Founded in 1895 by the United States Golf Association (USGA), the U.S. Open is the third of the four annual majors in golf. The event is typically held in mid-June and has only been canceled six times during the World Wars. Since 1898, the U.S. Open has been held in a 72-hole stroke-play format.
Before 1911, when John J. McDermott became the first American to win the event, it was primarily dominated by British golfers. American players soon began to win on a regular basis, and the tournament changed to become one of the four majors.
The U.S. Open has a field of 156 golfers, with several spots already exempt. Any professional golfer can participate in the qualifiers for the U.S. Open; however, amateur golfers need a handicap of not more than 1.4.
Besides the prize money, the winners also get an exemption from the U.S. Open for the next ten years and an automatic invitation to the other three majors and the Players Championship. Moreover, they receive lifetime exemptions from the Senior PGA Championship and the British Open, as well as five-year invites to the U.S. Senior Open, after they turn 50.
Know More : US Open Qualifier
Players with the Most U.S. Open Wins
Willie Anderson, Bobby Jones, Ben Hogan and Jack Nicklaus have won the U.S. Open four times, tying for the most wins. Anderson is the only Scottish golfer in the latter group, with the rest being Americans.
Hale Irwin and Tiger Woods each have won the event three times, while 16 more golfers have won the U.S. Open twice, with most recent two-time champion Brooks Koepka in 2017 and 2018.
Read More : How many times has Tiger won The Open?
Multiple U.S. Open Champions
The multiple U.S. Open champions are as follows:
Golfer | Nationality | Total | Years |
Willie Anderson | Scotland | 4 | 1901, 1903, 1904, 1905 |
Bobby Jones | USA | 4 | 1923, 1926, 1929, 1930 |
Ben Hogan | USA | 4 | 1948, 1950, 1951, 1953 |
Jack Nicklaus | USA | 4 | 1962, 1967, 1972, 1980 |
Hale Irwin | USA | 3 | 1974, 1979, 1990 |
Tiger Woods | USA | 3 | 2000, 2002, 2008 |
Alex Smith | Scotland | 2 | 1906, 1910 |
John McDermott | USA | 2 | 1911, 1912 |
Walter Hagen | USA | 2 | 1914, 1919 |
Gene Sarazen | USA | 2 | 1922, 1932 |
Ralph Guldahl | USA | 2 | 1937, 1938 |
Cary Middlecoff | USA | 2 | 1949, 1956 |
Julius Boros | USA | 2 | 1952, 1963 |
Billy Casper | USA | 2 | 1959, 1966 |
Lee Trevino | USA | 2 | 1968, 1971 |
Andy North | USA | 2 | 1978, 1985 |
Curtis Strange | USA | 2 | 1988, 1989 |
Ernie Els | South Africa | 2 | 1994, 1997 |
Lee Janzen | USA | 2 | 1993, 1998 |
Payne Stewart | USA | 2 | 1991, 1999 |
Retief Goosen | South Africa | 2 | 2001, 2004 |
Brooks Koepka | USA | 2 | 2017, 2018 |
Know More : US Open Winners
Most U.S. Open Wins by Nationality
The United States has the most wins with 87; Scotland comes in second with 13 wins, followed by England with eight wins.
Nationality | Wins | Winners |
United States | 87 | 61 |
Scotland | 13 | 9 |
England | 8 | 8 |
South Africa | 5 | 3 |
Jersey | 2 | 2 |
Australia | 2 | 2 |
Northern Ireland | 2 | 2 |
New Zealand | 1 | 1 |
Argentina | 1 | 1 |
Germany | 1 | 1 |
Spain | 1 | 1 |
Read More : How many golfers are in the U.S. Open field?
FAQ's On U.S. Open golf tournaments
A. Willie Anderson, Bobby Jones, Ben Hogan, and Jack Nicklaus have each won the U.S. Open four times.
A. The U.S. Open field has 156 golfers, with both professionals and amateurs competing.
A. The United States leads with 87 wins, followed by Scotland with 13 and England with 8.
A. Tiger Woods has won three U.S. Opens in 2000, 2002 and 2008.
A. Bobby Jones won all four golf majors in a single season in 1930. The British Amateur, British Open, US Open, and US Amateur were then four majors.