U.S. Open Golf Winners: Complete List of Champions by Year

The U.S. Open is one of golf’s four major championships, alongside the Masters, the PGA Championship, and The Open Championship. It has crowned a champion almost every year since 1895, pausing only during the two World Wars.

This guide lists every U.S. Open winner from the very first championship through the most recently completed tournament in 2025, along with their scores, home countries, and host venues. It also breaks down the players who’ve won multiple times, the rare amateurs who pulled off the upset, and the records that still stand today.

U.S. Open: Quick Facts

Detail	Information
First Played	1895, Newport Golf Club, Rhode Island
Total Championships	125 (through 2025)
Governing Body	United States Golf Association (USGA)
Format	72-hole stroke play (36 holes prior to 1898)
Most Wins	4, shared by four players
Most Recent Champion	J.J. Spaun (2025)
Years Not Held	1917-1918 (WWI), 1942-1945 (WWII)

Complete List of U.S. Open Golf Winners by Year

This section covers every champion in tournament history, organized into five eras for easier scanning. 

A quick note on the early years: the championship was only 36 holes long in 1895 and 1896, which is why those winning scores look so much lower than everything that follows.

1895 to 1919

This stretch of the championship was dominated almost entirely by Scottish and English-born professionals who had emigrated to the United States to work at golf clubs. That changed in 1911, when John McDermott became the first American-born winner.

Year	Winner	Country	Score	Venue
1895	Horace Rawlins	England	173	Newport Golf Club, RI
1896	James Foulis	Scotland	152	Shinnecock Hills GC, NY
1897	Joe Lloyd	England	162	Chicago GC, IL
1898	Fred Herd	Scotland	328	Myopia Hunt Club, MA
1899	Willie Smith	Scotland	315	Baltimore CC, MD
1900	Harry Vardon	England	313	Chicago GC, IL
1901	Willie Anderson	Scotland	331*	Myopia Hunt Club, MA
1902	Laurence Auchterlonie	Scotland	307	Garden City GC, NY
1903	Willie Anderson	Scotland	307*	Baltusrol GC, NJ
1904	Willie Anderson	Scotland	303	Glen View Club, IL
1905	Willie Anderson	Scotland	314	Myopia Hunt Club, MA
1906	Alex Smith	Scotland	295	Onwentsia Club, IL
1907	Alex Ross	Scotland	302	Philadelphia Cricket Club, PA
1908	Fred McLeod	Scotland	322*	Myopia Hunt Club, MA
1909	George Sargent	England	290	Englewood GC, NJ
1910	Alex Smith	Scotland	298*	Philadelphia Cricket Club, PA
1911	John J. McDermott	USA	307*	Chicago GC, IL
1912	John J. McDermott	USA	294	CC of Buffalo, NY
1913	Francis Ouimet (a)	USA	304*	The Country Club, MA
1914	Walter Hagen	USA	290	Midlothian CC, IL
1915	Jerome Travers (a)	USA	297	Baltusrol GC, NJ
1916	Chick Evans (a)	USA	286	Minikahda Club, MN
1919	Walter Hagen	USA	301*	Brae Burn CC, MA

No championships were held in 1917 and 1918 due to World War I. 

(a) denotes an amateur winner. * denotes a playoff victory.

1920 to 1949

Bobby Jones dominated this stretch as an amateur, winning four titles before retiring from competitive golf at 28. Ben Hogan closed out the era with the first two of his eventual four championships.

Year	Winner	Country	Score	Venue
1920	Ted Ray	England	295	Inverness Club, OH
1921	Jim Barnes	England	289	Columbia CC, MD
1922	Gene Sarazen	USA	288	Skokie CC, IL
1923	Bobby Jones (a)	USA	296*	Inwood CC, NY
1924	Cyril Walker	England	297	Oakland Hills CC, MI
1925	Willie Macfarlane	Scotland	291*	Worcester CC, MA
1926	Bobby Jones (a)	USA	293	Scioto CC, OH
1927	Tommy Armour	Scotland	301*	Oakmont CC, PA
1928	Johnny Farrell	USA	294*	Olympia Fields CC, IL
1929	Bobby Jones (a)	USA	294*	Winged Foot GC, NY
1930	Bobby Jones (a)	USA	287	Interlachen CC, MN
1931	Billy Burke	USA	292*	Inverness Club, OH
1932	Gene Sarazen	USA	286	Fresh Meadow CC, NY
1933	Johnny Goodman (a)	USA	287	North Shore GC, IL
1934	Olin Dutra	USA	293	Merion Cricket Club, PA
1935	Sam Parks Jr.	USA	299	Oakmont CC, PA
1936	Tony Manero	USA	282	Baltusrol GC, NJ
1937	Ralph Guldahl	USA	281	Oakland Hills CC, MI
1938	Ralph Guldahl	USA	284	Cherry Hills CC, CO
1939	Byron Nelson	USA	284*	Philadelphia CC, PA
1940	Lawson Little	USA	287*	Canterbury GC, OH
1941	Craig Wood	USA	284	Colonial CC, TX
1946	Lloyd Mangrum	USA	284*	Canterbury GC, OH
1947	Lew Worsham	USA	282*	St. Louis CC, MO
1948	Ben Hogan	USA	276	Riviera CC, CA
1949	Cary Middlecoff	USA	286	Medinah CC, IL

No championships held from 1942 to 1945 due to World War II.

