Sam Snead: He won seven majors and a PGA Tour record 82 tournaments, but the Open cruelly eluded him. He finished second four times. In '39, Snead thought he needed a birdie on the last hole to win when he only needed par, and he made an 8. In '49, he missed a 2-½-foot putt against Lou Worsham that would have extended their playoff.

Nick Price: Three-time major winner posted four Open top-10s including fourth in '92 and '98.

Horton Smith: The first Masters champ, winner of 32 tour events, finished third twice in the Open (1930 and 1940).

Jimmy Demaret: He won 31 times on the PGA Tour, including three Masters. Finished second in '48 Open and also placed third, fourth and sixth through the years.

Vijay Singh: Fijian is three-time major winner and has seven top-10 finishes in the 14 U.S. Opens he's played, but best placing is third in '99 at Pinehurst.

Peter Thomson: Five-time British Open winner made only five U.S. Open starts, and his best finish was fourth.

Nick Faldo: Six-time major winner came close in 1988, losing to Curtis Strange in a playoff.

Seve Ballesteros: His great shotmaking led to three British Open wins and two Masters titles, but his erratic driving killed him in U.S. Opens, and he had only three top-10 finishes.

Bobby Locke: One of the greatest players in the 1930s and '40s, and the winner of four British Opens, Locke finished in the top-5 of the U.S. Open in five of the seven times he played.

– TOD LEONARD