Winning the US Open isn't just about playing good golf. It’s about survival. Ask J.J. Spaun. In June 2025, the guy literally opened his final round at Oakmont with five bogeys in his first six holes. Most people would have packed their bags and checked out mentally. Instead, he clawed back, drained a monster 64-foot putt on the 18th, and joined the list of US Open golf champions. That’s the tournament in a nutshell: it breaks you, then sees what you’ve got left in the tank.
Since 1895, this championship has been the "ultimate test." The USGA (United States Golf Association) usually sets up the courses to be borderline masochistic. We’re talking rough so deep you lose your shoes and greens faster than a marble floor.
Honestly, the names on the trophy represent the toughest minds in the game. It’s not always the prettiest swing that wins; it’s the person who makes the fewest catastrophic mistakes. From the early days of British dominance to the modern era of "bomb and gouge" like Bryson DeChambeau, the evolution of the winner’s circle is pretty wild.
The Mount Rushmore: Four-Time Winners
Only four men have ever climbed the mountain four separate times. It's a tiny, elite club.
Willie Anderson was the first. He’s the only person to win three in a row (1903, 1904, 1905). People forget how hard that is. Then you have Bobby Jones, the "Golden Boy" of the 1920s. He won four as an amateur. Think about that. He wasn't even playing for the money, yet he beat the best pros in the world in 1923, 1926, 1929, and 1930.
Then came Ben Hogan. The "Hawk." His 1950 win at Merion is legendary because he had nearly died in a car accident just 16 months earlier. He could barely walk, but he still won. He added 1948, 1951, and 1953 to his resume. Finally, Jack Nicklaus rounded out the group, winning across three different decades (1962, 1967, 1972, and 1980). When Jack won his last one at age 40, people thought he was "washed." He wasn't.
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The Modern Era and Back-to-Back Feats
Winning once is a fluke for some, but winning twice in a row? That’s legendary status.
- Curtis Strange (1988, 1989): He was the first to do it in the modern era.
- Brooks Koepka (2017, 2018): Brooks basically treated the US Open like a weekend hobby for two years. He showed up, overpowered the course, and left everyone else wondering what hit them.
- Bryson DeChambeau (2020, 2024): Bryson's 2024 win at Pinehurst No. 2 was a thriller, edging out Rory McIlroy after Rory's heartbreaking short-putt misses.
The List of US Open Golf Champions: Year-by-Year
If you're looking for the full rundown of who actually held the trophy, here is the history of the winners. You'll notice some gaps for the World Wars, and a lot of familiar names if you follow the sport closely.
The Recent Decades (2000–2025)
The 21st century started with the most dominant performance in the history of the sport. Tiger Woods at Pebble Beach in 2000. He won by 15 strokes. Fifteen! He was playing a different game than everyone else.
- 2025: J.J. Spaun (-1)
- 2024: Bryson DeChambeau (-6)
- 2023: Wyndham Clark (-10)
- 2022: Matt Fitzpatrick (-6)
- 2021: Jon Rahm (-6)
- 2020: Bryson DeChambeau (-6)
- 2019: Gary Woodland (-13)
- 2018: Brooks Koepka (+1)
- 2017: Brooks Koepka (-16)
- 2016: Dustin Johnson (-4)
- 2015: Jordan Spieth (-5)
- 2014: Martin Kaymer (-9)
- 2013: Justin Rose (+1)
- 2012: Webb Simpson (+1)
- 2011: Rory McIlroy (-16)
- 2010: Graeme McDowell (E)
- 2009: Lucas Glover (-4)
- 2008: Tiger Woods (-1) - Won on a broken leg in an 18-hole playoff.
- 2007: Angel Cabrera (+5)
- 2006: Geoff Ogilvy (+5)
- 2005: Michael Campbell (E)
- 2004: Retief Goosen (-4)
- 2003: Jim Furyk (-8)
- 2002: Tiger Woods (-3)
- 2001: Retief Goosen (-4)
- 2000: Tiger Woods (-12)
Late 20th Century Greats (1970–1999)
This era was defined by guys like Hale Irwin and Tom Watson. It was also the era of the "Open Specialist"—players who might not win every week but had the grit for these conditions.
