U.S. Senior Open
Organized by the USGA, the U.S. Senior Open is one of the five major championships in senior golf. It was introduced in 1980 when the lower age limit was 55, but this was reduced the following year to 50 and has remained there ever since. The competition format is 72-hole stroke play over four days, with the field cut after the first two 18-hole rounds. Until 1998, playoffs were over 18 holes, the day after the final round, but they’ve since evolved into a best 2-hole aggregate score then sudden death hole-by-hole if required, immediately after regulation play concludes.
Although the U.S. Senior Open is a relatively new USGA championship, the prize awarded annually to the winner is one of the oldest. Starting in 1894, the Francis D. Ouimet Memorial Trophy was originally used for an interclub competition between the Tuxedo Club of Tuxedo Park, New York and three other invited clubs – Shinnecock Hills, Saint Andrew’s and The Country Club – which were all founding members of the USGA.
The Country Club retained possession of the trophy until the mid-1950s, when it was presented to the USGA Golf Museum for exhibition. While preparations for the inaugural U.S. Senior Open were being made, The Country Club suggested the trophy be used for the tournament and formally dedicated to Francis Ouimet, the two-time U.S. Amateur champion and winner of the U.S. Open in 1913 at Brookline.
Roberto De Vicenzo from Argentina won the inaugural contest at Winged Foot, holding off a strong challenge from amateur Bill Campbell, who won the US Amateur in 1964 and would become the USGA president two years later. The prize purse in those days was $100,000, which is c...
Organized by the USGA, the U.S. Senior Open is one of the five major championships in senior golf. It was introduced in 1980 when the lower age limit was 55, but this was reduced the following year to 50 and has remained there ever since. The competition format is 72-hole stroke play over four days, with the field cut after the first two 18-hole rounds. Until 1998, playoffs were over 18 holes, the day after the final round, but they’ve since evolved into a best 2-hole aggregate score then sudden death hole-by-hole if required, immediately after regulation play concludes.
Although the U.S. Senior Open is a relatively new USGA championship, the prize awarded annually to the winner is one of the oldest. Starting in 1894, the Francis D. Ouimet Memorial Trophy was originally used for an interclub competition between the Tuxedo Club of Tuxedo Park, New York and three other invited clubs – Shinnecock Hills, Saint Andrew’s and The Country Club – which were all founding members of the USGA.
The Country Club retained possession of the trophy until the mid-1950s, when it was presented to the USGA Golf Museum for exhibition. While preparations for the inaugural U.S. Senior Open were being made, The Country Club suggested the trophy be used for the tournament and formally dedicated to Francis Ouimet, the two-time U.S. Amateur champion and winner of the U.S. Open in 1913 at Brookline.
Roberto De Vicenzo from Argentina won the inaugural contest at Winged Foot, holding off a strong challenge from amateur Bill Campbell, who won the US Amateur in 1964 and would become the USGA president two years later. The prize purse in those days was $100,000, which is considerably less, even allowing for inflation, than the $4 million on offer by 2017.
Three in every four champions have been American and Miller Barber leads the way with most home-based victories, winning three times between 1982 and 1985. Five other golfers have each won the event twice, including Gary Player (1987, 1988) and Jack Nicklaus (1991, 1993). Both Gary Player and Bernard Langer have won the U.S. Senior Open and Senior Open titles.
Six clubs have each hosted the championship on two occasions: Broadmoor Resort in Colorado (2008, 2018); Inverness Club in Ohio (2003, 2011); Oakland Hills Country Club in Michigan (1981,1991); Salem Country Club in Massachusetts (2001, 2017), Saucon Valley Country Club in Pennsylvania (1992, 2000); and Scioto Country Club in Ohio (1986, 2016).
U.S. Senior Open host courses
Broadmoor (East)
6th
Golf arrived at the Broadmoor Resort in 1918 when Donald Ross created an 18-holer which was split in two when Robert Trent Jones Snr added two 9-hole loops, forming the East course in 1952 and the West in 1964.
Canterbury Golf Club
10th
Host to two US Opens and one PGA Championship, Canterbury Golf Club’s place in golfing history is assured. It’s not a long course but the site is delightfully undulating with rolling hills, brooks and wooded areas.
Caves Valley
3rd
Venue for the US Senior Open in 2002, the Tom Fazio-designed course at Caves Valley Golf Club sits amidst the rolling hills of Baltimore County with many of the fairways routed through attractive areas of woodland.
Cherry Hills
4th
William Flynn designed Cherry Hills in 1922 and if you do get the chance to play this famous course your driving distances will flatter to deceive. Denver is not called the Mile High city for nothing and Cherry Hills is certainly golf with altitude.
Congressional (Blue)
2nd
Founded in 1924 and officially opened by President Calvin Coolidge, the Congressional Country Club started out with a relatively straightforward 18-hole course designed by Devereux Emmet...
Crooked Stick
2nd
Crooked Stick Golf Club was one of Pete Dye’s first golf course commissions and it was constructed the year after he had spent some time in Scotland playing many of the traditional links...
Des Moines (North)
5th
Des Moines Golf & Country Club moved to its current site in 1969 when Pete Dye designed both courses, the longer and more difficult of which is the North layout.
U.S. Senior Open Leaderboard
Rank | Name | Courses Played |
---|---|---|
1 | Paul Rudovsky |
|
2 | Joseph Andriole |
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3 | James Gold |
|
= | Fergal O'Leary |
|
= | Bob McCoy |
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6 | Joshua Asher |
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7 | Mark White |
|
= | Andrew J. |
|
9 | Billy Satterfield |
|
= | David Harak |
|