1950 to 1979

Ben Hogan won three more titles in the early part of this stretch, then Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer carried the championship through its golden era of American dominance.

Year	Winner	Country	Score	Venue
1950	Ben Hogan	USA	287*	Merion GC, PA
1951	Ben Hogan	USA	287	Oakland Hills CC, MI
1952	Julius Boros	USA	281	Northwood Club, TX
1953	Ben Hogan	USA	283	Oakmont CC, PA
1954	Ed Furgol	USA	284	Baltusrol GC, NJ
1955	Jack Fleck	USA	287*	The Olympic Club, CA
1956	Cary Middlecoff	USA	281	Oak Hill CC, NY
1957	Dick Mayer	USA	282*	Inverness Club, OH
1958	Tommy Bolt	USA	283	Southern Hills CC, OK
1959	Billy Casper	USA	282	Winged Foot GC, NY
1960	Arnold Palmer	USA	280	Cherry Hills CC, CO
1961	Gene Littler	USA	281	Oakland Hills CC, MI
1962	Jack Nicklaus	USA	283*	Oakmont CC, PA
1963	Julius Boros	USA	293*	The Country Club, MA
1964	Ken Venturi	USA	278	Congressional CC, MD
1965	Gary Player	South Africa	282*	Bellerive CC, MO
1966	Billy Casper	USA	278*	The Olympic Club, CA
1967	Jack Nicklaus	USA	275	Baltusrol GC, NJ
1968	Lee Trevino	USA	275	Oak Hill CC, NY
1969	Orville Moody	USA	281	Champions GC, TX
1970	Tony Jacklin	England	281	Hazeltine National GC, MN
1971	Lee Trevino	USA	280*	Merion GC, PA
1972	Jack Nicklaus	USA	290	Pebble Beach GL, CA
1973	Johnny Miller	USA	279	Oakmont CC, PA
1974	Hale Irwin	USA	287	Winged Foot GC, NY
1975	Lou Graham	USA	287*	Medinah CC, IL
1976	Jerry Pate	USA	277	Atlanta Athletic Club, GA
1977	Hubert Green	USA	278	Southern Hills CC, OK
1978	Andy North	USA	285	Cherry Hills CC, CO
1979	Hale Irwin	USA	284	Inverness Club, OH

1980 to 1999

This era saw the championship internationalize for the first time since the 1920s, with Australian, South African, and European winners breaking through a long stretch of American dominance.

Year	Winner	Country	Score	Venue
1980	Jack Nicklaus	USA	272	Baltusrol GC, NJ
1981	David Graham	Australia	273	Merion GC, PA
1982	Tom Watson	USA	282	Pebble Beach GL, CA
1983	Larry Nelson	USA	280	Oakmont CC, PA
1984	Fuzzy Zoeller	USA	276*	Winged Foot GC, NY
1985	Andy North	USA	279	Oakland Hills CC, MI
1986	Raymond Floyd	USA	279	Shinnecock Hills GC, NY
1987	Scott Simpson	USA	277	The Olympic Club, CA
1988	Curtis Strange	USA	278*	The Country Club, MA
1989	Curtis Strange	USA	278	Oak Hill CC, NY
1990	Hale Irwin	USA	280*	Medinah CC, IL
1991	Payne Stewart	USA	282*	Hazeltine National GC, MN
1992	Tom Kite	USA	285	Pebble Beach GL, CA
1993	Lee Janzen	USA	272	Baltusrol GC, NJ
1994	Ernie Els	South Africa	279*	Oakmont CC, PA
1995	Corey Pavin	USA	280	Shinnecock Hills GC, NY
1996	Steve Jones	USA	278	Oakland Hills CC, MI
1997	Ernie Els	South Africa	276	Congressional CC, MD
1998	Lee Janzen	USA	280	The Olympic Club, CA
1999	Payne Stewart	USA	279	Pinehurst No. 2, NC

2000 to Present

International champions became commonplace in this era, including a stretch of four straight non-American winners from 2004 to 2007. Tiger Woods, Brooks Koepka, and Bryson DeChambeau each won multiple titles.

