US Open Golf Facts

The US Open is a golf tournament held every June with the final round always falling on Father's Day. The tournament began in 1895 and has been held every year since with the exception of 1917,1918, 1942,1943 and 1944, when the event was canceled due to war. The tournament takes place at different courses and is under the control of the the US Golf Association. It is considered one of golf's major championships, along with the Masters, the British Open and the PGA championship tournament.

  1. First Winner

    • The initial US Open was held as a 36-hole tournament on October 4, 1895, in Newport, Rhode Island. It was won by Horace Rawlins, an Englishman who managed to defeat 9 other professional golfers, along with 1 amateur player, for the title.

    Early Years

    • Players from England and Scotland dominated the first few US Opens. It was not until 1911 that an American, John McDermott, won the title, and after that it was almost always won by a US citizen.

    American Dominance

    • From 1911 through 1996, only 7 foreign players were able to win a US Open crown. During that period, American players such as Bobby Jones, Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus, Hale Irwin and Lee Trevino won the US Open multiple times.

    Foreign Champs

    • Gary Player, Ernie Els and Retief Goosen are South African golfers that have won the US Open. In 2007, Angel Cabrera of Argentina became the only South American to win this tournament.

    Records

    • The low score in a US Open for the whole tournament is the 12 under par that Tiger Woods posted in 2000 at the Pebble Beach Golf Links in California. When Hale Irwin won at Medinah in Illinois in 1990 at the age of 45, he became the oldest player to become a US Open champion.