The United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open championship of golf in the United States. It is the third of the four major championships, and is on the official schedule of the PGA Tour and European Tour. Since 1898, the competition has been 72 holes of stroke play (four rounds on an 18-hole course). It is staged by the United States Golf Association (USGA) in mid-June, scheduled to conclude on the third Sunday, Father's Day. Staged at a variety of courses, the U.S. Open is set up so that scoring is very difficult, with a premium placed on accurate driving. As of 2026, the U.S. Open awards a $22.5 million purse, the largest of the four major championships.
History
The first U.S. Open was played on October 4, 1895, on a nine-hole course at the Newport Country Club in Newport, Rhode Island. It was a 36-hole competition and was played in a single day. Ten professionals and one amateur entered. The winner was Horace Rawlins, a 21-year-old Englishman, who had arrived in the U.S. earlier 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. McDermott became the first native-born American winner. American golfers soon began to win regularly and the tournament evolved to become one of the four majors.
Since 1911, the title has been won mostly by players from the United States. Since 1950, players from only six countries 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. These four players, South African Retief Goosen (2004), New Zealander Michael Campbell (2005), Australian Geoff Ogilvy (2006) and Argentine Ángel Cabrera (2007), are all from countries in the Southern Hemisphere. Northern Ireland's Graeme McDowell (2010) became the first European player to win the event since Tony Jacklin of England in 1970; three more Europeans won in the next four editions, making it only three American wins in the 11 tournaments from 2004 to 2014.
U.S. Open play is characterized by tight scoring at or around par by the leaders, with the winner usually emerging at around even par. A U.S. Open course is seldom beaten severely, and there have been many over-par wins (in part because par is usually set at 70, except for the very longest courses). 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); undulating 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"); pinched fairways (especially on what are expected to be less difficult holes); and two or three holes that are short par fives under regular play would be used as long par fours during the tournament (often to meet that frequently used par of 70, forcing players to have accurate long drives). Some courses that are attempting to get into the rotation for the U.S. Open will undergo renovations to develop these features. Rees Jones is the most notable of the "Open Doctors" who take on these projects; his father Robert Trent Jones had filled that role earlier. 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.
Qualification The U.S. Open is open to any professional, or to any amateur with a USGA Handicap Index not exceeding 0.4. Players (male or female) may obtain a place by being fully exempt or by competing successfully in qualifying. The field is 156 players.
About half of the field is made up of players who are fully exempt from qualifying. The current exemption categories are: Winners of the U.S. Open for the last ten years Winner and runner-up from the previous year's U.S. Amateur and winners of the previous year's U.S. Junior Amateur, Amateur Championship, Latin America Amateur Championship, and U.S. Mid-Amateur The runner-up from the U.S. Amateur and the winners of all tournaments except the U.S. Amateur must remain an amateur. The winner of the U.S. Amateur, however, may turn professional after winning the U.S. Amateur and retain his eligibility. The previous year's Mark H. McCormack Medal winner for the top-ranked amateur golfer in the world The individual winner of the most recent NCAA Division I men's golf championship Winners of each of Masters Tournament, Open Championship and PGA Championship for the last five years Winners of the last three Players Championships Winner of the current year's BMW PGA Championship Winner of the last U.S. Senior Open Players who win multiple U.S. PGA Tour events during the time between tournaments, provided the tournaments each offer 500 or more points to the winner, and are not opposite-field events. In the year after the Olympic golf tournament, the reigning men's gold medalist Top 10 finishers and ties from the previous year's U.S. Open Players who qualified for the previous year's Tour Championship The top 60 in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) as of two weeks before the start of the tournament The top 60 in the OWGR as of the tournament date The top player in the Korn Ferry Tour points, based on combined points from the Regular Season and Finals, from the previous season (starting in 2023). The top two DP World Tour players from the previous season's final Race to Dubai rankings who did not qualify through any previous exemption, as well as the top non-exempt player in the current season's Race to Dubai Should a LIV Golf League player not previously exempt finish in the top 3 of the individual league rankings in the previous or current season, they will qualify Special exemptions selected by the USGA All remaining spots after the second top 60 OWGR cutoff date filled by alternates from qualifying tournaments.
The exemptions for amateurs apply only if the players remain amateurs as of the tournament date, excluding the U.S. Amateur champion; they can retain their earned exemption regardless of amateur status for the U.S. Open following a 2019 rule change. As the U.S. Open typically takes place after the college golf season has ended, it is not uncommon for top amateur players to turn professional immediately after their last collegiate event (typically the end of the NCAA championships) in order to maximize the number of FedEx Cup points they may score before the August cutoff to avoid qualifying school.