Year	Winner	Country	Score	Venue
2000	Tiger Woods	USA	272	Pebble Beach GL, CA
2001	Retief Goosen	South Africa	276*	Southern Hills CC, OK
2002	Tiger Woods	USA	277	Bethpage Black, NY
2003	Jim Furyk	USA	272	Olympia Fields CC, IL
2004	Retief Goosen	South Africa	276	Shinnecock Hills GC, NY
2005	Michael Campbell	New Zealand	280	Pinehurst No. 2, NC
2006	Geoff Ogilvy	Australia	285	Winged Foot GC, NY
2007	Angel Cabrera	Argentina	285	Oakmont CC, PA
2008	Tiger Woods	USA	283*	Torrey Pines GC, CA
2009	Lucas Glover	USA	276	Bethpage Black, NY
2010	Graeme McDowell	N. Ireland	284	Pebble Beach GL, CA
2011	Rory McIlroy	N. Ireland	268	Congressional CC, MD
2012	Webb Simpson	USA	281	The Olympic Club, CA
2013	Justin Rose	England	281	Merion GC, PA
2014	Martin Kaymer	Germany	271	Pinehurst No. 2, NC
2015	Jordan Spieth	USA	275	Chambers Bay, WA
2016	Dustin Johnson	USA	276	Oakmont CC, PA
2017	Brooks Koepka	USA	272	Erin Hills, WI
2018	Brooks Koepka	USA	281	Shinnecock Hills GC, NY
2019	Gary Woodland	USA	271	Pebble Beach GL, CA
2020	Bryson DeChambeau	USA	274	Winged Foot GC, NY
2021	Jon Rahm	Spain	278	Torrey Pines GC, CA
2022	Matt Fitzpatrick	England	274	The Country Club, MA
2023	Wyndham Clark	USA	270	Los Angeles CC, CA
2024	Bryson DeChambeau	USA	274	Pinehurst No. 2, NC
2025	J.J. Spaun	USA	279	Oakmont CC, PA

The 2026 U.S. Open is currently being contested at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club. This table will reflect that result once the championship concludes.

Who Has Won the Most U.S. Open Titles?

Only four golfers in 125 championships have managed to win the U.S. Open four times, and none of them played in the same era as each other.

Golfers With Four U.S. Open Wins

Willie Anderson set the bar early, winning in 1901, 1903, 1904, and 1905. His three consecutive titles from 1903 to 1905 remain the only streak of its kind in tournament history. Bobby Jones followed with four wins as an amateur in 1923, 1926, 1929, and 1930, retiring from competition shortly after completing his Grand Slam.

Ben Hogan claimed his four titles in 1948, 1950, 1951, and 1953, winning the 1950 edition just over a year after a near-fatal car accident. 

Jack Nicklaus rounds out the group with wins in 1962, 1967, 1972, and 1980, a span of 18 years that remains the longest gap between a player’s first and last U.S. Open titles.

Three-Time U.S. Open Winners

Only two players have won exactly three U.S. Open titles. 

Hale Irwin won in 1974, 1979, and 1990, becoming the oldest champion in tournament history at 45 years old in his final victory. 

Tiger Woods won in 2000, 2002, and 2008, with his 2008 win coming on a fractured leg that forced him out of golf for the rest of that season.

Two-Time U.S. Open Champions

Sixteen golfers have won the U.S. Open exactly twice. The full list includes John J. McDermott (1911, 1912), Walter Hagen (1914, 1919), Gene Sarazen (1922, 1932), Ralph Guldahl (1937, 1938), Cary Middlecoff (1949, 1956), Julius Boros (1952, 1963), Billy Casper (1959, 1966), and Lee Trevino (1968, 1971).

The list continues with Andy North (1978, 1985), Curtis Strange (1988, 1989), Payne Stewart (1991, 1999), Lee Janzen (1993, 1998), Ernie Els (1994, 1997), Retief Goosen (2001, 2004), Brooks Koepka (2017, 2018), and Bryson DeChambeau (2020, 2024). 

Curtis Strange and Brooks Koepka are the only two on this list to win back-to-back titles in consecutive years.

Amateur Golfers Who Won the U.S. Open

Five amateurs have won the U.S. Open, and all five did it before 1934. Francis Ouimet kicked off the trend in 1913, shocking the golf world by beating British legends Harry Vardon and Ted Ray in an 18-hole playoff at The Country Club in Massachusetts.

Jerome Travers won in 1915, and Chick Evans followed in 1916. Bobby Jones then won four times as an amateur between 1923 and 1930, a level of dominance that has never been matched. Johnny Goodman closed out the era in 1933, and no amateur has won the championship since.

