U.S. Open (golf)
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| U.S. Open | |
| Image:2009OpenLogo.gif | |
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Location |  United States |
| Established | 1895 |
| Course(s) | Bethpage State Park (Black Course) in 2009 |
| Par | 70 in 2009 |
| Yardage | 7,214 in 2009 |
| Tour(s) | PGA Tour PGA European Tour Japan Golf Tour |
| Format | Stroke play |
| Purse | $7,500,000 |
| Month Played | June |
| Tournament record scores | |
| Aggregate | 272 Jack Nicklaus (1980) 272 Lee Janzen (1993) 272 Tiger Woods (2000) 272 Jim Furyk (2003) |
| To-par | -12 Tiger Woods (2000) |
| Current champion | |
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The United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open golf tournament of the United States. It is the second of the four major championships in golf and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour. It is staged by the United States Golf Association in mid-June, scheduled such that the final round is always played on the third Sunday, which is Father's Day. From 2008, it will also be an official money event on the Asian Tour, with 50% of Asian Tour members' earnings counting towards the Order of Merit.
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. U. S. Open play is characterized by tight scoring at or around par by the leaders, with the winner emerging at just under par. Torrey Pines in 2008 is a classic example. A U.S. Open course is seldom beaten severely, and there have been many over-par wins. Normally, an Open course is longer than normal and will have a high cut of rough (termed "Open rough" by the American press and fans), hilly 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"), and pinched fairways. Some courses that are attempting to get into the rotation for the U.S. Open will normally be rebuilt to have these features. Rees Jones is the most notable of the "Open Doctors" who take on these projects.
History
The first U.S. Open Championship was played on October 4, 1895, on a nine-hole course 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 a 21-year-old Englishman named Horace Rawlins, who had arrived in the U.S. in January 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.
Throughout the modern history of the competition, the title has been won almost exclusively by players from the United States. Since 1950, players from only five nations 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 Argentinian Ángel Cabrera (2007) —are all from countries in the Southern Hemisphere. No player from Europe has won since Tony Jacklin of England in 1970.
The 2008 edition of the Open ended in a tie between Tiger Woods and Rocco Mediate forcing an 18 hole playoff on Monday morning. After completing 90 holes over 5 days, both players were still tied, marking only the 3rd time in Open history that a winner was determined using sudden death. On the first sudden death hole (# 7), Woods made par to Mediate's bogey becoming only the 6th player to win 3 or more US Opens.
Qualification and prizes
The U.S. Open is open to any professional, or to any amateur with an up-to-date 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. There are seventeen full exemption categories, including winners of the U.S. Open for the last ten years and the other three majors for the last five years, the top 30 from the previous year's PGA Tour money list, the top 15 from the previous year's European Tour money list, and the top 50 in the Official World Golf Rankings as of two weeks before the tournament.
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 over 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. and one each in Europe and Japan.
There is no lower age limit and the youngest ever qualifier was 15-year-old Tadd Fujikawa of Hawaii, who qualified in 2006.
The purse at the 2007 U.S. Open was $7 million, and the winner's share was $1.26 million. The PGA European Tour uses conversion rates at the time of the tournament to figure the official prize money used in their Order of Merit rankings (€5,241,402 in 2007). 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 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, as well as the near-major Players Championship, and they are exempt from qualifying for the U.S. Open itself for ten years. They 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.
The top fifteen finishers at the U.S. Open are fully exempt from qualifying for the following year's Open, and the top eight are automatically invited to the following season's Masters.
Winners
