Johnny Miller
Miller in 1975
Personal information
Full name	John Laurence Miller
Born	(1947-04-29) April 29, 1947 (age 77) San Francisco, California, U.S.
Height	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight	205 lb (93 kg; 14.6 st)
Sporting nationality	United States
Residence	Monterey Peninsula, California, U.S.
Spouse	Linda Miller
Children	6
Career
College	Brigham Young University
Turned professional	1969
Former tour(s)	PGA Tour
Professional wins	36
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour	25
European Tour	2
Japan Golf Tour	1
Other	10
Best results in major championships (wins: 2)
Masters Tournament	T2: 1971, 1975, 1981
PGA Championship	T11: 1977
U.S. Open	Won: 1973
The Open Championship	Won: 1976
Achievements and awards
World Golf Hall of Fame 1998 (member page) PGA Tour money list winner 1974 PGA Player of the Year 1974 Bob Jones Award 2023

John Laurence Miller (born April 29, 1947) is an American former professional golfer. He was one of the top players in the world during the mid-1970s. He was the first to shoot 63 in a major championship to win the 1973 U.S. Open, and he ranked second in the world on Mark McCormack's world golf rankings in both 1974 and 1975 behind Jack Nicklaus. Miller won 25 PGA Tour events, including two majors. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1998.^[1] He was the lead golf analyst for NBC Sports, a position he held from January 1990 to February 2019. He is also an active golf course architect.

Born and raised in San Francisco, California, Miller was invited to join the Olympic Club in 1963 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. After graduation from Abraham Lincoln High School in 1965,^[2] he enrolled at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah.

In the spring of his freshman year of college, 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.^[3] He won the California State Amateur Championship in 1968.

Miller was an All-American at BYU and graduated in 1969 with a degree in physical education.^[4]

Miller joined the PGA Tour in 1969 at age 22, and won his first tour event in 1971. During his professional career, Miller won two major titles: the 1973 U.S. Open and the 1976 Open Championship.^[5]

Coming into the 1973 U.S. Open at the challenging par-71 Oakmont, 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-10 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-10 finishes, which included a tie for 6th at the 1973 Masters.

Miller played the first two rounds at Oakmont Country Club 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.^[6]

Miller began the fourth and final round in 12th place, six shots behind the four co-leaders, including Palmer. Teeing off at 1:36 pm, about an hour ahead of the final group, Miller shot a scorching eight-under 63, considered one of the most remarkable rounds in major championship history. He passed the leading players of the day, including Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Lee Trevino, and Palmer, who was in the final pairing with John Schlee.^[7] Miller's 63 was the lowest round in the history of a major championship. It was tied several times but remained a record until Branden Grace shot a 62 at the 2017 Open Championship.

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.^{[8][9][10][11]} Ten of his approach shots finished within 10 feet of the cup. In 2007, Miller said: "It was the greatest ball-striking round I've ever seen and I've been around a little bit."^[12] Miller wound up at 5-under (279) for the championship, beating the runner-up Schlee by a single stroke, who shot a 1-under 70. Only six players, Miller included, shot under par in the final round. Miller earned $35,000 for the victory.^[13]

Miller followed that triumph at Oakmont by finishing in a tie for second at the next major, The Open Championship at Royal Troon a month later, three strokes behind winner Tom Weiskopf.^[14][15] This was the first of five consecutive top-10 finishes for Miller at The Open. In 1974, Miller was the leading money winner on the PGA Tour with eight 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, winning two of them in remarkable fashion. He won the Phoenix Open by 14 strokes, which included a second-round 61 for a 24-under par cumulative score of 260, the lowest on the tour in 20 years. He also won the Tucson Open by nine strokes, with a final round 61.^[16] Miller later said of his peak period in the mid-1970s: "When I won at Tucson by nine shots in 1975, I would say the average iron shot I hit that week was no more than two feet off line. It was unbelievable. When I was at my peak, I would go into streaks where I felt that I could knock down the pin from anywhere with my irons. I played some golf that I think is unequaled."^[17]

Miller finished second to Jack Nicklaus at the 1975 Masters and third at 1975 Open Championship later in the year at Carnoustie.^[18] He won his second major at the 1976 Open Championship, a six stroke victory over Nicklaus and a 19-year-old Seve Ballesteros at Royal Birkdale. The course had played hard and fast after scorching hot conditions in England that summer, during the 1976 United Kingdom heat wave, which saw record hot temperatures and several minor fires breaking out in the tournament.^[19] Miller's final round of 66 at Royal Birkdale tied the course record.^[20]

