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	US$20,000,000
Month played	June
Tournament record score
Aggregate	268 Rory McIlroy (2011)
To par	−16 Rory McIlroy (2011) −16 Brooks Koepka (2017)
Current champion
Wyndham Clark
2024 U.S. Open (golf)

The United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open national championship of golf in the United States. It is the third of the four men's major golf championships, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour. Since 1898 the competition has been 72 holes of stroke play (4 rounds on an 18-hole course), with the winner being the player with the lowest total number of strokes. It is staged by the United States Golf Association (USGA) in mid-June, scheduled so that, if there are no weather delays, the final round is played on the third Sunday. The U.S. Open is staged at a variety of courses, set up in such a way that scoring is very difficult, with a premium placed on accurate driving. As of 2023, the U.S. Open awards a $20 million purse, the largest of all four major championships.

History

The first U.S. Open was played on October 4, 1895, on a nine-hole course at the Newport Country Club in Newport, Rhode Island. It was a 36-hole competition and was played in a single day. Ten professionals and one amateur entered. The winner was Horace Rawlins, a 21-year-old Englishman, who had arrived in the U.S. earlier that year to take up a position at the host club. He received $150 cash out of a prize fund of $335, plus a $50 gold medal; his club received the Open Championship Cup trophy, which was presented by the USGA.

In the beginning, the tournament was dominated by experienced British players until 1911, when John J. McDermott became the first native-born American winner. American golfers soon began to win regularly and the tournament evolved to become one of the four majors.

U.S. Open Trophy at the 2008 PGA Golf Show.

Since 1911, the title has been won mostly by players from the United States. Since 1950, players from only six countries other than the United States have won the championship, most notably South Africa, which has won five times since 1965. A streak of four consecutive non-American winners occurred from 2004 to 2007 for the first time since 1910. These four players, South African Retief Goosen (2004), New Zealander Michael Campbell (2005), Australian Geoff Ogilvy (2006) and Argentine Ángel Cabrera (2007), are all from countries in the Southern Hemisphere. Northern Ireland's Graeme McDowell (2010) became the first European player to win the event since Tony Jacklin of England in 1970; three more Europeans won in the next four editions, making it only three American wins in the 11 tournaments from 2004 to 2014.

U.S. Open play is characterized by tight scoring at or around par by the leaders, with the winner usually emerging at around even par. A U.S. Open course is seldom beaten severely, and there have been many over-par wins (in part because par is usually set at 70, except for the very longest courses). Normally, an Open course is quite long and will have a high cut of primary rough (termed "Open rough" by the American press and fans); undulating greens (such as at Pinehurst No. 2 in 2005, which was described by Johnny Miller of NBC as "like trying to hit a ball on top of a VW Beetle"); pinched fairways (especially on what are expected to be less difficult holes); and two or three holes that are short par fives under regular play would be used as long par fours during the tournament (often to meet that frequently used par of 70, forcing players to have accurate long drives). Some courses that are attempting to get into the rotation for the U.S. Open will undergo renovations to develop these features. Rees Jones is the most notable of the "Open Doctors" who take on these projects; his father Robert Trent Jones had filled that role earlier. As with any professional golf tournament, the available space surrounding the course (for spectators, among other considerations) and local infrastructure also factor into deciding which courses will host the event.

Qualification

The U.S. Open is open to any professional, or to any amateur with a USGA Handicap Index not exceeding 1.4. Players (male or female) may obtain a place by being fully exempt or by competing successfully in qualifying. The field is 156 players.

