It’s June 17, 1973. The final round of the 1973 United States Open. The stage is the beautiful, but diabolical, Oakmont Country Club, just outside of Pittsburgh.
Johnny Miller, the quintessential California golden boy from the San Francisco Bay Area, entered the final round six shots behind the leaders.
And then history began to unfold.
Miller was known as one of golf’s fiercest competitors and was capable of shooting scores that most players couldn’t imagine. He roared out of the gates with birdies on Oakmont’s first four holes. A bogey at the long par three 8th would seemingly halt his momentum, but he followed that with a birdie on the par five 9th. The 32 on the front nine propelled Miller into contention. He made his eighth birdie of the day on the 13th hole and by the time he finished the 14th, Miller stunningly found himself in the lead. Another birdie at the 15th followed by three pars to finish — the last on a tap-in after a wicked lip out for 62 — cemented one of the greatest rounds ever played.
The putter he used that day was a Bullseye design dating back to 1952, and it served as the inspiration for Toulon's latest Small Batch design, Pittsburgh.
THE HEAD
- Pittsburgh Small Batch was an engineering challenge, but was incredibly fun for the Toulon team to create. Toulon Golf wanted Pittsburgh to be true to Miller’s putter but modernized for the faster greens of today’s game. That meant the putter had to be substantially heavier that the putter Miller used in 1973.
- With that as the design brief, the team dug deep into multi-material design. Combining two of their most loved materials, 904L Stainless Steel and Tungsten, Toulon began designing Pittsburgh while staying true to the original dimensions of Miller’s putter.
- To accomplish the performance and aesthetic goals, they essentially hollowed out the middle of the blade. Once the cavity was milled inside the bottom of the putter, 60 grams of Tungsten were inserted — with as much weight residing in the extreme heel and toe section of the putter as possible. The result is not only a putter stunning in appearance, but also one fit for the modern game.
- Pittsburgh weighs in at a very playable 340 grams, roughly 40-50 grams heavier than the putter Miller used to win in 1973, and something that would be quite useful on Oakmont’s punishing greens.
The Rest of the Package
- Pittsburgh Small Batch is milled with the Ultra Fine Double Fly Cut face pattern. Paired with 904L Stainless Steel and Tungsten material, this mill pattern delivers a lovely satisfying milled click at impact. Befitting a putter bearing the name Pittsburgh, Toulon finished the body in their Brilliant Midnight Black finish and highlighted the Tungsten sole with the micro-milled pattern over the brushed yellow gold color.
- It was Toulon Golf's privilege to work with Johnny and his team to bring this putter to life, and to celebrate one of the greatest rounds ever played in championship golf. And to protect the head of Pittsburgh Small Batch, the putter is paired with a headcover that proudly displays Johnny’s legendary scorecard along with the date of the historical achievement and his signature.
- Pittsburgh Small Batch: Modern nostalgia at its finest.