Following his 1976 Open Championship win, Miller, never known as an outstanding 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 putting affliction widely known as the "yips".^[21]

Miller later said that he considered quitting professional golf during his slump in form between 1977 and 1979, but a passage in the Scriptures, "It's not what you accomplish in life, but what you overcome", helped inspire him to continue playing golf. Miller also said that Jack Nicklaus, whom he viewed as a father figure, was "amazingly supportive" of him during his bleak period in the late 1970s.^[17]

In 1980, Miller notched his first win in almost four years, the Jackie Gleason-Inverrary Classic.^[22] In 1981, Miller enjoyed one final spectacular season. His victory at the Million Dollar Challenge in Sun City, South Africa following a 9-hole sudden-death playoff with Seve Ballesteros made him that year's leading worldwide money winner after two earlier wins in the United States. Miller's return to impressive form in 1981 resulted in him competing in his second Ryder Cup. Until 2021, the 1981 Ryder Cup at Walton Heath Golf Club in England was the heaviest defeat that a European team had suffered at the hands of the United States, and it is considered by many to be the finest American team ever assembled.^[23]

Miller's final PGA Tour victory came in semiretirement at the 1994 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, at age 46.^[21] He finished his career with 25 PGA Tour wins and 105 top-10 finishes. Miller finished runner-up three times at The Masters in 1971, 1975 and 1981. He played on two Ryder Cup teams, 1975 and 1981. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1998.^[24]

Fred Couples referred to Miller as "probably the best ball-striker ever".^[25] Jack Nicklaus described Miller as "the best short iron player ever."^[26]

In 1990, Miller began work as a broadcaster for NBC Sports. Although Miller became eligible for the Senior PGA Tour in 1997, he decided to forgo regular play on the senior tour in part due to the strain the sport puts on the knees of a player.^[27] He remained as lead analyst for NBC Sports' limited golf schedule and has pursued other business ventures. Miller typically was paired with broadcaster Dan Hicks and called numerous events including the U.S. Open, U.S. Amateur and Ryder Cup.

As a commentator, Miller 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' pool." Miller said that "guys with the name of Rocco don't get on the trophy, do they?" Mediate, who has battled many physical problems throughout his career, nevertheless played superbly, and took the heavily favored Woods to an 18-hole playoff (and one extra sudden-death hole) before losing. Mediate later laughed off the remarks and Miller later apologized for his comments, saying: "I chose my words poorly and in the future will be more careful." He added that his intention was to "convey my affection and admiration for Rocco's everyman qualities and had absolutely nothing to do with his heritage."^[28]

In 2012, Miller revealed that Tiger Woods once asked him to be his coach. Miller said that he declined the offer from Woods because of his commitment to NBC Sports and a desire to spend time with his children and grandchildren.^[26]

Miller has written a column for Golf Digest magazine for several years, offering insight into various aspects of golf, often featuring the professional game. He also 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. Known for his very weak grip, with both "Vs" formed by the forefinger and thumb of each hand pointing to his chin, he sought to eliminate the left side of the golf course as an area for missed shots.

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.^{[citation needed]}

Miller is a partner in a limited partnership which purchased Silverado Country Club in Napa, California on July 1, 2010.^[29] 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. Although Miller has helped design 34 golf courses, Silverado was the first course he redesigned himself.^[30] In July 2013 it was announced that Silverado would again play host for a PGA tournament starting in October 2014, when it hosted the Frys.com Open.^[31][32] The renovation added over 300 yards, removed trees and repositioned bunkers.^[33] Miller served as the unofficial face of the resort during the event, as he was a part of the telecast, which frequently referenced his role in the club. When he had to fulfill official club duties during the week, Miller's friend and NBC colleague Roger Maltbie filled in for him.

Miller retired from broadcasting following the third round of the 2019 Phoenix Open.^[34]

Miller is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He and his wife Linda have six children and live on the Monterey Peninsula in California and Mount Olympus, Utah.^[35] During the 2018 Ryder Cup broadcast, he announced that his 25th grandchild was born. His son Andy won a Buy.com Tour event and played on the PGA Tour.