About half of the field is made up of players who are fully exempt from qualifying. The current exemption categories are:

• Winners of the U.S. Open for the last ten years
• Winner and runner-up from the previous year's U.S. Amateur and winners of the previous year's U.S. Junior Amateur and U.S. Mid-Amateur
  • The runner-up from the U.S. Amateur, the winner of the U.S. Junior Amateur, and U.S. Mid-Amateur must remain an amateur.
  • The winner of the U.S. Amateur, however, may turn professional after winning the U.S. Amateur and retain his eligibility.
• Winner of the previous year's Amateur Championship
• The previous year's Mark H. McCormack Medal winner for the top-ranked amateur golfer in the world
• Winners of each of Masters Tournament, Open Championship and PGA Championship for the last five years
• Winners of the last three Players Championships
• Winner of the current year's BMW PGA Championship
• Winner of the last U.S. Senior Open
• Players who win multiple U.S. PGA Tour events during the time between tournaments, provided the tournaments each offer 500 or more points to the winner, and are not opposite-field events.
• In the year after the Olympic golf tournament, the reigning men's gold medalist
• Top 10 finishers and ties from the previous year's U.S. Open
• Players who qualified for the previous year's Tour Championship
• The top 60 in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) as of two weeks before the start of the tournament
• The top 60 in the OWGR as of the tournament date
• The top player in the PGA Tour second-tier developmental series points, based on combined points from the Regular Season and Finals, from the previous season (starting in 2023).
• Special exemptions selected by the USGA
• All remaining spots after the second top 60 OWGR cutoff date filled by alternates from qualifying tournaments.

The exemptions for amateurs apply only if the players remain amateurs as of the tournament date, except for the U.S. Amateur champion. On August 5, 2019, the USGA announced a rule change stating a player may turn professional and still retain his U.S. Open exemption. Note that this tournament typically takes place after the collegiate season has ended, so players may turn professional immediately after their last collegiate event (typically the end of the NCAA final of their senior year) in order to maximize the number of FedEx Cup points they may score before the August cutoff to avoid qualifying school.

Before 2011, the sole OWGR cutoff for entry was the top 50 as of two weeks before the tournament. An exemption category for the top 50 as of the tournament date was added for 2011, apparently in response to the phenomenon of golfers entering the top 50 between the original cutoff date and the tournament (such as Justin Rose and Rickie Fowler in 2010).

Through 2011, exemptions existed for leading money winners on the PGA, European, Japanese, and Australasian tours, as well as winners of multiple PGA Tour events in the year before the U.S. Open. These categories were eliminated in favor of inviting the top 60 on the OWGR at both relevant dates. Starting with the 2012 championship, an exemption was added for the winner of the current year's BMW PGA Championship, the European Tour's equivalent of The Players Championship.

Potential competitors who are not fully exempt must enter the Qualifying process, which has two stages. Firstly there is Local Qualifying, which is played over 18 holes at more than 100 courses around the United States. Many leading players are exempt from this first stage, and they join the successful local qualifiers at the Sectional Qualifying stage, which is played over 36 holes in one day at several sites in the U.S., as well as one each in Europe and Japan. There is no lower age limit and the youngest-ever qualifier was 14-year-old Andy Zhang of China, who qualified in 2012 after Paul Casey withdrew days before the tournament.

USGA special exemptions

The USGA has granted a special exemption to 35 players 53 times since 1966. Players with special exemptions include: Arnold Palmer (1978, 1980, 1981, 1983, 1994), Seve Ballesteros (1978, 1994), Gary Player (1981, 1983), Lee Trevino (1983, 1984), Hale Irwin (1990, 2002, 2003), Jack Nicklaus (1991, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000), Tom Watson (1993, 1996, 2000, 2003, 2010), and Tiger Woods (2024).

Irwin won the 1990 U.S. Open after accepting a special exemption. In 2016, a special exemption was extended to former champion Retief Goosen (2001, 2004). In 2018, a special exemption was extended to former U.S. Open champions Jim Furyk (2003) and Ernie Els (1994, 1997).

Prizes

The purse at the 2017 U.S. Open was $12 million, and the winner's share was $2.16 million. The European Tour uses conversion rates at the time of the tournament to calculate the official prize money used in their Race to Dubai (€10,745,927 in 2017).

In line with the other majors, winning the U.S. Open gives a golfer several privileges that make his career much more secure if he is not already one of the elite players of the sport. U.S. Open champions are automatically invited to play in the other three majors (the Masters, The Open Championship (British Open), and the PGA Championship) for the next five years. They are also automatically invited to play in The Players Championship for the next five years, and they are exempt from qualifying for the U.S. Open itself for 10 years.

