Jacklin remains our last US Open winner

"After watching me hit a few he suggested 'line up the putt, set the blade behind the ball. Look at the hole and strike the putt with your eyes still fixed on the hole.' "His notion was that the actual mechanical stroke I possessed was so ingrained into both my muscle memory and my routine that it would be straightforward to make that stroke without having to actually look at the ball. He insisted there was no advantage in keeping your eyes on the ball. "It was a gold strike! Putts began dropping from everywhere and good vibes starting oozing out of me."

Jacklin and Nicklaus Jacklin admitted he made a slight amendment to Yancey's tip by casting his eyes back to the ball a fraction of a second before he drew the putter back but the new technique proved crucial. He led the event from the wire until on the 9th hole in the final round when, with his lead cut to three shots after a series of errors, his birdie putt from 30 feet slammed into the back of the cup. Looking back on his career, Jacklin says to win his Open Championship in 1969 was always his dream but to win the US Open was to capture a 'truly different beast.' "It was harder to win. Plain fact. I don't mean this as an insult to The Open, the Masters or US PGA. But the US Open is the hardest to win - and I had it." So who of the Europeans and indeed the high-flying Britons can emulate Jacklin, who was only 25 at the time? Sergio Garcia has gone close before but needs a vast improvement in his own putting on the rock hard greens he'll find at Winged Foot if he's to achieve the major that has proved so elusive. David Howell and Luke Donald - respectively 9th and 10th in the world rankings - have the accuracy and putting skills to tread in Jacklin's footsteps but whether they can contain the wicked pressure if they find themselves in contention, is questionable. Of the rest, Jose-Maria Olazabal, Henrik Stenson, Padraig Harrington and Darren Clarke have the determination to make an impact while Ian Poulter, Graeme McDowell and Paul Casey have the talent. But it's that slice of luck at the right time - an outrageous turning point - that will determine the destination of the trophy. Jacklin had it…who will have it this week? 'Tony Jacklin - My autobiography' is a highly recommended read and adds significant meat to the well documented bone of facts and figures so many of us inherited about one of Europe's greatest ever players and Ryder Cup captains and competitors. Jacklin now lives in, Bradenton, Florida having launched The Concession Golf Club there in a joint partnership with Jack Nicklaus with whom he shared one of the great sporting moments in the 1969 Ryder Cup. The book is published by Simon and Schuster UK and is priced in hardback at £18.99.