You think you know the U.S. Open. You think it’s just about the thickest rough imaginable and greens that look like they’ve been waxed for a showroom floor. But honestly? The real story of us open winners in golf is a lot messier. It’s a graveyard of legends and a birthplace for the weirdest, most grit-heavy performances in sports history.
People love to talk about the "U.S. Open DNA." They mean survival.
Take J.J. Spaun in 2025. The guy started his final round at Oakmont—probably the meanest course on the planet—with five bogeys in his first six holes. Most golfers would have packed it in. Instead, he gritted his way to a 1-under total of 279. He didn't just win; he survived a rain-soaked, brutal Oakmont that had everyone else seeing ghosts.
Why the Leaderboard Often Lies
Most fans check the list of us open winners in golf and see the same names: Nicklaus, Hogan, Jones. But that’s a polished version of the truth. This tournament is actually designed to make the best players in the world look like 15-handicaps.
Take 2024 at Pinehurst No. 2. Bryson DeChambeau won, sure. But how? He basically willed a 55-yard bunker shot on the 18th hole to stop within four feet of the cup. He called it the "shot of his life." Meanwhile, Rory McIlroy—a man who should have four of these trophies by now—literally watched his lead vanish with two missed putts inside four feet in the final three holes.
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Golf is cruel. The U.S. Open is crueler.
The Mount Rushmore of the Open
If we’re looking at pure dominance, only four men have reached the summit four times:
- Willie Anderson: He did it back when they played in hickory shafts and wool blazers (1901, 1903, 1904, 1905).
- Bobby Jones: The eternal amateur. He won in 1923, 1926, 1929, and 1930.
- Ben Hogan: The man was a machine. He grabbed his titles in '48, '50, '51, and '53.
- Jack Nicklaus: The Golden Bear dominated 1962, 1967, 1972, and 1980.
It’s been 45 years since anyone won four. Let that sink in. Since 1980, the closest anyone has gotten is Tiger Woods and Hale Irwin with three. It’s just too hard to stay that good for that long when the USGA is trying to break your spirit every June.
The Modern Era and the Rise of the Power Players
Lately, the us open winners in golf look a bit different. They’re athletes. They’re hitting the gym as hard as the range.
Look at the run from 2017 to 2024.
Brooks Koepka went back-to-back in 2017 and 2018. Then Gary Woodland stunned everyone at Pebble Beach in 2019 with that incredible pitch from the fringe on the 71st hole. Then came Bryson.
DeChambeau’s wins in 2020 at Winged Foot and 2024 at Pinehurst changed the math. He realized that if the rough is going to be terrible anyway, you might as well hit it as far as possible so you’re hitting a wedge out of the weeds instead of a 5-iron. It sounds simple. It’s actually terrifying to watch.
But then you get someone like Matt Fitzpatrick in 2022 at Brookline. He didn't overpower the course; he out-prepared it. He had a map of every green, notes on every slope, and he hit one of the most clutch fairway bunker shots you’ll ever see on the 72nd hole to beat Will Zalatoris and Scottie Scheffler.
The Winners Nobody Expected
Sometimes, the U.S. Open doesn't go to the superstar.
In 2023, Wyndham Clark held off Rory McIlroy at Los Angeles Country Club. Nobody had him on their bingo card that week. He was a guy who had struggled with the mental side of the game for years, yet he stood on the 18th green with a one-shot lead and didn't blink.
Or Michael Campbell in 2005.
The guy had to go through sectional qualifying just to get into the field at Pinehurst. Then he goes out and beats Tiger Woods in his prime on a Sunday. That’s the magic of this event. It’s open. Literally. If you can play, you can get in.
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The History You Shouldn't Ignore
We have to talk about the records because they're kind of insane.
The youngest winner ever? John McDermott. He was 19 years old in 1911. Nineteen! Most of us were still trying to figure out how to change our own oil at nineteen.
The oldest? Hale Irwin. He was 45 in 1990 when he sank that monster putt at Medinah and did a literal lap around the green high-fiving the fans. It’s one of the most human moments in a tournament that usually feels very "corporate."
And then there's the scoring.
Rory McIlroy holds the aggregate record with a 268 at Congressional in 2011. He finished at 16-under par. People thought he broke the tournament. The USGA didn't like that. They've made sure nobody has come close to that level of "easy" since.
Why We Care About US Open Winners in Golf
Ultimately, we watch because we want to see the best in the world suffer a little bit. That sounds mean, but it's true. Every other week, these guys make golf look like a video game. At the U.S. Open, they look like us. They get frustrated. They chunk chips. They three-putt.
But the winners? They're the ones who accept the chaos.
When you look at the 2025 victory by J.J. Spaun, you see a guy who understood that a bogey isn't a disaster—it's just a part of the day. He finished at 1-under. That’s the beauty. You don’t need to be perfect. You just need to be slightly less broken than the guy next to you.
What to Watch for Next
If you’re following the trend of recent champions, keep an eye on these three things for the next Open:
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- Approach Play over Driving Distance: While Bryson proves length helps, Spaun and Fitzpatrick won by being surgical with their irons.
- Mental Recovery: If a player bogeys two holes in a row and starts slamming clubs, they’re out. Look for the "flat liners."
- The "New" Names: We are in an era of first-time major winners. Don't be surprised if the next name on the trophy is someone you've only seen on the leaderboard a handful of times.
The U.S. Open is moving to Winged Foot again soon, and if history repeats itself, the winning score will be closer to even par than 10-under. That’s just how they like it.
To really understand the prestige, you have to look at the courses. Oakmont, Pebble Beach, Pinehurst, Shinnecock. These aren't just golf courses; they're tests of character. The men who win there don't just get a trophy and a paycheck. They get a spot in a very small room with people like Tiger and Jack.
Next Steps for Golf Fans:
To get a real sense of the difficulty, go back and watch the final hour of the 2024 U.S. Open. Pay attention to the lie DeChambeau had in the native area on the 18th hole before he even got to that bunker. It tells you everything you need to know about why this tournament is the hardest one to win. If you want to dive deeper, check out the USGA's official film archives of the 1990 Open—the contrast between Irwin's age and his energy is the perfect summary of what it means to be a champion.