Winners may also receive a five-year exemption on the PGA Tour, which is automatic for regular members. Non-PGA Tour members who win the U.S. Open have the choice of joining the PGA Tour either within 60 days of winning, or prior to the beginning of any one of the next five tour seasons.

Finally, U.S. Open winners receive automatic invitations to three of the five senior majors once they turn 50; they receive a five-year invitation to the U.S. Senior Open and a lifetime invitation to the Senior PGA Championship and Senior British Open.

The top 10 finishers at the U.S. Open are fully exempt from qualifying for the following year's Open, and the top four are automatically invited to the following season's Masters.

Playoff format

Up to 2017, the U.S. Open retained a full 18-hole playoff the following day (Monday). If a tie existed after that fifth round, then the playoff continued as sudden-death on the 91st hole. The U.S. Open advanced to sudden-death three times (1990, 1994, 2008), most recently when Tiger Woods defeated Rocco Mediate on the first additional playoff hole in 2008. Before sudden-death was introduced in the 1950s, additional 18-hole rounds were played (1925, 1939, and 1946) to break the tie. When the playoff was scheduled for 36 holes and ended in a tie, as in 1931, a second 36-hole playoff was required.

Since 2018, the USGA adopted a two-hole aggregate playoff format, after consulting fans, players and media partners. Sudden death will still be played if the playoff ends tied.

