Table of Contents
Brief Information about US Open Golf
Established in: 1895
Location: Different golf courses in the United States
Organized by: United States Golf Association (USGA)
Tours Considered: PGA Tour, European Tour and Japan Golf Tour
Format: Stroke Play
Prize Money: US$ 9, 000, 000 (in 2014)
Last played in: Pinehurst #2, North Carolina (2014)
Best Aggregate: 268 by Rory Mcllroy (2011)
Best Par: -16 by Rory Mcllroy (2011)
Current Champion: Martin Kaymer (Germany) – Score 271 (-9)
Brief Information about US Open Golf
The United States Open Championship, which is fondly known as the US Open is an annual major golfing tournament of the United States. It is the second most preferred in every golfer’s list after the Masters. The tournament is part of both the PGA and the European Tour calendars. The organizers of the tournament are the USGA or the United States Golf Association and it is staged in the third week of July every year. If the weather is kind then the final day is scheduled to be on the Father’s Day.
The US Open golf is played on different golf courses spread all over the United States. It has the tight scoring at the par hence you will often find the winner is having a par score only. The reason behind this is that the selection of the golf courses. The USGA always selects the longest golf courses. If this is not enough the courses also has the high cut of primary rough, which is called an ‘Open rough’ by the US media and fans so that the golfers need to use more strokes.
Brief History about the US Open Golf
On the 4th October, 1895 the first ever US Open golf was played by ten professionals and one amature at the Newport Country Club in New Port, Rhode Island. The first winner was Horace Rawlins, who was an an Englishmen. Till 1911 the professional English golfers kept on winning the US Open until John J. McDermott became the first American born player, the winner. This turnaround was such a monumental one that since then there are more Americans than other countries’ golfers have come out winners at the US Open golf. Since 1950, players from 6 other countries only have been able to win the tournament.
Playoff Format of the US Open Golf
Like the US Open in tennis the Golfing major too has a distinctive rule for breaking a tie. It is the only golfing major tournament, which continues for entire 18 holes playoff to break a tie on the following day or Monday. Even after the fifth round, the tie exists a sudden death on the 91st hole comes in to the play. Sudden death was introduced in the 1950s and additional 18 hole rounds were played in 1925, 1939 and in 1946. There are only three instances of sudden death in US Open golf’s history, in 1990, 1994 and then in 2008. In the latest one of 2008 Tiger Woods came out winners against Rocco Medite.
