1969 U.S. Amateur: Steve Melnyk wins at Oakmont Country Club
Steve Melnyk won the 1969 U.S. Amateur at Oakmont Country Club in Oakmont, Pennsylvania with 72-hole stroke play, scoring 286, 5 strokes ahead of Vinny Giles.
Updated October 22, 2026
Walk this draw in the U.S. Amateur room.
- Edition
- 69th
- Dates
- August 27, 1969 to August 30, 1969
- Course
- Oakmont Country Club, Oakmont, Pennsylvania
- Format
- 72-hole stroke play
- Champion
- Steve Melnyk · age 22 · United States · University of Florida
- Champion's title
- 1st U.S. Amateur
- Runner-up
- Vinny Giles · age 26
- Winning score
- 286 (margin: 5)
- Defending champion
- Bruce Fleisher · missed the 36-hole cut
- Entries
- 2,142
What happened at the 1969 U.S. Amateur
Melnyk went out in 32 (four under) in the final round, including an eagle at the 534-yard 4th, to stretch his lead to eight, then coasted home with a double bogey at the par-3 13th
Vinny Giles finished second for the third straight year, the first man to be runner-up three years running
Final round, Steve Melnyk v. Vinny Giles v. Allen Miller, Melnyk 286, Giles 291, Miller 293. Starting with a three-stroke lead (216 to 219), Melnyk bogeyed the 1st for the fourth straight day, then eagled the 4th and turned in 32 to lead by eight.
No draw: stroke play
From 1965 to 1972 the U.S. Amateur was 72 holes of stroke play, so there is no bracket for 1969.
How this was built
Every value is shown as recorded in GNN's U.S. Amateur data set (research collected through October 20, 2026). "unknown" means no source confirmed it; nothing is estimated. Where sources disagree, the USGA's own record is used.
Data: us-amateur.json.
Sources
- USGA U.S. Amateur Record Book 2026
- Sports Illustrated 1969-09-08 'U.S. Amateur report (Melnyk)' (archive.org Sports-Illustrated-1969-09-08)
- Sedalia Democrat 1969-08-31 (AP) (archive.org sedalia-democrat-1969-08-31)
- Sedalia Democrat 1969-08-31 (AP) (archive.org sedalia-democrat-1969-08-31)
- Sports Illustrated 1969-09-08 'U.S. Amateur report (Melnyk)' (archive.org Sports-Illustrated-1969-09-08)
- Sedalia Democrat 1969-08-31 (AP) (archive.org sedalia-democrat-1969-08-31)
- USGA U.S. Amateur Record Book 2026