The United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open golf tournament of the United States. 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. U.S. Open play is characterized by tight scoring at or around par by the leaders, with the winner 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), 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. Open will undergo renovations to have these features. 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. Open is the only one of the four major championships which does not go immediately to a playoff if two or more players are tied at the end of the four rounds. 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. Only three times has the U.S. Open gone to sudden death after the playoff round, most recently in 2008 when Tiger Woods defeated Rocco Mediate on the first playoff hole. Coverage of The U.S. Open is broadcast on television by NBC and ESPN, with additional online coverage of a marquee group provided by ESPN via the U.S. Open's official website. Of golf's broadcast television partners in the U.S., NBC is the only one to provide four days of major tournament coverage (CBS, which airs the Masters and the PGA Championship, only provides weekend coverage of its tournaments; starting in 2010, the Open Championship will not be aired on an over-the-air network at all, with all four rounds airing on ESPN).
Past Winners 2009 Lucas Glover 2008 Tiger Woods 2007 Ángel Cabrera 2006 Geoff Ogilvy 2005 Michael Campbell 2004 Retief Goosen 2003 Jim Furyk 2002 Tiger Woods 2001 Retief Goosen 2000 Tiger Woods 1999 Payne Stewart 1998 Lee Janzen 1997 Ernie Els 1996 Steve Jones 1995 Corey Pavin 1994 Ernie Els 1993 Lee Janzen 1992 Tom Kite 1991 Payne Stewart 1990 Hale Irwin 1989 Curtis Strange 1988 Curtis Strange 1987 Scott Simpson 1986 Raymond Floyd 1985 Andy North 1984 Fuzzy Zoeller 1983 Larry Nelson 1982 Tom Watson 1981 David Graham 1980 Jack Nicklaus 1979 Hale Irwin 1978 Andy North 1977 Hubert Green 1976 Jerry Pate 1975 Lou Graham 1974 Hale Irwin 1973 Johnny Miller 1972 Jack Nicklaus 1971 Lee Trevino 1970 Tony Jacklin 1969 Orville Moody 1968 Lee Trevino 1967 Jack Nicklaus 1966 Billy Casper 1965 Gary Player 1964 Ken Venturi 1963 Julius Boros 1962 Jack Nicklaus 1961 Gene Littler 1960 Arnold Palmer 1959 Billy Casper 1958 Tommy Bolt 1957 Dick Mayer 1956 Cary Middlecoff 1955 Jack Fleck 1954 Ed Furgol 1953 Ben Hogan 1952 Julius Boros 1951 Ben Hogan 1950 Ben Hogan 1949 Cary Middlecoff 1948 Ben Hogan 1947 Lew Worsham 1946 Lloyd Mangrum 1941 Craig Wood 1940 Lawson Little 1939 Byron Nelson 1938 Ralph Guldahl 1937 Ralph Guldahl 1936 Tony Manero 1935 Sam Parks, Jr 1933 Johnny Goodman 1932 Gene Sarazen 1931 Billy Burke 1930 Bobby Jones 1929 Bobby Jones 1928 Johnny Farrell 1927 Tommy Armour 1926 Bobby Jones 1925 Willie Macfarlane 1924 Cyril Walker 1923 Bobby Jones 1922 Gene Sarazen 1921 Jim Barnes 1920 Ted Ray 1919 Walter Hagen 1917–1918: Cancelled due to World War I 1916 Chick Evans 1915 Jerome Travers 1914 Walter Hagen 1913 Francis Ouimet 1912 John McDermott 1911 John McDermott 1910 Alex Smith 1909 George Sargent 1908 Fred McLeod 1907 Alec Ross 1906 Alex Smith 1905 Willie Anderson 1904 Willie Anderson 1903 Willie Anderson 1902 Laurie Auchterlonie 1901 Willie Anderson 1900 Harry Vardon 1899 Willie Smith 1898 Fred Herd 1897 Joe Lloyd 1896 James Foulis 1895 Horace Rawlins
