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By Ken Love
For the Mirror
The U.S. Open is being held this week at the Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts.
Major championships like this always generate plenty of memories, especially with fans who attend in person.
While this particular tournament isn't within easy driving distance, local golf fans have been able to easily attend the U.S. Opens held at Oakmont Country Club.
The Pittsburgh-area club has hosted a record nine U.S. Opens over the years, allowing local fans to enjoy the action while creating lasting memories of their own.
One of the most interesting of these memories was recounted recently by Tony Labriola, an Altoona native who is currently enjoying retirement after a long career as an educator, serving as a superintendent for several regional school districts before finishing his career as the executive director of Intermediate Unit 11.
Way back in the summer of 1962, Labriola was a teenager who loved all sports. Though he had never played golf, Labriola and good friend Ralph Muller enjoyed following the game.
That June, the U.S Open was at Oakmont, and on the morning of the final round, a young Labriola was awakened by pebbles hitting his bedroom window. Though it was still dark, it was easy to see Muller in the yard below, holding a copy of the local newspaper.
"The U.S. Open's at Oakmont and there's a picture of the course in the paper," Labriola recalls his friend saying. "The turnpike runs right through the place. Come on, let's go!"
Without telling their parents, the two young men set out on an adventure that morning. Leaving Labriola's house near 41st Street and 5th Avenue, the youths began walking toward Route 22 where they planned to hitchhike to Pittsburgh.
To their good fortune, Labriola and Muller were able to catch a couple friendly rides and were eventually dropped off at the turnpike exit near Oakmont by late morning.
A short walk along the highway put them next to the course, where a steep embankment was all that was between the youths and golf heaven.
Their dreams of seeing the tournament were soon dashed, however, when near the top of their climb they encountered a multitude of officers guarding the grounds.
Disheartened, the two young men scuffled back down to the turnpike and walked toward the little town of Oakmont. Approaching noon, the two friends were able to find a local market for lunch but pulling their resources only resulted in pocket change amounting to less than a dollar.
Their luck began to change, though, when a lady in the store looked upon them kindly and purchased some fruit and other snacks to ease their hunger pangs.
Suddenly nourished, the pair knew they could walk just a block or two to at least see the front of Oakmont's historic clubhouse before heading home.
Once there, they were met by the throngs of fans entering and leaving the front gate. While mulling around the crowd, Labriola and Muller bumped into a mother and daughter leaving the grounds, who offered the pair their tickets.
"We couldn't have been more excited," Labriola said. "We took those tickets and couldn't wait to get in to see the action."
Finally inside the ropes, Labriola and Muller wandered from hole to hole but had a hard time getting a good view. The galleries were extra large that year because hometown hero Arnold Palmer was in contention.
Another source of obstruction came in the form of the many cardboard periscopes that were commonly used by golf fans during that era.
Eventually locating the 18th hole, the youths noticed a novelty of the time, a television camera that was positioned near the green, affixed atop a large metal structure.
Labriola and Muller quickly climbed part-way up the tower only to be shouted at by the camera operator. Undeterred, the pair jumped into an adjacent tree where they could easily watch the action. Minutes later, dozens of other fans followed them into the surrounding trees.
Labriola recalls watching the leaders finish that day.
Jack Nicklaus posted a low score, which was later equaled by Palmer (Nicklaus would win in a playoff the following Monday).
At day's end, the youths were happily satisfied with their excellent adventure and set out on the long journey back to Altoona. It was nearly midnight when the youths finally made it to Labriola's home.
To this day, Labriola can still remember the reception he received from his dad, Pat (known to many local residents as the owner of a popular barber shop in Lakemont), who was waiting in the driveway.
"He wasn't happy to say the least," Labriola said.
The punishment couldn't have been too harsh, since Labriola has only good memories of the entire Oakmont adventure.
To this day, Labriola and Muller remain close despite the latter relocating to Jacksonville, Florida after a stint in the Navy and a career working as a contractor for NASA.
The good friends keep in touch often -- and, 60 years later, still enjoy reminiscing about their awesome U.S. Open memory.