Winners

Year	Winner	Score	To par	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up	Winner's share ($)	Venue	Location
2024							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	Oakmont, Pennsylvania
2015	Jordan Spieth	275	−5	1 stroke	Dustin Johnson Louis Oosthuizen	1,800,000	Chambers Bay	University Place, Washington
2014	Martin Kaymer	271	−9	8 strokes	Erik Compton Rickie Fowler	1,620,000	Pinehurst Resort (Course No. 2)	Pinehurst, North Carolina
2013	Justin Rose	281	+1	2 strokes	Jason Day Phil Mickelson	1,440,000	Merion (East Course)	Ardmore, Pennsylvania
2012	Webb Simpson	281	+1	1 stroke	Graeme McDowell Michael Thompson	1,440,000	Olympic Club (Lake Course)	San Francisco, California
2011	Rory McIlroy	268	−16	8 strokes	Jason Day	1,440,000	Congressional (Blue Course)	Bethesda, Maryland
2010	Graeme McDowell	284	E	1 stroke	Grégory Havret	1,350,000	Pebble Beach	Pebble Beach, California
2009	Lucas Glover	276	−4	2 strokes	Ricky Barnes David Duval Phil Mickelson	1,350,000	Bethpage State Park (Black Course)	Farmingdale, New York
2008	Tiger Woods (3)	283	−1	Playoff	Rocco Mediate	1,350,000	Torrey Pines (South Course)	San Diego, California
2007	Ángel Cabrera	285	+5	1 stroke	Jim Furyk Tiger Woods	1,260,000	Oakmont	Oakmont, Pennsylvania
2006	Geoff Ogilvy	285	+5	1 stroke	Jim Furyk Phil Mickelson Colin Montgomerie	1,225,000	Winged Foot (West Course)	Mamaroneck, New York
2005	Michael Campbell	280	E	2 strokes	Tiger Woods	1,170,000	Pinehurst Resort (Course No. 2)	Pinehurst, North Carolina
2004	Retief Goosen (2)	276	−4	2 strokes	Phil Mickelson	1,125,000	Shinnecock Hills	Shinnecock Hills, New York
2003	Jim Furyk	272	−8	3 strokes	Stephen Leaney	1,080,000	Olympia Fields (North Course)	Olympia Fields, Illinois
2002	Tiger Woods (2)	277	−3	3 strokes	Phil Mickelson	1,000,000	Bethpage State Park (Black Course)	Farmingdale, New York
2001	Retief Goosen	276	−4	Playoff	Mark Brooks	900,000	Southern Hills	Tulsa, Oklahoma
2000	Tiger Woods	272	−12	15 strokes	Ernie Els Miguel Ángel Jiménez	800,000	Pebble Beach	Pebble Beach, California
1999	Payne Stewart (2)	279	−1	1 stroke	Phil Mickelson	625,000	Pinehurst Resort (Course No. 2)	Pinehurst, North Carolina
1998	Lee Janzen (2)	280	E	1 stroke	Payne Stewart	535,000	Olympic Club (Lake Course)	San Francisco, California
1997	Ernie Els (2)	276	−4	1 stroke	Colin Montgomerie	465,000	Congressional (Blue Course)	Bethesda, Maryland
1996	Steve Jones	278	−2	1 stroke	Tom Lehman Davis Love III	425,000	Oakland Hills (South Course)	Bloomfield Hills, Michigan
1995	Corey Pavin	280	E	2 strokes	Greg Norman	350,000	Shinnecock Hills	Shinnecock Hills, New York
1994	Ernie Els	279	−5	Playoff	Colin Montgomerie Loren Roberts	320,000	Oakmont	Plum, Pennsylvania
1993	Lee Janzen	272	−8	2 strokes	Payne Stewart	290,000	Baltusrol (Lower Course)	Springfield, New Jersey
1992	Tom Kite	285	−3	2 strokes	Jeff Sluman	275,000	Pebble Beach	Pebble Beach, California
1991	Payne Stewart	282	−6	Playoff	Scott Simpson	235,000	Hazeltine National	Chaska, Minnesota
