From The Youngest Champion to The Oldest One – Top 10 Unheard Facts About the US Open Men?s Tournament

The United States Open Championship also referred to as the US Open, is the third of the four major championships in men?s golf. This extremely prestigious tournament is staged by the United States Golf Association (USGA) and was first introduced in 1895. The US Open witnesses the biggest golfers of the era go head-to-head every year to win the highly coveted title and the renowned US Open trophy.

Just like every golf tournament, the US Open also has its own fun and quirky facts. Let us get to know some of those facts.

Top 10 Fun Facts about the U.S. Open

• The US Open trophy was once burned to the ground.

It was in 1946 when Lloyd Mangrum, winner of that year’s tournament, took the trophy to the clubhouse of his home course, the Chicago-area Tam O?Shanter. Due to some unavoidable reasons and to everybody?s shock, the clubhouse was burned to the ground. Along with the clubhouse, they burned the 51-year-old historic trophy.

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• The new trophy for the US Open

After the previous trophy was burned, a new US Open trophy was designed. The current trophy is 18 inches in height and 6 inches in diameter. The trophy weighs exactly 8.5 pounds. On top of the trophy stands a winged female figure that represents victory.

• The US Open?s broadcasting era

The mid-90s to the late 90s were the broadcasting era of the historic tournament. In 1947, just a year after the horrific trophy fire, the playoff of the tournament was first televised locally in St. Louis, Missouri, where the event was taking place. That year, Lew Worsham defeated Sam Snead in a playoff.

Then, in 1954, the event was televised on the national level for the first time in history, and then, in 1977, the first two days, or 36 holes, of the event were broadcast. In 1982, for the first time, the complete tournament, including all 72 holes, was broadcast live for fans to watch from their homes.

• A triplet of albatrosses

A double eagle, commonly known as an “Albatross,” is a score of 3-under par on the golf course. In one of the four major men’s tournaments, the US Open, there have been three recorded double eagles on the course.

The double eagles were hit by the following golfers:

1. T.C. Chen on the 527-yard 2nd hole at Oakland Hills Country Club in the first round in 1985

2. Shaun Micheel on the 523-yard 6th hole at Pebble Beach Golf Links in the fourth round in 2010

3. Nick Watney on the 522-yard 17th hole at Olympic Club in the first round of 2012

• Tournament?s oldest winner

Major tournaments are the place where golfers set the most records. 1990 was one such year when 45-year-old Hale Irwin emerged victorious, becoming the oldest winner ever at the major tournament.

The history was written at Medinah Country Club in Medinah, Illinois, near Chicago. Irwin defeated Mike Donald, winning the U.S. Open for the third time; his previous wins were in 1974 and 1979. The event was sure to be remembered as it was the first time sudden death was used in a major tournament after the two tied at the 18th hole.

• The youngest winner in the US Open

The US Open is one of the most grueling tests a golfer can go through. It is a mental as well as a physical test. Despite the gruesome conditions, the event has produced one of the youngest winners in tournament history.

John McDermott was just 19 years, 9 months, and 14 days old when he emerged victorious in the 1911 US Open Club at the Chicago Golf Club. He left behind Mike Brady and George Simpson in the 18-hole playoff. Along with being the youngest winner, McDermott also became the first American-born US Open champion in the 17-year history of the tournament.

• Amateur victories in the US Open

It has been a rare sight at the US Open to witness an amateur win and lift the trophy, but still, it has happened eight times. The eight amateur victories are distributed among the five amateur golfers.

The amateur golfers to claim wins in the US Open are:

• The youngest player to ever compete in the US Open

The tournament has seen quite a few 20- and 21-year-old golfers win. But the youngest golfer ever to compete in the US Open was 14-year-old Andy Zhang, who hails from China. He competed in 2014.

• The first 16 years of the US Open

The first 16 years of the US Open were dominated by international golfers. From 1985 to 1910, the major event was only won by golfers who were not from America.

• The first-ever public course in the US Open

Since its inception in 1895, the US Open has been organized on private golf courses. But in 2002, for the first time ever, the aforementioned major tournament was played on a publicly owned golf course.

The public-owned golf course where the tournament was played was Bethpage State Park?s Black Course in Farmingdale, New York.

What are your thoughts about these lesser-known yet mind-blowing facts about the US Open? Do you have any favorites for the upcoming tournament? Let us know in the comments below.

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