Before 2011, the sole OWGR cutoff for entry was the top 50 as of two weeks before the tournament. An exemption category for the top 50 as of the tournament date was added for 2011, apparently in response to the phenomenon of golfers entering the top 50 between the original cutoff date and the tournament (such as Justin Rose and Rickie Fowler in 2010).
Through 2011, exemptions existed for leading money winners on the PGA, European, Japanese, and Australasian tours, as well as winners of multiple PGA Tour events in the year before the U.S. Open. These categories were eliminated in favor of inviting the top 60 on the OWGR at both relevant dates. Starting with the 2012 championship, an exemption was added for the winner of the current year's BMW PGA Championship, the European Tour's equivalent of The Players Championship.
Potential competitors who are not fully exempt must enter the Qualifying process, which has two stages. Firstly there is Local Qualifying, which is played over 18 holes at more than 100 courses around the United States. 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., as well as one each in Europe, Canada, and Japan. Most sectional qualifiers are held on the Monday of the week prior to the U.S. Open. Field sizes and qualifying spots on offer vary from site to site; in recent years, the USGA has placed events near scheduled PGA Tour and Korn Ferry Tour stops to better accommodate touring pros who did not qualify through an exemption. There is no lower age limit and the youngest-ever qualifier was 14-year-old Andy Zhang of China, who qualified in 2012 after Paul Casey withdrew days before the tournament.
USGA special exemptions The USGA has granted a special exemption to 35 players 53 times since 1966. Players with multiple special exemptions include: Arnold Palmer (1978, 1980, 1981, 1983, 1994), Seve Ballesteros (1978, 1994), Gary Player (1981, 1983), Lee Trevino (1983, 1984), Hale Irwin (1990, 2002, 2003), Jack Nicklaus (1991, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000), and Tom Watson (1993, 1996, 2000, 2003, 2010).
Irwin won the 1990 U.S. Open after accepting a special exemption. In 2016, a special exemption was extended to former champion Retief Goosen (2001, 2004). In 2018, a special exemption was extended to former U.S. Open champions Jim Furyk (2003) and Ernie Els (1994, 1997). The last special exemption was granted to three-time champion Tiger Woods to play in 2024.
Prizes The purse at the 2026 U.S. Open was $22.5 million, and the winner's share was $4.5 million. The European Tour uses conversion rates at the time of the tournament to calculate the official prize money used in their Race to Dubai.
In line with the other majors, winning the U.S. Open gives a golfer several privileges that make his career much more secure if he is not already one of the elite players of the sport. 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. They are also automatically invited to play in The Players Championship for the next five years, and they are exempt from qualifying for the U.S. Open itself for 10 years.
Winners may also receive a five-year exemption on the PGA Tour, which is automatic for regular members. Non-PGA Tour members who win the U.S. Open have the choice of joining the PGA Tour either within 60 days of winning, or prior to the beginning of any one of the next five tour seasons.
Finally, U.S. Open winners receive automatic invitations to three of the five senior majors once they turn 50; they receive a five-year invitation to the U.S. Senior Open and a lifetime invitation to the Senior PGA Championship and Senior British Open.
The top 10 finishers at the U.S. Open are fully exempt from qualifying for the following year's Open, and the top four are automatically invited to the following season's Masters.
Players who make the cut but have no status on the PGA Tour and are not exempt by any other means earn entry into the second stage of PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament.
Playoff format Through 2017, the U.S. Open retained a full 18-hole playoff the following day (Monday). If a tie existed after that fifth round, then the playoff continued as sudden-death on the 91st hole. The U.S. Open advanced to sudden-death three times (1990, 1994, 2008), most recently when Tiger Woods defeated Rocco Mediate on the first additional playoff hole in 2008. Before sudden-death was introduced (1970s?), additional 18-hole rounds were played (1925, 1939, 1946) to break the tie. When the playoff was scheduled for 36 holes and ended in a tie, as in 1931, a second 36-hole playoff was required.
After consulting fans, players, and media partners, the USGA adopted a two-hole aggregate playoff format in 2018; if the playoff ends tied, sudden death will commence. Through 2026, the two-hole format has yet to be used, as the most recent playoff was in 2008.
Winners