1990	Hale Irwin (3)	280	−8	Playoff	Mike Donald	220,000	Medinah (Course No. 3)	Medinah, Illinois
1989	Curtis Strange (2)	278	−2	1 stroke	Chip Beck Mark McCumber Ian Woosnam	200,000	Oak Hill (East Course)	Rochester, New York
1988	Curtis Strange	278	−6	Playoff	Nick Faldo	180,000	The Country Club (Composite Course)	Brookline, Massachusetts
1987	Scott Simpson	277	−3	1 stroke	Tom Watson	150,000	Olympic Club (Lake Course)	San Francisco, California
1986	Raymond Floyd	279	−1	2 strokes	Chip Beck Lanny Wadkins	115,000	Shinnecock Hills	Shinnecock Hills, New York
1985	Andy North (2)	279	−1	1 stroke	Dave Barr Chen Tze-chung Denis Watson	103,000	Oakland Hills (South Course)	Bloomfield Hills, Michigan
1984	Fuzzy Zoeller	276	−4	Playoff	Greg Norman	94,000	Winged Foot (West Course)	Mamaroneck, New York
1983	Larry Nelson	280	−4	1 stroke	Tom Watson	72,000	Oakmont	Plum, Pennsylvania
1982	Tom Watson	282	−6	2 strokes	Jack Nicklaus	60,000	Pebble Beach	Pebble Beach, California
1981	David Graham	273	−7	3 strokes	George Burns Bill Rogers	55,000	Merion (East Course)	Ardmore, Pennsylvania
1980	Jack Nicklaus (4)	272	−8	2 strokes	Isao Aoki	55,000	Baltusrol (Lower Course)	Springfield, New Jersey
1979	Hale Irwin (2)	284	E	2 strokes	Jerry Pate Gary Player	50,000	Inverness Club	Toledo, Ohio
1978	Andy North	285	+1	1 stroke	J. C. Snead Dave Stockton	45,000	Cherry Hills	Cherry Hills Village, Colorado
1977	Hubert Green	278	−2	1 stroke	Lou Graham	45,000	Southern Hills	Tulsa, Oklahoma
1976	Jerry Pate	277	−3	2 strokes	Al Geiberger Tom Weiskopf	42,000	Atlanta Athletic Club (Highlands Course)	Duluth, Georgia
1975	Lou Graham	287	+3	Playoff	John Mahaffey	40,000	Medinah (Course No. 3)	Medinah, Illinois
1974	Hale Irwin	287	+7	2 strokes	Forrest Fezler	35,000	Winged Foot (West Course)	Mamaroneck, New York
1973	Johnny Miller	279	−5	1 stroke	John Schlee	35,000	Oakmont	Plum, Pennsylvania
1972	Jack Nicklaus (3)	290	+2	3 strokes	Bruce Crampton	30,000	Pebble Beach	Pebble Beach, California
1971	Lee Trevino (2)	280	E	Playoff	Jack Nicklaus	30,000	Merion (East Course)	Ardmore, Pennsylvania
1970	Tony Jacklin	281	−7	7 strokes	Dave Hill	30,000	Hazeltine National	Chaska, Minnesota
1969	Orville Moody	281	+1	1 stroke	Deane Beman Al Geiberger Bob Rosburg	30,000	Champions (Cypress Creek Course)	Houston, Texas
1968	Lee Trevino	275	−5	4 strokes	Jack Nicklaus	30,000	Oak Hill (East Course)	Rochester, New York
1967	Jack Nicklaus (2)	275	−5	4 strokes	Arnold Palmer	30,000	Baltusrol (Lower Course)	Springfield, New Jersey
1966	Billy Casper (2)	278	−2	Playoff	Arnold Palmer	26,500	Olympic Club (Lake Course)	San Francisco, California
1965	Gary Player	282	+2	Playoff	Kel Nagle	26,000	Bellerive	St. Louis, Missouri
1964	Ken Venturi	278	−2	4 strokes	Tommy Jacobs	17,000	Congressional (Blue Course)	Bethesda, Maryland
1963	Julius Boros (2)	293	+9	Playoff	Jacky Cupit Arnold Palmer	17,500	The Country Club (Composite Course)	Brookline, Massachusetts
1962	Jack Nicklaus	283	−1	Playoff	Arnold Palmer	17,500	Oakmont	Plum, Pennsylvania