| Year | Champion | Country | Venue | Location | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Tiger Woods | United States |
Torrey Pines Golf Course | La Jolla, California | 283 (-1)PO |
| 2007 | Ángel Cabrera |  Argentina |
Oakmont Country Club | Oakmont, Pennsylvania | 285 (+5) |
| 2006 | Geoff Ogilvy |  Australia |
Winged Foot Golf Club, West Course | Mamaroneck, New York | 285 (+5) |
| 2005 | Michael Campbell |  New Zealand |
Pinehurst Resort, Course No. 2 | Pinehurst, North Carolina | 280 (E) |
| 2004 | Retief Goosen |  South Africa |
Shinnecock Hills Golf Club | Shinnecock Hills, New York | 276 (-4) |
| 2003 | Jim Furyk | United States |
Olympia Fields Country Club, North Course | Olympia Fields, Illinois | 272 (-8) |
| 2002 | Tiger Woods | United States |
Bethpage State Park, Black Course | Farmingdale, New York | 277 (-3) |
| 2001 | Retief Goosen | South Africa |
Southern Hills Country Club | Tulsa, Oklahoma | 276 (-4)PO |
| 2000 | Tiger Woods | United States |
Pebble Beach Golf Links | Pebble Beach, California | 272 (-12) |
| 1999 | Payne Stewart | United States |
Pinehurst Resort, Course No. 2 | Pinehurst, North Carolina | 279 (-1) |
| 1998 | Lee Janzen | United States |
Olympic Club, Lake Course | San Francisco, California | 280 (E) |
| 1997 | Ernie Els | South Africa |
Congressional Country Club, Blue Course | Bethesda, Maryland | 276 (-4) |
| 1996 | Steve Jones | United States |
Oakland Hills Country Club, South Course | Bloomfield Hills, Michigan | 278 (-2) |
| 1995 | Corey Pavin | United States |
Shinnecock Hills Golf Club | Shinnecock Hills, New York | 280 (E) |
| 1994 | Ernie Els | South Africa |
Oakmont Country Club | Oakmont, Pennsylvania | 279 (-5)PO |
| 1993 | Lee Janzen | United States |
Baltusrol Golf Club, Lower Course | Springfield, New Jersey | 272 (-8) |
| 1992 | Tom Kite | United States |
Pebble Beach Golf Links | Pebble Beach, California | 285 (-3) |
| 1991 | Payne Stewart | United States |
Hazeltine National Golf Club | Chaska, Minnesota | 282 (-6)PO |
| 1990 | Hale Irwin | United States |
Medinah Country Club, Course No. 3 | Medinah, Illinois | 280 (-8)PO |
| 1989 | Curtis Strange | United States |
Oak Hill Country Club, East Course | Rochester, New York | 278 (-2) |
| 1988 | Curtis Strange | United States |
The Country Club | Brookline, Massachusetts | 278 (-6)PO |
| 1987 | Scott Simpson | United States |
Olympic Club, Lake Course | San Francisco, California | 277 (-3) |
| 1986 | Ray Floyd | United States |
Shinnecock Hills Golf Club | Shinnecock Hills, New York | 279 (-1) |
| 1985 | Andy North | United States |
Oakland Hills Country Club, South Course | Bloomfield Hills, Michigan | 279 (-1) |
| 1984 | Fuzzy Zoeller | United States |
Winged Foot Golf Club, West Course | Mamaroneck, New York | 276 (-4)PO |
| 1983 | Larry Nelson | United States |
Oakmont Country Club | Oakmont, Pennsylvania | 280 (-4) |
| 1982 | Tom Watson | United States |
Pebble Beach Golf Links | Pebble Beach, California | 282 (-6) |
| 1981 | David Graham | Australia |
Merion Golf Club, East Course | Ardmore, Pennsylvania | 273 (-7) |
| 1980 | Jack Nicklaus | United States |
Baltusrol Golf Club, Lower Course | Springfield, New Jersey | 272 (-8) |
| 1979 | Hale Irwin | United States |
Inverness Club | Toledo, Ohio | 284 (E) |
| 1978 | Andy North | United States |
Cherry Hills Country Club | Cherry Hills Village, Colorado | 285 (+1) |
| 1977 | Hubert Green | United States |
Southern Hills Country Club | Tulsa, Oklahoma | 278 (-2) |
| 1976 | Jerry Pate | United States |
Atlanta Athletic Club, Highlands Course | Duluth, Georgia | 277 (-3) |
| 1975 | Lou Graham | United States |
Medinah Country Club, Course No. 3 | Medinah, Illinois | 287 (+3)PO |
| 1974 | Hale Irwin | United States |
Winged Foot Golf Club, West Course | Mamaroneck, New York | 287 (+7) |
| 1973 | Johnny Miller | United States |
Oakmont Country Club | Oakmont, Pennsylvania | 279 (-5) |
| 1972 | Jack Nicklaus | United States |
Pebble Beach Golf Links | Pebble Beach, California | 290 (+2) |
| 1971 | Lee Trevino | United States |
Merion Golf Club, East Course | Ardmore, Pennsylvania | 280 (E)PO |
| 1970 | Tony Jacklin |  England |
Hazeltine National Golf Club | Chaska, Minnesota | 281 (-7) |
| 1969 | Orville Moody | United States |
Champions Golf Club, Cypress Creek Course | Houston, Texas | 281 (+1) |
| 1968 | Lee Trevino | United States |
Oak Hill Country Club, East Course | Rochester, New York | 275 (-5) |
| 1967 | Jack Nicklaus | United States |
Baltusrol Golf Club, Lower Course | Springfield, New Jersey | 275 (-5) |
| 1966 | Billy Casper | United States |
Olympic Club, Lake Course | San Francisco, California | 278 (-2)PO |
