History of winners at the U.S. Open

The 123rd U.S. Open tees off from the Los Angeles Country Club for the first time ever on Thursday, June 15. As the best golfers in the world gather in the City of Angels in search of a coveted major win, we take a look back at the history of U.S. Open champions.

When the U.S. Open last visited the Los Angeles area, Ben Hogan took home the trophy at Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades. It was the first of his eventual four U.S. Open victories — the other three took place in 1950, 1951, and 1953. With those four wins, he is tied for the record for most U.S. Open victories in golf history. Joining him in that record are Willie Anderson (1901, 1903, 1904, 1905), Bobby Jones (1923, 1926, 1929, 1930), and Jack Nicklaus (1962, 1967, 1972, 1980).

Tiger Woods won three U.S. Opens in his prime, in 2000, 2002, and 2008. His biggest career rival from that period, Phil Mickelson, has six major championship wins under his belt, but no U.S. Open wins. The major remains his white whale, made even more frustrating by his six second-place finishes at the tournament over the years.

Mickelson returns to the field this year in search of his first, as does two-time winner Brooks Koepka (2017, 2018). Last year, Matt Fitzpatrick won the tournament in his first major championship. In this year’s field, he is joined by U.S. Open winners Rory McIlroy (2011), Dustin Johnson (2018), Bryson DeChambeau (2020), and Jon Rahm (2021).

Koepka and McIlroy share the record for the best score at a U.S. Open (-16), while Tiger Woods holds the largest margin of victory at a U.S. Open (15 strokes).