1961	Gene Littler	281	+1	1 stroke	Bob Goalby Doug Sanders	14,000	Oakland Hills (South Course)	Bloomfield Hills, Michigan
1960	Arnold Palmer	280	−4	2 strokes	Jack Nicklaus (a)	14,400	Cherry Hills	Cherry Hills Village, Colorado
1959	Billy Casper	282	+2	1 stroke	Bob Rosburg	12,000	Winged Foot (West Course)	Mamaroneck, New York
1958	Tommy Bolt	283	+3	4 strokes	Gary Player	8,000	Southern Hills	Tulsa, Oklahoma
1957	Dick Mayer	282	+2	Playoff	Cary Middlecoff	7,200	Inverness Club	Toledo, Ohio
1956	Cary Middlecoff (2)	281	+1	1 stroke	Julius Boros Ben Hogan	6,000	Oak Hill (East Course)	Rochester, New York
1955	Jack Fleck	287	+7	Playoff	Ben Hogan	6,000	Olympic Club (Lake Course)	San Francisco, California
1954	Ed Furgol	284	+4	1 stroke	Gene Littler	6,000	Baltusrol (Lower Course)	Springfield, New Jersey
1953	Ben Hogan (4)	283	−5	6 strokes	Sam Snead	5,000	Oakmont	Plum, Pennsylvania
1952	Julius Boros	281	+1	4 strokes	Ed Oliver	4,000	Northwood Club	Dallas, Texas
1951	Ben Hogan (3)	287	+7	2 strokes	Clayton Heafner	4,000	Oakland Hills (South Course)	Bloomfield Hills, Michigan
1950	Ben Hogan (2)	287	+7	Playoff	Lloyd Mangrum (2nd) George Fazio (3rd)	4,000	Merion (East Course)	Ardmore, Pennsylvania
1949	Cary Middlecoff	286	+2	1 stroke	Clayton Heafner Sam Snead	2,000	Medinah (Course No. 3)	Medinah, Illinois
1948	Ben Hogan	276	−8	2 strokes	Jimmy Demaret	2,000	Riviera	Pacific Palisades, California
1947	Lew Worsham	282	−2	Playoff	Sam Snead	2,500	St. Louis	Ladue, Missouri
1946	Lloyd Mangrum	284	−4	Playoff	Vic Ghezzi Byron Nelson	1,833	Canterbury	Beachwood, Ohio
1942–1945: Cancelled due to World War II
1941	Craig Wood	284	+4	3 strokes	Denny Shute	1,000	Colonial	Fort Worth, Texas
1940	Lawson Little	287	−1	Playoff	Gene Sarazen	1,000	Canterbury	Beachwood, Ohio
1939	Byron Nelson	284	−4	Playoff	Craig Wood (2nd) Denny Shute (3rd)	1,000	Philadelphia (Spring Mill Course)	Gladwyne, Pennsylvania
1938	Ralph Guldahl (2)	284	E	6 strokes	Dick Metz	1,000	Cherry Hills	Cherry Hills Village, Colorado
1937	Ralph Guldahl	281	+1	2 strokes	Sam Snead	1,000	Oakland Hills (South Course)	Bloomfield Hills, Michigan
1936	Tony Manero	282	−2	2 strokes	Harry Cooper	1,000	Baltusrol (Upper Course)	Springfield, New Jersey
1935	Sam Parks Jr.	299	+11	2 strokes	Jimmy Thomson	1,000	Oakmont	Plum, Pennsylvania
1934	Olin Dutra	293	+13	1 stroke	Gene Sarazen	1,000	Merion (East Course)	Ardmore, Pennsylvania
1933	Johnny Goodman (a)	287	−1	1 stroke	Ralph Guldahl	1,000	North Shore	Glenview, Illinois
1932	Gene Sarazen (2)	286	+6	3 strokes	Bobby Cruickshank Philip Perkins	1,000	Fresh Meadow	Queens, New York
1931	Billy Burke	292	+4	Playoff	George Von Elm	1,750	Inverness Club	Toledo, Ohio
1930	Bobby Jones (a) (4)	287	−1	2 strokes	Macdonald Smith	1,000	Interlachen	Edina, Minnesota
1929	Bobby Jones (a) (3)	294		Playoff	Al Espinosa	1,000	Winged Foot (West Course)	Mamaroneck, New York
1928	Johnny Farrell	294		Playoff	Bobby Jones (a)	500	Olympia Fields (North Course)	Olympia Fields, Illinois
1927	Tommy Armour	301		Playoff	Harry Cooper	500	Oakmont	Plum, Pennsylvania
