The United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open national championship of golf in the United States. It is the third of the four major championships in golf, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour. Since 1898 the competition has been 72 holes of stroke play, with the winner being the player with the lowest total number of strokes. 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. 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. As of 2022, the U.S. Open awards a $17.5 million purse, the largest of all four major championships.
The following is a partial timeline of the history of golf.
James Braid was a Scottish professional golfer and a member of the Great Triumvirate of the sport alongside Harry Vardon and John Henry Taylor. He won The Open Championship five times. He also was a renowned golf course architect. Braid is a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame.
Lawrence "Laurie" Auchterlonie was a Scottish professional golfer, a native of St Andrews. In 1902, representing the Glen View Club, he won the eighth U.S. Open at Garden City Golf Club in Garden City, New York.
Willie Smith was a Scottish golfer. He won the 1899 U.S. Open.
Alexander Smith was a Scottish-American professional golfer who played in the late 19th and early 20th century. He was a member of a famous Scottish golfing family. His brother Willie won the U.S. Open in 1899, and Alex won it in both 1906 and 1910. Like many British professionals of his era he spent much of his adult life working as a club professional in the United States.
Archibald Simpson was an American professional golfer. He was also a golf course designer and a golf club maker. He was runner-up in The Open Championship in 1885, and 1890.
The 1906 U.S. Open was the twelfth U.S. Open, held June 28–29 at Onwentsia Club in Lake Forest, Illinois, a suburb north of Chicago. Alex Smith won the first of his two U.S. Open titles, seven strokes ahead of runner-up Willie Smith, his younger brother and the 1899 champion.
The 1911 U.S. Open was the 17th U.S. Open, held June 23–26 at Chicago Golf Club in Wheaton, Illinois, a suburb west of Chicago. Nineteen-year-old John McDermott became the first American-born champion by defeating Mike Brady and George Simpson in an 18-hole playoff.
Alexander Campbell was a Scottish professional golfer and golf course architect of the late 19th and early 20th century. In total, Campbell had five top-10 finishes in major championships.
Henry Spence "Harry" Turpie was a Scottish-American professional golfer. He had two top-10 finishes in golf major championship tournaments. Turpie finished T5 in the 1909 Western Open, shooting a course record tying 69 in the final round.
John Archibald "Jack" Park (1879–1935) was a Scottish professional golfer. Park placed sixth in the 1899 U.S. Open, held 14–15 September 1899, at Baltimore Country Club in Baltimore, Maryland. Park also finished tied for ninth place in the 1901 U.S. Open held at Myopia Hunt Club and tied for tenth at the 1915 U.S. Open.
William Vincent Hoare was an American professional golfer of English descent. Hoare finished in fifth place in the 1897 U.S. Open and placed tied for sixth in the 1898 U.S. Open, held at Myopia Hunt Club in South Hamilton, Massachusetts. He was one of the founding members of the PGA of America, representing the Central States Section.
William Dunn, Jr. was an English professional golfer and golf course designer of Scottish descent. Dunn was born in Blackheath, London, England in about 1864. His best U.S. Open finish was second in the 1895 U.S. Open. He took home $100 as his share of the purse. His best known golf course designs are those found at the Shinnecock Hills Golf Club and the Apawamis Club.
David Foulis was a Scottish-American professional golfer who played in the late 19th century and early 20th century. Foulis tied for eighth place in the 1897 U.S. Open, held at the Chicago Golf Club in Wheaton, Illinois. He was the inventor of the golf hole cup liner or "golf flag support" and received a patent for the invention in 1912. He and his brother James were co-inventors of the modern 7-iron, which they called a "mashie-niblick".
Frederick Mackenzie was a Scottish golfer of the early 20th century. He had a successful amateur career, winning the Dundee Evening Telegraph Cup three times between 1899 and 1903. He then had a brief spell as a professional in America, during which time he finished third in the 1904 U.S. Open. On his return to Scotland he gave up professional golf but was unable to get reinstated as an amateur. He played local competitions but was ineligible for the more important amateur tournaments.
Bertie Snowball was an English professional golfer who played in the early 20th century. He was at his peak as a player from 1904 to 1908 but was still competitive as late as 1914. He was killed in 1915 during World War I.
Phillip John Gaudin was a professional golfer from Jersey who played in the late 19th and early 20th century. He had three top-10 finishes in the Open Championship. His best result was a tie for eighth place in the 1914 Open Championship. He tied for ninth place in both the 1901 and 1908 Open Championships.
George O. Simpson was a Scottish-American professional golfer who played in the early 20th century. Simpson had one top-10 finish in a golf major championship when he finished third in the 1911 U.S. Open. Simpson finished second in the 1910 Western Open.
James Melville Dron Hepburn was a professional golfer from Scotland who played in the late 19th century into the early 20th century. He once served as the secretary of the British PGA and later became one of the founding members of the PGA of America. As a player, he posted two top-10 finishes in the Open Championship, a T8 result in 1909 and a T10 finish in 1911.
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