The US Open Championship is a member of the four “major championships” in the PGA Tour. It is on the official schedule of both the US PGA Tour and the European Tour . It is a century old tournament with the first edition being held in 1895. The Championship is not held on any particular course, unlike the Augusta Masters, which is played at the Augusta National Golf Club, a private golf club in Augusta, Georgia, since its inception in 1934.
History of US Open Championship
- Ten professionals and one amateur took part in the inaugural US Open Championship with Horace Rawlins winning it. It was a thirty-six hole competition and was played in a single day.
- In 1911, John J McDermott became the first native-born American winner. After that American golfers have won the tournament on a regular basis.
- Since 1950, players from only four nations other than the US have won the championship.
- No European golfer has won the US Open Championship since Tony Jacklin in 1970.
- For the first time since 1910, three consecutive non-American golfers have won the Championship from 2004-06.
Geoff Ogilvy captured his first Masters title at the 2006 US Open Championship in a fiercely fought final round. Jim Furyk, Colin Montgomerie and Phil Mickelson finished joint second. The purse of the Championship was $6,800,000 with Ogilvy getting $1,225,000.
Qualification Procedure at the US Open Championship
- The US Open Championship comprises of a field of 156 golfers.
- The top 50 golfers in the Official World Golf Rankings, top 15 from previous year's European Tour and top 30 from the preceding year's PGA Tour's money list automatically qualify for the Championship. In total there are 17 exemption categories.
- Other golfers can qualify by playing in the Qualifying rounds.
- Fifteen-year-old Tadd Fujukawa became the youngest qualifier at the US Open Championship in 2006.
Tournament schedule and tickets
The 2007 US Open Championship will be held at the Oakmont Country Club from 14-17 June, 2007. If you have already applied for a ticket for the 2007 US Open Championship you will be notified by the authorities by 30 September, 2006 if your application has been selected through random drawing.
Being a part of the four Majors, the US Open Championship attracts all the top golfers around the world. If you are lucky to buy a ticket you will witness some breathtaking performance from these ace golfers. As we continue on this tour we will learn about the other tournaments in the European Tour .