1926	Bobby Jones (a) (2)	293		1 stroke	Joe Turnesa	500	Scioto	Columbus, Ohio
1925	Willie Macfarlane	291		Playoff	Bobby Jones (a)	500	Worcester	Worcester, Massachusetts
1924	Cyril Walker	297		3 strokes	Bobby Jones (a)	500	Oakland Hills (South Course)	Bloomfield Hills, Michigan
1923	Bobby Jones (a)	296		Playoff	Bobby Cruickshank	500	Inwood	Inwood, New York
1922	Gene Sarazen	288		1 stroke	John Black Bobby Jones (a)	500	Skokie	Glencoe, Illinois
1921	Jim Barnes	289		9 strokes	Walter Hagen Fred McLeod	500	Columbia	Chevy Chase, Maryland
1920	Ted Ray	295		1 stroke	Jack Burke Sr. Leo Diegel Jock Hutchison Harry Vardon	500	Inverness Club	Toledo, Ohio
1919	Walter Hagen (2)	301		Playoff	Mike Brady	500	Brae Burn (Main Course)	West Newton, Massachusetts
1917–1918: Cancelled due to World War I
1916	Chick Evans (a)	286		2 strokes	Jock Hutchison	300	The Minikahda Club	Minneapolis, Minnesota
1915	Jerome Travers (a)	297		1 stroke	Tom McNamara	300	Baltusrol (Revised Course)	Springfield, New Jersey
1914	Walter Hagen	290		1 stroke	Chick Evans (a)	300	Midlothian	Midlothian, Illinois
1913	Francis Ouimet (a)	304		Playoff	Harry Vardon (2nd) Ted Ray (3rd)	300	The Country Club	Brookline, Massachusetts
1912	John McDermott (2)	294		2 strokes	Tom McNamara	300	Country Club of Buffalo	Buffalo, New York
1911	John McDermott	307		Playoff	Mike Brady (2nd) George Simpson (3rd)	300	Chicago	Wheaton, Illinois
1910	Alex Smith (2)	298		Playoff	John McDermott (2nd) Macdonald Smith (3rd)	300	Philadelphia Cricket Club (St. Martin's Course)	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
1909	George Sargent	290		4 strokes	Tom McNamara	300	Englewood	Englewood, New Jersey
1908	Fred McLeod	322		Playoff	Willie Smith	300	Myopia Hunt Club	South Hamilton, Massachusetts
1907	Alec Ross	302		2 strokes	Gilbert Nicholls	300	Philadelphia Cricket Club (St. Martin's Course)	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
1906	Alex Smith	295		7 strokes	Willie Smith	300	Onwentsia Club	Lake Forest, Illinois
1905	Willie Anderson (4)	314		2 strokes	Alex Smith	200	Myopia Hunt Club	South Hamilton, Massachusetts
1904	Willie Anderson (3)	303		4 strokes	Gilbert Nicholls	200	Glen View Club	Golf, Illinois
1903	Willie Anderson (2)	307		Playoff	David Brown	200	Baltusrol (Original Course)	Springfield, New Jersey
1902	Laurie Auchterlonie	307		6 strokes	Stewart Gardner Walter Travis (a)	200	Garden City	Garden City, New York
1901	Willie Anderson	331		Playoff	Alex Smith	200	Myopia Hunt Club	South Hamilton, Massachusetts
1900	Harry Vardon	313		2 strokes	John Henry Taylor	200	Chicago	Wheaton, Illinois
1899	Willie Smith	315		11 strokes	Val Fitzjohn George Low Sr. Bert Way	150	Baltimore (Roland Park Course)	Baltimore, Maryland
1898	Fred Herd	328		7 strokes	Alex Smith	150	Myopia Hunt Club	South Hamilton, Massachusetts
1897	Joe Lloyd	162		1 stroke	Willie Anderson	150	Chicago	Wheaton, Illinois
1896	James Foulis	152		3 strokes	Horace Rawlins	150	Shinnecock Hills	Shinnecock Hills, New York
1895	Horace Rawlins	173		2 strokes	Willie Dunn	150	Newport	Newport, Rhode Island

