U.s. Open Golf
Open golf)
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For the women's tournament, see United States Women's Open Championship (golf).
The United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. 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 (USGA) in mid-June, scheduled so that, if there are no weather delays, the final round is 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. Open play is characterized by tight scoring at or around par by the leaders, with the winner emerging at around even par.
Normally, an Open course is quite long and will have a high cut of primary 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 (especially on what are expected to be less difficult holes).
Some courses that are attempting to get into the rotation for the U.S. Rees Jones is the most notable of the "Open Doctors" who take on these projects.
As with any professional golf tournament, the available space surrounding the course (for spectators, among other considerations) and local infrastructure also factor into deciding which courses will host the event.
The U.S. Instead, the players play a fifth 18-hole round the following day (Monday), but if a tie still exists after the round, then a sudden death playoff is held.
Open gone to sudden death after the playoff round, most recently in 2008 when Tiger Woods defeated Rocco Mediate on the first playoff hole.
The U.S. Of golf's broadcast television partners, NBC is the only one to provide four days of major tournament coverage (CBS and ABC, which air the Masters, the British Open, and the PGA Championship between them, only provide weekend coverage of their respective tournaments).
History
The first U.S.
It was a 36-hole competition and was played in a single day. 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. American golfers soon began to win regularly and the tournament evolved to become one of the four majors.
Michael Campbell holding U.S.
Open Trophy
Since 1911, 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. No European player 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 the following day.
After completing 90 holes over five days, both players were still tied, marking only the third time in Open history that a winner was determined using sudden death. The victory made Woods the sixth player to win three or more U.S.
Open is open to any professional, or to any amateur with an up-to-date USGA Handicap Index not exceeding 1.4. 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.
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. They may also receive a five-year exemption on the PGA Tour, which is automatic for regular members.
Open victories, with four victories each. Hale Irwin is the oldest winner of the U.S. Tiger Woods holds the distinction of being the most strokes under par for 72 holes, he was 12 strokes under par (-12) when he won in 2000.
Records
Oldest champion: Hale Irwin in 1990 at 45 years, 15 days.
Youngest champion: John McDermott in 1911 at 19 years, 315 days.
Oldest player to make the cut: Sam Snead in 1973 at 61 years old.