I flew all the way to Hawaii to meet Scott Simpson and be regaled by his stories.
Well, that’s not totally accurate – I didn’t even know Simpson was living there and had become the men’s golf coach at University of Hawaii – but it truly was one of the highlights of my trip, especially the portion spent on Oahu for the Sony Open of Hawaii.
Simpson, 67, shared so many good stories that I’ve previously posted a story on his longtime partnership with Bill Murray at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, and a wide-ranging Q&A, but when the conversation shifted to the U.S. Open, we dove deep enough that I saved that portion for a separate standalone Q&A.
Simpson won the 1987 U.S. Open at The Olympic Club in San Francisco, the crowning achievement of his seven PGA Tour wins between 1980 and 1998. He birdied the 14th, 15th, and 16th holes during the final round to edge Tom Watson by one stroke. He finished with a three-under par total of 277.
Here’s Simpson on the importance of an attitude adjustment when he arrived at The Olympic Club, his magical putting day in the final round and “ranking just slightly ahead of a tuna sandwich” on the thrill meter in one writer’s opinion.