Summary by course, state and region

The U.S. Open has been played on 52 different golf courses; 22 in the Northeast, 18 in the Midwest, 6 in the South, and 6 in the West.

The 18th state to host the tournament was Washington in 2015, followed by the 19th state, Wisconsin, in 2017.

Records

• Oldest champion: Hale Irwin in 1990 at 45 years, 15 days.
• Youngest champion: John McDermott in 1911 at 19 years, 315 days.
• Oldest player to make the cut: Sam Snead in 1973 at 61 years old. He tied for 29th place.
• Most victories: 4 by Willie Anderson 1901, 1903–1905; Bobby Jones 1923, 1926, 1929–30; Ben Hogan 1948, 1950–51, 1953; Jack Nicklaus 1962, 1967, 1972, 1980. NOTE: Hogan also won the 1942 Hale America National Open which was held jointly by the USGA, PGA and Chicago GA for the benefit of the Navy Relief Society and the USO.
• Most consecutive victories: 3 by Willie Anderson 1903–1905.
• Most consecutive victorious attempts: 3 by Ben Hogan 1948, 1950–51
• Most consecutive attempts in top 2: 5 by Bobby Jones 1922–1926
• Most consecutive attempts in top 5: 6 by Willie Anderson 1901–1906
• Most consecutive attempts in top 10: 16 by Ben Hogan 1940–1960 (next highest streak 7)
• Most runner-up finishes: Phil Mickelson – 6 (1999, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2009, 2013)
• Most consecutive Opens started: 44 by Jack Nicklaus from 1957 to 2000.
• Largest margin of victory: 15 strokes by Tiger Woods, 2000. This is the all-time record for all majors.
• Lowest score for 36 holes: 130 – Martin Kaymer (65–65), rounds 1–2, 2014; Rickie Fowler (62-68), rounds 1-2, 2023.
• Lowest score for 54 holes: 199 – Rory McIlroy (65–66–68), rounds 1–3, 2011; Louis Oosthuizen (66-66-67), rounds 2–4, 2015.
• Lowest score for 72 holes: 268 – Rory McIlroy (65–66–68–69), rounds 1–4, 2011.
• Most strokes under par for 72 holes: 16 under (268) by Rory McIlroy, 2011; 16 under (272) by Brooks Koepka, 2017.
• Most strokes under par at any point in the tournament: 17 by Rory McIlroy, final round, 2011.
• Lowest score for 18 holes: 62 – Rickie Fowler and Xander Schauffele, 1st round, 2023.
• Lowest score for 18 holes in relation to par: 9 under (63) – Justin Thomas, 3rd round, 2017.
• All four rounds under par (golfers who did not win the tournament in italics):
  • Lee Trevino, 1968 (69–68–69–69, par 70)
  • Tony Jacklin, 1970 (71–70–70–70, par 72)
  • Lee Janzen, 1993 (67–67–69–69, par 70)
  • Curtis Strange, 1994 (70–70–70–70, par 71)
  • Rory McIlroy (65–66–68–69, par 71) and Robert Garrigus (70–70–68–70), 2011
  • Brooks Koepka (67–70–68–67, par 72), Charley Hoffman (70–70–68–71), and Brandt Snedeker (70–69–70–71), 2017
• All four rounds under 70: Trevino, 1968; Janzen, 1993; McIlroy, 2011.
• Most frequent venues:
  • 9 Opens: Oakmont Country Club – 1927, 1935, 1953, 1962, 1973, 1983, 1994, 2007, 2016
  • 7 Opens: Baltusrol Golf Club – 1903, 1915, 1936, 1954, 1967, 1980, 1993
  • 6 Opens:
    • Oakland Hills Country Club – 1924, 1937, 1951, 1961, 1985, 1996
    • Pebble Beach Golf Links – 1972, 1982, 1992, 2000, 2010, 2019
    • Winged Foot Golf Club – 1929, 1959, 1974, 1984, 2006, 2020
  • 5 Opens:
    • Olympic Club – 1955, 1966, 1987, 1998, 2012
    • Merion Golf Club – 1934, 1950, 1971, 1981, 2013
    • Shinnecock Hills Golf Club – 1896, 1986, 1995, 2004, 2018
  • 4 Opens:
    • Myopia Hunt Club – 1898, 1901, 1905, 1908
    • Inverness Club – 1920, 1931, 1957, 1979
    • The Country Club – 1913, 1963, 1988, 2022

There is an extensive records section on the official U.S. Open website.

Broadcasting

Beginning with the 2020 tournament, NBCUniversal holds domestic television rights (with coverage on NBC, USA Network and Peacock), having taken over the remainder of the 12-year deal with the USGA signed by Fox Sports in 2013 that gave it exclusive rights to USGA championships from 2015 through 2026. With the postponed 2020 U.S. Open Championship presenting a significant scheduling challenge due to its other fall sports commitments, Fox had held discussions with the USGA over broadcasting the tournament on their cable network FS1 or partnering with NBC. Ultimately, the issues led the network to transfer the final seven years of its contract entirely. In 2020 and 2021, early round NBC cable coverage was carried on Golf Channel, beginning with the 2022 tournament this coverage was moved to the more available USA Network.

Coverage was previously televised by NBC and ESPN through 2014. NBC's first period as rightsholder began in 1995; ABC held the broadcast rights from 1966 through 1994.

In Australia, from 2015 Fox Sports Australia is the exclusive broadcaster of the U.S. open until 2018.

Future sites

Sources:

See also

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

• Golf in the United States