• Miller was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1998.^[1]
• Miller received the Bob Jones Award from the USGA in 2023.^[36]

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 27, 1972	Sea Pines Heritage Classic	−3 (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 (2)	−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 (2)	−24 (67-61-68-64=260)	14 strokes	Jerry Heard
13	Jan 19, 1975	Dean Martin Tucson Open (2)	−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 (2)	−16 (68-67-68-69=272)	3 strokes	Rod Curl
16	Jan 11, 1976	NBC Tucson Open (3)	−14 (70-69-67-68=274)	3 strokes	Howard Twitty
17	Feb 8, 1976	Bob Hope Desert Classic (2)	−16 (71-69-73-68-63=344)	3 strokes	Rik Massengale
18	Jul 10, 1976	The Open Championship	−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 (4)	−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	Jan 31, 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 (2)	−10 (72-72-68-66=278)	1 stroke	Payne Stewart
25	Feb 6, 1994	AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am (3)	−7 (68-72-67-74=281)	1 stroke	Jeff Maggert, Corey Pavin, Tom Watson, Kirk Triplett

*Note: The 1974 Bing Crosby National Pro-Am was shortened to 54 holes due to weather.

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 by par on first 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 by birdie on second hole
6	1983	Canadian Open	John Cook	Lost to birdie on sixth extra hole

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	Margin of victory	Runner-up
1	Dec 8, 1974	Dunlop Phoenix Tournament	−14 (69-69-69-67=274)	7 strokes	Lu Liang-Huan

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	Margin of victory	Runner-up
1	Nov 19, 1972	Otago Charity Classic	−7 (70-68-72-71=281)	Playoff	Lu Liang-Huan

New Zealand Golf Circuit playoff record (1–0)

No.	Year	Tournament	Opponent	Result
1	1972	Otago Charity Classic	Lu Liang-Huan	Won with birdie on first extra hole

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up
1	Oct 7, 1973	Trophée Lancôme	−11 (68-69-71-69=277)	3 strokes	Valentín Barrios
2	Nov 25, 1973	World Cup (with Jack Nicklaus)	−18 (142-133-145-138=558)	6 strokes	South Africa − Hugh Baiocchi and Gary Player
3	Nov 25, 1973	World Cup Individual Trophy	−11 (73-65-72-67=277)	3 strokes	Gary Player
4	Dec 7, 1975	World Cup (2) (with Lou Graham)	−22 (134-142-140-138=554)	10 strokes	Taiwan − Hsieh Min-Nan and Kuo Chie-Hsiung
5	Dec 7, 1975	World Cup Individual Trophy (2)	−13 (66-71-70-68=275)	2 strokes	Ben Arda, Hsieh Min-Nan, Bob Shearer
6	Oct 28, 1979	Trophée Lancôme (2)	−7 (70-71-69-71=281)	3 strokes	Sandy Lyle, Lee Trevino
7	Jan 3, 1982	Nedbank Million Dollar Challenge	−11 (72-68-66-71=277)	Playoff	Seve Ballesteros
8	Dec 18, 1983	Chrysler Team Championship (with Jack Nicklaus)	−11 (61-65-65=191)*	1 stroke	Al Geiberger and Peter Oosterhuis
9	Dec 31, 1983	Spalding Invitational	−17 (64-68-69-69=270)	5 strokes	Bob Gilder

*Note: The 1983 Chrysler Team Championship was shortened to 54 holes due to rain.

Other playoff record (1–1)

No.	Year	Tournament	Opponent(s)	Result
1	1982	Nedbank Million Dollar Challenge	Seve Ballesteros	Won with par on ninth extra hole
2	2000	Office Depot Father/Son Challenge (with son Scott Miller)	Raymond Floyd and son Robert Floyd	Lost to birdie on first extra hole

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

LA = Low amateur
CUT = missed the halfway cut (3rd round cut in 1980 Open Championship)
DQ = disqualified
WD = withdrew
"T" indicates a tie for a place.

• Most consecutive cuts made – 14 (1972 U.S. Open – 1975 Open Championship)
• Longest streak of top-10s – 3 (1973 Masters – 1973 Open Championship)

Professional

• Ryder Cup: 1975 (winners), 1981 (winners)
• World Cup: 1973 (winners, individual winner), 1975 (winners, individual winner), 1980
• Wendy's 3-Tour Challenge (representing Senior PGA Tour): 1997

• Spring 1969 PGA Tour Qualifying School graduates
• List of golfers with most PGA Tour wins
• Longest PGA Tour win streaks
• Most PGA Tour wins in a year

• 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
• Johnny Miller at the Official World Golf Ranking official site
• Johnny Miller at the World Golf Hall of Fame
• Golf Magazine – The Critic – June 2007 – p. 112–123
• USA Today – NBC's Miller keeps firing away – June 13, 2002