- 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 - At 45, the oldest winner ever.
- 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 - Shot a 63 in the final round, still a record score.
- 1972: Jack Nicklaus
- 1971: Lee Trevino
- 1970: Tony Jacklin
Records That Might Never Be Broken
Every time someone wins, we look at the history books. Some of these numbers are just stupid. Rory McIlroy and Brooks Koepka share the record for lowest score in relation to par (-16). In Rory’s case in 2011, he basically turned a "U.S. Open" into a "U.S. Invitational." He was never in trouble.
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Then you have John J. McDermott. He won back-to-back in 1911 and 1912. He’s still the youngest winner ever at 19 years old. Most 19-year-olds are worried about their TikTok views or college exams; he was beating the best golfers on the planet.
Also, we have to talk about Hale Irwin. In 1990, at Medinah, he was 45. He sank a 45-foot putt on the 18th hole, ran around the green high-fiving the gallery like a crazy person, and then won in a playoff the next day. It’s still one of the most "human" moments in a tournament that usually feels quite corporate and stiff.
Amateurs Who Shocked the World
It doesn't happen anymore. The gap between the best amateurs and the top pros is just too wide now, but back in the day, amateurs were legitimate threats on the list of US Open golf champions.
- Francis Ouimet (1913): The most famous one. A 20-year-old local caddie beat the legendary British duo of Harry Vardon and Ted Ray. It basically put golf on the map in America.
- Jerome Travers (1915) and Chick Evans (1916): These guys kept the amateur streak alive before the world went to war.
- Bobby Jones: As mentioned, he won four (1923, 1926, 1929, 1930). He was the G.O.A.T. before the term existed.
- Johnny Goodman (1933): The very last amateur to win. Since then? Nothing. The closest we've come recently was probably Viktor Hovland or Nick Dunlap in other events, but the Open? It's been nearly a century of pro-only dominance.
Why This List Matters
You can't just stumble into a US Open win. The USGA looks for courses with narrow fairways and "graduated" rough. If you miss the fairway by three yards, you're fine. If you miss by ten, you're hacking out with a wedge.
This creates a specific type of champion. You need to be a great putter, sure, but you mostly need to be a "muddler." Someone who can make a bogey, shrug it off, and save par from a bunker on the next hole.
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Look at Wyndham Clark in 2023. Nobody picked him to win. He wasn't a superstar yet. But he played "boring" golf. He hit greens, he lagged putts, and he stayed out of the thick grass. Meanwhile, the big names were overthinking their way into the trees.
Actionable Insights for Golf Fans
If you're tracking the champions or trying to predict the next one, keep these things in mind:
- Look for "Strokes Gained: Off the Tee": Almost every modern winner (DeChambeau, Koepka, Rahm) is a monster with the driver. You can't win if you're hitting your second shot from the hay.
- Check the Age: While Hale Irwin won at 45, the average age is trending younger. Most winners are now in their late 20s or early 30s—peak physical condition for those four-day grinds.
- The "Vibe" Check: The US Open is a mental war. Watch the players who don't throw clubs or get "tilty" after a bad break. Those are the ones who end up on the list.
The history of this tournament is basically a list of the toughest people to ever swing a club. Whether it's the old-school grit of Ben Hogan or the modern power of Bryson DeChambeau, the requirements haven't changed: stay patient, hit it straight, and don't let the course break your heart.
To truly understand the game's evolution, comparing the winning scores of the early 1900s (often in the 300s) to today's sub-270 rounds shows just how far equipment and athleticism have come. Yet, even with $500 drivers, the 2025 win by J.J. Spaun proves that at its core, the US Open is still just a test of who can handle the most pressure without folding.