| 1965 | Gary Player |  South Africa |
Bellerive Country Club | Saint Louis, Missouri | 282 (+2)PO |
| 1964 | Ken Venturi | United States |
Congressional Country Club, Blue Course | Bethesda, Maryland | 278 (-2) |
| 1963 | Julius Boros | United States |
The Country Club | Brookline, Massachusetts | 293 (+9)PO |
| 1962 | Jack Nicklaus | United States |
Oakmont Country Club | Oakmont, Pennsylvania | 283 (-1)PO |
| 1961 | Gene Littler | United States |
Oakland Hills Country Club, South Course | Bloomfield Hills, Michigan | 281 (+1) |
| 1960 | Arnold Palmer |  United States |
Cherry Hills Country Club | Cherry Hills Village, Colorado | 280 (-4) |
| 1959 | Billy Casper |  United States |
Winged Foot Golf Club, West Course | Mamaroneck, New York | 282 (+2) |
| 1958 | Tommy Bolt | United States |
Southern Hills Country Club | Tulsa, Oklahoma | 283 (+3) |
| 1957 | Dick Mayer | United States |
Inverness Club | Toledo, Ohio | 282 (+2)PO |
| 1956 | Cary Middlecoff | United States |
Oak Hill Country Club, East Course | Rochester, New York | 281 (+1) |
| 1955 | Jack Fleck | United States |
Olympic Club, Lake Course | San Francisco, California | 287 (+7)PO |
| 1954 | Ed Furgol | United States |
Baltusrol Golf Club, Lower Course | Springfield, New Jersey | 284 (+4) |
| 1953 | Ben Hogan | United States |
Oakmont Country Club | Oakmont, Pennsylvania | 283 (-5) |
| 1952 | Julius Boros | United States |
Northwood Club | Dallas, Texas | 281 (+1) |
| 1951 | Ben Hogan | United States |
Oakland Hills Country Club, South Course | Bloomfield Hills, Michigan | 287 (+7) |
| 1950 | Ben Hogan | United States |
Merion Golf Club, East Course | Ardmore, Pennsylvania | 287 (+7)PO |
| 1949 | Cary Middlecoff | United States |
Medinah Country Club, Course No. 3 | Medinah, Illinois | 286 (+2) |
| 1948 | Ben Hogan | United States |
Riviera Country Club | Pacific Palisades, California | 276 (-8) |
| 1947 | Lew Worsham | United States |
St. Louis Country Club | Saint Louis, Missouri | 282 (-2)PO |
| 1946 | Lloyd Mangrum | United States |
Canterbury Golf Club | Beachwood, Ohio | 284 (-4)PO |
| 1942-1945: Cancelled due to World War II | |||||
| 1941 | Craig Wood | United States |
Colonial Country Club | Fort Worth, Texas | 284 |
| 1940 | Lawson Little | United States |
Canterbury Golf Club | Beachwood, Ohio | 287 |
| 1939 | Byron Nelson | United States |
Philadelphia Country Club | Gladwyne, Pennsylvania | 284 |
| 1938 | Ralph Guldahl | United States |
Cherry Hills Country Club | Cherry Hills Village, Colorado | 284 |
| 1937 | Ralph Guldahl | United States |
Oakland Hills Country Club, South Course | Bloomfield Hills, Michigan | 281 |
| 1936 | Tony Manero | United States |
Baltusrol Golf Club, Upper Course | Springfield, New Jersey | 282 |
| 1935 | Sam Parks, Jr | United States |
Oakmont Country Club | Oakmont, Pennsylvania | 299 |
| 1934 | Olin Dutra | United States |
Merion Golf Club, East Course | Ardmore, Pennsylvania | 293 |
| 1933 | Johnny Goodman (Am) | United States |
North Shore Country Club | Glenview, Illinois | 287 |
| 1932 | Gene Sarazen | United States |
Fresh Meadow Country Club | Great Neck, New York | 286 |
| 1931 | Billy Burke | United States |
Inverness Club | Toledo, Ohio | 292 |
| 1930 | Bobby Jones (Am) | United States |
Interlachen Country Club | Edina, Minnesota | 287 |
| 1929 | Bobby Jones (Am) | United States |
Winged Foot Golf Club, West Course | Mamaroneck, New York | 294 |
| 1928 | Johnny Farrell | United States |
Olympia Fields Country Club | Olympia Fields, Illinois | 294 |
| 1927 | Tommy Armour | United States^ |
Oakmont Country Club | Oakmont, Pennsylvania | 301 |
| 1926 | Bobby Jones (Am) | United States |
Scioto Country Club | Columbus, Ohio | 293 |
| 1925 | Willie Macfarlane |  Scotland^ |
Worcester Country Club | Worcester, Massachusetts | 291 |
| 1924 | Cyril Walker | England^ |
Oakland Hills Country Club, South Course | Bloomfield Hills, Michigan | 297 |
| 1923 | Bobby Jones (Am) | United States |
Inwood Country Club | Inwood, New York | 296 |
| 1922 | Gene Sarazen | United States |
Skokie Country Club | Glencoe, Illinois | 288 |
| 1921 | Jim Barnes | United States^ |
Columbia Country Club | Chevy Chase, Maryland | 289 |
| 1920 | Ted Ray | England^ |
Inverness Club | Toledo, Ohio | 295 |
| 1919 | Walter Hagen | United States |
Brae Burn Country Club, Main Course | West Newton, Massachusetts | 301 |
| 1917-1918: Cancelled due to World War I | |||||
| 1916 | Chick Evans (Am) | United States |
The Minikahda Club | Minneapolis, Minnesota | 286 |
| 1915 | Jerome Travers (Am) | United States |
Baltusrol Golf Club | Springfield, New Jersey | 297 |
| 1914 | Walter Hagen | ||||