	World Open Golf Championship	-3 (73–63–73–72=281)	Playoff	Frank Beard, Bob Murphy, Jack Nicklaus
11	Sep 29, 1974	Kaiser International Open Invitational	-17 (69–69–67–66=271)	8 strokes	Billy Casper, Lee Trevino
12	Jan 12, 1975	Phoenix Open	-24 (67–61–68–64=260)	14 strokes	Jerry Heard
13	Jan 19, 1975	Dean Martin Tucson Open	-25 (66–69–67–61=263)	9 strokes	John Mahaffey
14	Feb 9, 1975	Bob Hope Desert Classic	-21 (64–69–72–66–68=339)	3 strokes	Bob Murphy
15	Oct 5, 1975	Kaiser International Open Invitational	-16 (68–67–68–69=272)	3 strokes	Rod Curl
16	Jan 11, 1976	NBC Tucson Open	-14 (70–69–67–68=274)	3 strokes	Howard Twitty
17	Feb 8, 1976	Bob Hope Desert Classic	-16 (71–69–73–68–63=344)	3 strokes	Rik Massengale
18	Jul 10, 1976	British Open	-9 (72–68–73–66=279)	6 strokes	Seve Ballesteros, Jack Nicklaus
19	Mar 9, 1980	Jackie Gleason-Inverrary Classic	-14 (70–68–66–70=274)	2 strokes	Charles Coody, Bruce Lietzke
20	Jan 11, 1981	Joe Garagiola-Tucson Open	-15 (66–64–70–65=265)	2 strokes	Lon Hinkle
21	Feb 22, 1981	Glen Campbell-Los Angeles Open	-14 (66–69–67–68=270)	2 strokes	Tom Weiskopf
22	Feb 21, 1982	Wickes-Andy Williams San Diego Open	-18 (65–67–68–70=270)	1 stroke	Jack Nicklaus
23	Mar 6, 1983	Honda Inverrary Classic	-10 (68–73–68–69=278)	2 strokes	Jack Nicklaus
24	Feb 1, 1987	AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am	-10 (72–72–68–66=278)	1 stroke	Payne Stewart
25	Feb 6, 1994	AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am	-7 (68–72–67–74=281)	1 stroke	Jeff Maggert, Corey Pavin, Tom Watson

PGA Tour playoff record (1-5)

No.	Year	Tournament	Opponent(s)	Result
1	1972	Bing Crosby National Pro-Am	Jack Nicklaus	Lost to birdie on first extra hole
2	1974	World Open Golf Championship	Frank Beard, Bob Murphy, Jack Nicklaus	Won with birdie on second extra hole Murphy eliminated with par on first extra hole
3	1979	Colgate Hall of Fame Classic	Tom Watson	Lost to par on second extra hole
4	1982	Glen Campbell-Los Angeles Open	Tom Watson	Lost to birdie on third extra hole
5	1983	Phoenix Open	Rex Caldwell, Bob Gilder, Mark O'Meara	Gilder won with birdie on eighth extra hole Miller and O'Meara eliminated with birdie on second hole
6	1983	Canadian Open	John Cook	Lost to birdie on sixth extra hole

European Tour wins (1)

• 1979 Trophée Lancôme

Japan Tour wins (1)

• 1974 Dunlop Phoenix

Other wins (5)

This list may be incomplete.

• 1973 Trophée Lancôme (France, unofficial European Tour event), World Cup (team title with Jack Nicklaus and individual title)
• 1981 Million Dollar Challenge (South Africa – unofficial event)
• 1983 Chrysler Team Championship (with Jack Nicklaus), Spalding Invitational

Major championships

Wins (2)

Year	Championship	54 Holes	Winning Score	Margin	Runner(s)-up
1973	U.S. Open	6 shot deficit	−5 (71–69–76–63=279)	1 stroke	John Schlee
1976	The Open Championship	2 shot deficit	−9 (72–68–73–66=279)	6 strokes	Seve Ballesteros, Jack Nicklaus

Results timeline

Tournament	1966	1967	1968	1969
The Masters	DNP	T53	DNP	DNP
U.S. Open	T8 LA	CUT	DNP	T42
British Open	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
PGA Championship	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP

Tournament	1970	1971	1972	1973	1974	1975	1976	1977	1978	1979
The Masters	DNP	T2	CUT	T6	T15	T2	T23	T35	T32	CUT
U.S. Open	T18	T5	7	1	T35	T38	10	T27	T6	CUT
British Open	DNP	T47	T15	T2	10	T3	1	T9	CUT	T57
PGA Championship	T12	T20	T20	T18	T39	CUT	DNP	T11	T38	DNP

Tournament	1980	1981	1982	1983	1984	1985	1986	1987	1988	1989
The Masters	T38	T2	CUT	T12	CUT	T25	T28	T42	DNP	DNP
U.S. Open	CUT	T23	T45	CUT	T4	8	T45	CUT	DNP	DNP
British Open	CUT	T39	T22	DNP	T31	DNP	CUT	DNP	T52	T49
PGA Championship	T68	CUT	T32	T30	WD	CUT	WD	WD	DNP	DNP

Tournament	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994
The Masters	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	CUT
U.S. Open	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	CUT
British Open	DNP	CUT	DNP	DNP	DNP
PGA Championship	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP

LA = Low Amateur
DNP = Did not play
WD = Withdrew
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10

See also

• Golfers with most PGA Tour wins
• Most PGA Tour wins in a year
• Longest PGA Tour win streaks

External links

• Johnny Miller at the PGA Tour official site
• Johnny Miller at the European Tour official site
• Johnny Miller at the Japan Golf Tour official site
• World Golf Hall of Fame – profile
• Johnny Miller Golf Course Design and Development – Official site
• Golf Magazine – The Critic – June 2007 – p. 112–123
• USA Today – NBC's Miller keeps firing away – 13-June-2002