History of the US Open
The 117th US Open will be played at Erin Hills Golf Club in Erin, Wisconsin.
The 11-year-old golf club will host its biggest tournament yet, and first PGA Tour major as today’s top golfers and amateurs descend onto its greens.
Scottish dominance to Tiger’s treble
First played in 1895, the US Open was won by Englishman Horace Rawlins, who topped the field at Newport Country Club in Rhode Island.
It wasn’t until 1911 that the first American won the US Open as three Englishman, 12 Scotsman and one Harry Vardon from Jersey, took top-prize in the golf tournament’s first 16 editions.
John McDermott became the first American to hoist the US Open trophy after winning the open at the Chicago Golf Club.
The Pennsylvania native repeated the feat a year later, marking the second and final major golf tournament he won.
The tournament has seen some of the great modern names win on its courses around the United States, including Jack Nicklaus, Ernie Els, Tiger Woods and most recently Dustin Johnston.
Four players have won the tournament a record four times, including Jack Nicklaus, Ben Hogan, Bobby Jones and Scotsman Willie Anderson.
Woods has been close to equaling the feat, however, he has come up short since last winning it for a third time in 2008.
Woods is the last person to be a repeat winner at the US Open.
Where has the US Open been played?
In all, 51 golf clubs have hosted the event.
The US Open has been played at Oakmont Country Club in Plum, Pennsylvania a record nine times.
The golf club was host to the 2016 tournament and will again play host in 2025.
The next nine tournaments are already set and several of the classic PGA golf venues will be revived for another major competition.
- 2017 – Erin Hills Golf Course, Erin, Wisc.
- 2018 – Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, Southampton, N.Y.
- 2019 – Pebble Beach Golf Links, Pebble Beach, Calif.
- 2020 – Winged Foot Golf Club, Mamaroneck, N.Y.
- 2021 – Torrey Pines Golf Course, San Diego, Calif.
- 2022 – The Country Club, Brookline, Mass.
- 2023 – Los Angeles Country Club, Los Angeles, Calif.
- 2024 – Pinehurst Resort & Country Club, Village of Pinehurst, N.C.
- 2025 – Oakmont Country Club, Oakmont, Pa.
- 2026 – Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, Southampton, N.Y.
Each course is a work of art and is a true testament to the golf course designers.
Great wins and duels
The US Open has been known for showcasing great golf duels.
In 1990, Hale Irwin won the US Open after beating Mike Donald in a playoff with an outstanding long putt.
Irwin’s win changed many golf fans’ perception of the PGA great, and it sealed his third and final US Open victory.
In October 1999, Missouri native Payne Stewart died in a tragic airplane crash.
Yet, just a few months early, Stewart won his second career US Open after he sunk an unthinkable 15 foot putt for the win.
In 1962, Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer did battle as the poster boys of the PGA.
The dream match-up saw the Golden Bear win in a playoff and it saw him knock off golf’s No. 1 player as Nicklaus made up five strokes in just 11 holes.
It was a dream match-up and one few golf fans of the 1960s easily forgot.
US Open 2017
The US Open is a dramatic golf competition, and one that many golf college graduates and prospective pros aspire to play in.
Nearly 9,000 golfers enter to play in the tournament, but only 156 places are up for grabs.
Those are just the pretenders, really. The top 60 professionals are guaranteed a place in the illustrious tournament.
To reach the final US Open tournament at Erin Hills, 8,979 golfers from the professional and amateur ranks played in qualifying.
Those that qualified moved on until a mere 72 of the nearly 9,000 golfers had punched their tickets for the US Open.
The competition could give a huge golf career boost for one lucky player.
The second major of the PGA calendar, the US Open should yield another fantastic tournament.
Sergio Garcia’s Masters win was unexpected, but could this year’s US Open throw up a surprise as well?
You may not be ready for the U.S. Open but you could be ready to take the first step towards your own career in golf.
Contact Keiser University’s College of Golf today and put yourself on your own dream path.