Modern professional golfers train full-time with dedicated coaching staffs, equipment teams, and far more competitive reps than any amateur typically gets. The gap between the best amateurs and the best professionals has only widened since Jones’s era, making another amateur victory extremely unlikely at this point.

International U.S. Open Winners

The championship’s first international winner depends on how you define “international.” Most of the early champions were Scottish or English-born professionals who had already emigrated to work at American clubs. 

Harry Vardon stands apart from that group. He won in 1900 while visiting the United States on a promotional tour, making him the first genuinely international champion rather than a transplant.

John McDermott’s win in 1911 marked a real turning point, becoming the first native-born American champion after 16 years of British-born winners. From there, American players controlled the championship almost completely for decades. International success picked back up in 1965 when Gary Player became the first South African to win.

The most dramatic stretch of international dominance came from 2004 to 2007, when four consecutive champions came from outside the United States: South Africa’s Retief Goosen, New Zealand’s Michael Campbell, Australia’s Geoff Ogilvy, and Argentina’s Angel Cabrera. That streak hadn’t happened since 1910.

Since 2010, golfers from Northern Ireland, Germany, and Spain have all added their countries to the list of U.S. Open champions, reflecting just how global the modern game has become.

Interesting Facts About U.S. Open Winners

A few records and oddities stand out across 125 years of championship history.

John McDermott remains the youngest U.S. Open champion ever, winning in 1911 at just 19 years and 315 days old. On the other end, Hale Irwin won his third and final title in 1990 at 45 years and 15 days old, making him the oldest champion in tournament history.

Rory McIlroy holds the record for the lowest 72-hole score in relation to par, at 16 under in 2011, a mark he shares with Brooks Koepka’s 2017 win. McIlroy’s total score of 268 strokes that year also stands as the lowest raw score ever posted. On the opposite end, Willie Anderson’s winning total of 331 strokes in 1901 remains the highest winning score recorded since the championship expanded to 72 holes.

Willie Anderson’s three consecutive titles from 1903 to 1905 remain the only streak of back-to-back-to-back wins in tournament history. Playoffs have decided the championship many times over the years, most recently in 2008, when Tiger Woods beat Rocco Mediate over an extra 19 holes.

Six golfers have completed the career Grand Slam, winning all four modern majors at least once: Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, and Rory McIlroy. Every single one of them counts a U.S. Open title among their major championships.

Why Winning the U.S. Open Is So Difficult

The USGA deliberately sets up U.S. Open courses to be the toughest test in golf each year. Fairways get narrowed well beyond normal tour width, and any tee shot that drifts off line typically lands in rough thick enough to take a full club or more off the next approach shot.

Greens get firm and fast on purpose, turning routine approach shots into genuine guessing games about how much the ball will roll once it lands. Add in the deepest, most accomplished field outside of the Masters, and even small mistakes get punished severely across four rounds.

That difficulty shows up clearly in the historical scoring. Winning totals at the U.S. Open frequently land at par or worse, a sharp contrast to other majors where double-digit under-par scores are common. 

The mental weight of major championship pressure compounds all of it, which is exactly why so few players ever manage to win this title even once, let alone multiple times.

Final Thoughts

More than 125 championships in, the U.S. Open list reads like a complete history of the sport itself. Willie Anderson’s early dominance, Bobby Jones’s amateur brilliance, Hogan’s comeback, Nicklaus’s two-decade span, and the recent wave of international champions all tell the same underlying story: this championship has never made it easy on anyone.

That difficulty is exactly what gives the list its weight. A U.S. Open title means something different than most wins on tour, precisely because the setup is built to expose every weakness a player has. The names on this list, four-time winners and one-time amateurs alike, all found a way to survive that test when it mattered most.

Key Takeaways

• The U.S. Open has been played 125 times since 1895, pausing only during the two World Wars.
• Four golfers share the record for most titles with four wins each: Willie Anderson, Bobby Jones, Ben Hogan, and Jack Nicklaus.
• Willie Anderson’s three consecutive wins from 1903 to 1905 remain the only streak of its kind in tournament history.
• Five amateurs have won the U.S. Open, all before 1934, led by Bobby Jones’s four amateur titles.
• John McDermott remains both the youngest champion ever (1911) and one half of the only back-to-back amateur-era American winning streak.
• Hale Irwin’s 1990 win at age 45 makes him the oldest U.S. Open champion in history.
• Rory McIlroy holds the record for both the lowest raw score (268) and a share of the lowest score relative to par (-16).
• South Africa has produced five U.S. Open champions since Gary Player’s breakthrough win in 1965.
• A streak of four straight international champions occurred from 2004 to 2007, the first such run since 1910.
• J.J. Spaun is the most recently confirmed champion, winning the 2025 edition at Oakmont.

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