HBO Looks Back On '60 U.S. Open In Latest Documentary Effort

REVIEWS: In Philadelphia, Stan Hochman wrote the documentary is "sparkling." Hochman: "If you're any kind of student of the game, you won't turn away for a moment as the melodrama unfolds. And if you're new to the game, you will find the story fascinating" (PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS, 6/10). In N.Y., Richard Sandomir writes the father-son theme is a "crafty and necessary evasion around an archival obstacle: there is nothing left of NBC's broadcast of the tournament, and what little footage there is, some of it very good," comes from Denver TV stations (N.Y. TIMES, 6/11). GOLF.com's Michael Walker wrote the film meets HBO's "usual high standards with insightful commentary from the likes" of Jenkins and Sampson, as well as interviews with Palmer and a "surprisingly funny Nicklaus." But Walker wrote the only drawback is the lack of footage from the tournament, as the majority of the piece "focuses on the three men's vastly different backgrounds" (GOLF.com, 6/6). On Long Island, Neil Best wrote the "storytelling requires patience, because it focuses more on the three men than on their showdown at Cherry Hills itself." It "helps to be a golf die-hard to enjoy this look," and the film "will not appeal to as broad an audience as many" in HBO's documentary series (NEWSDAY, 6/10).

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