U.S. Open (golf) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
U.S. Open

Tournament information
Established	1895
Organized by	United States Golf Association
Tour(s)	PGA Tour European Tour Japan Golf Tour
Format	Stroke play
Prize fund	$21,500,000
Month played	June
Tournament record score
Aggregate	268 Rory McIlroy (2011)
To par	−16 Rory McIlroy (2011) −16 Brooks Koepka (2017)
Current champion
J. J. Spaun
Image:Golf current event.svg 2025 U.S. Open (golf)

The United States Open Championship, usually called the U.S. Open, is the national golf championship of the United States. It is one of the four most important tournaments in men's golf, known as the major championships. The U.S. Open is part of the schedule for both the PGA Tour and the European Tour.

The tournament is a 72-hole stroke play event. This means each golfer plays four rounds on an 18-hole course. The player who takes the fewest shots, or strokes, to complete all the holes is the winner.

The United States Golf Association (USGA) organizes the event every year in mid-June. The final round is usually played on the third Sunday of the month. The U.S. Open is famous for being played on very difficult courses. These courses are set up to test the best golfers on their driving accuracy. In 2025, the prize money for the U.S. Open was $21.5 million, the most of any major championship.

History of the U.S. Open

The very first U.S. Open was held on October 4, 1895. It took place at the Newport Country Club in Newport, Rhode Island. The tournament was much shorter back then, with only 36 holes played in a single day.

The winner was Horace Rawlins, a 21-year-old from England. He had just moved to the U.S. that year to work at the club. For his victory, he won $150 in cash and a gold medal. His club got to keep the championship trophy for the year.

The U.S. Open Trophy is one of the most famous prizes in golf.

For many years, the tournament was won by skilled British players. That changed in 1911 when John J. McDermott became the first American-born winner. After that, American golfers started winning regularly, and the U.S. Open grew into one of the four majors.

Since 1950, most winners have been from the United States. However, great players from other countries have also won, including South Africa, Australia, and Argentina. From 2010 to 2014, European players won four times, showing how global the sport has become.

What Makes the Courses So Hard?

The U.S. Open is known for its tough courses. The winning score is often close to par, which is the expected score for a great golfer. Sometimes, the winner even scores over par.

The courses are set up to be very challenging in a few ways:

• Long Rough: The grass just off the fairway (the short grass) is grown very thick and high. This makes it hard to hit the ball out of.
• Bumpy Greens: The greens, where the hole is, are often very sloped and fast. This makes putting difficult.
• Narrow Fairways: The area of short grass where players aim their drives is made very thin. This means players must be very accurate with their first shot on each hole.

How Players Qualify

The U.S. Open is "open" to any professional golfer or any amateur with a very low handicap (a measure of a player's skill). This means both men and women can try to enter the tournament. There are two main ways to get into the field of 156 players.

Exempt Players

About half of the players are "exempt," which means they automatically get a spot without having to qualify. These are usually players who have had great success. Some ways to be exempt include:

• Winning the U.S. Open in the last 10 years.
• Winning other major championships like the Masters Tournament or The Open Championship.
• Being one of the top-ranked players in the world.
• Winning major amateur tournaments.

Qualifying Tournaments

Players who are not exempt can earn a spot through a two-stage qualifying process.

1. Local Qualifying: This is an 18-hole tournament held at over 100 courses across the United States.
2. Sectional Qualifying: Successful local qualifiers move on to this stage. They play 36 holes in one day at sites in the U.S., Europe, and Japan.

This tough process means that any talented golfer has a chance to compete in the U.S. Open.

Prizes and Benefits

Winning the U.S. Open comes with a large cash prize. In 2025, the winner, J. J. Spaun, received $4.3 million.

But the rewards are more than just money. Winning the U.S. Open gives a golfer huge benefits for their career.

• Invitations to Majors: The champion is invited to play in the other three majors (the Masters, the Open Championship, and the PGA Championship) for the next five years.
• U.S. Open Exemption: They don't have to qualify for the U.S. Open for the next 10 years.
• PGA Tour Membership: Winners get a five-year membership on the PGA Tour, which gives them job security.

What Happens in a Tie?

If two or more players are tied for the lead after 72 holes, a playoff decides the winner.

Until 2017, the playoff was a full 18-hole round played the next day. If players were still tied after that, they would play "sudden death," where the first player to win a hole wins the tournament.

Since 2018, the format has changed. Now, tied players have a two-hole playoff. Their scores from those two holes are added together. The player with the lowest score wins. If they are still tied, they play sudden death until there is a winner.

Recent Winners

Year	Winner	Score	To par	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up	Winner's share ($)	Venue	Location
2025	J. J. Spaun	279	–1	2 strokes	Robert MacIntyre	4,300,000	Oakmont	Plum, Pennsylvania
2024	Bryson DeChambeau (2)	274	−6	1 stroke	Rory McIlroy	4,300,000	Pinehurst Resort (Course No. 2)	Pinehurst, North Carolina
2023	Wyndham Clark	270	−10	1 stroke	Rory McIlroy	3,600,000	Los Angeles Country Club (North Course)	Los Angeles, California
2022	Matt Fitzpatrick	274	−6	1 stroke	Scottie Scheffler Will Zalatoris	3,150,000	The Country Club (Composite Course)	Brookline, Massachusetts
2021	Jon Rahm	278	−6	1 stroke	Louis Oosthuizen	2,250,000	Torrey Pines (South Course)	San Diego, California
2020	Bryson DeChambeau	274	−6	6 strokes	Matthew Wolff	2,250,000	Winged Foot (West Course)	Mamaroneck, New York
2019	Gary Woodland	271	−13	3 strokes	Brooks Koepka	2,250,000	Pebble Beach	Pebble Beach, California
2018	Brooks Koepka (2)	281	+1	1 stroke	Tommy Fleetwood	2,160,000	Shinnecock Hills	Shinnecock Hills, New York
2017	Brooks Koepka	272	−16	4 strokes	Hideki Matsuyama Brian Harman	2,160,000	Erin Hills	Erin, Wisconsin
2016	Dustin Johnson	276	−4	3 strokes	Jim Furyk Shane Lowry Scott Piercy	1,800,000	Oakmont	Plum, Pennsylvania

Tournament Records

• Most Wins: 4 wins, by Willie Anderson, Bobby Jones, Ben Hogan, and Jack Nicklaus.
• Most Consecutive Wins: 3 wins in a row by Willie Anderson (1903–1905).
• Oldest Champion: Hale Irwin in 1990, at 45 years and 15 days old.
• Youngest Champion: John McDermott in 1911, at 19 years and 315 days old.
• Largest Victory Margin: 15 strokes by Tiger Woods in 2000. This is a record for all major championships.
• Lowest 72-Hole Score: 268 strokes by Rory McIlroy in 2011.
• Lowest Score to Par: 16-under-par, by Rory McIlroy in 2011 and Brooks Koepka in 2017.
• Lowest 18-Hole Score: 62 strokes, by Rickie Fowler and Xander Schauffele in 2023.

Future Tournaments

The U.S. Open is held at different classic golf courses around the United States. Here are some of the places where it will be held in the coming years.

See also

In Spanish: Abierto de Estados Unidos (golf) para niños

• Golf in the United States
• Open golf tournament