June 18 in sports history: Arnold Palmer’s legendary comeback, two Jack Nicklaus victories and Ray Allen’s corner three in Game 6 of the NBA Finals.
June 18 belongs to the U.S. Open more than almost any other date on the calendar. Arnold Palmer’s legendary comeback, two Jack Nicklaus victories, Brooks Koepka’s first major and Wyndham Clark’s breakthrough all share this date, alongside one of the greatest NBA Finals games ever played.
Arnold Palmer trailed Mike Souchak by seven strokes entering the final round at Cherry Hills Country Club in Denver. He birdied six of his first seven holes, drove the green on the par-4 first and chipped in from 90 feet at the second. His closing 65 delivered a 280 total and his only U.S. Open title. A 20-year-old amateur named Jack Nicklaus finished second at 282, while 47-year-old Ben Hogan fell apart on the back nine after contending for a record fifth Open. The tournament is remembered as a crossroads for three generations of golf greatness.
San Antonio led Miami 95-92 with 5.2 seconds remaining in Game 6 of the NBA Finals at American Airlines Arena. League officials had already begun roping off the court for a trophy presentation. Chris Bosh grabbed an offensive rebound and kicked the ball to Ray Allen in the right corner. Allen backpedaled to the three-point line and buried the shot to force overtime. The Heat won 103-100, tying the series 3-3 before winning the championship two nights later. The game won the ESPY for Best Game and is widely considered one of the greatest NBA Finals contests in history.
Jack Nicklaus captured his third U.S. Open in brutal conditions at Pebble Beach, where the final-round scoring average reached 78.8, the highest in post-war Open history. His 1-iron on the par-3 17th struck the flagstick and settled inches from the hole, sealing a three-stroke victory over Bruce Crampton. The win was his eleventh professional major, tying Walter Hagen’s all-time record. It also marked the first time the U.S. Open was held at a public golf course.
Brooks Koepka fired a final-round 67 to win his first major championship at the first U.S. Open ever held in Wisconsin. His 16-under 272 total tied Rory McIlroy’s record low in U.S. Open history, and he won by four strokes over Brian Harman and Hideki Matsuyama. The world’s top three ranked players all missed the cut, making Koepka’s dominant wire-to-wire performance even more striking. He earned $2.16 million, the first U.S. Open winner’s purse to exceed $2 million.
Jack Nicklaus closed with a 65 to win the U.S. Open at Baltusrol Golf Club, finishing at 275 to break Ben Hogan’s 19-year-old tournament scoring record by one stroke. Arnold Palmer finished four shots back as runner-up for the fourth time in six years. Nicklaus held the record until he broke it himself at the same course in 1980.
2023: Wyndham Clark wins the U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club, his first major title, beating Rory McIlroy by one stroke.
2022: Colorado Avalanche crush the Tampa Bay Lightning 7-0 in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final, with Cale Makar scoring both a shorthanded and power-play goal.
2024: Willie Mays, baseball’s “Say Hey Kid” and one of the greatest players in history, dies at age 93 in Palo Alto, California.
2003: Larry Doby, the first Black player in the American League, dies at age 79 in Montclair, New Jersey.
2018: Harry Kane’s stoppage-time header gives England a 2-1 victory over Tunisia in their 2018 FIFA World Cup opener in Volgograd.
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