Each week leading up to the 107th U.S. Open, the Post-Gazette will chronicle a past major moment or some historical aspect at Oakmont Country Club.

In 1935, in one of the most stunning upsets in golf history, South Hills CC professional Sam Parks won the U.S. Open at Oakmont, beating Jimmy Thomson by two shots and Walter Hagen by three.

Parks was like any other club professional at the time, tending to the business of his pro shop in the South Hills and playing the occasional event in the summer. But he used his local knowledge of having played at Oakmont to his advantage, winning the U.S. Open with a score of 299 despite bogeys at three of the final four holes.

Not everyone was surprised, though.

Earlier that week, in a guest column in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Gene Sarazen said of Parks: "He has been improving rapidly ... his knowledge of Oakmont and its pitfalls should be a great asset."

It was.