123rd U.S. Open Notebook

WHO’S HERE: Among the 156 golfers in the 2023 U.S. Open Championship, there are:

U.S. Open champions (10): Bryson DeChambeau (2020), Matt Fitzpatrick (2022), Dustin Johnson (2016), Martin Kaymer (2014), Brooks Koepka (2017, ‘18), Rory McIlroy (2011), Jon Rahm (2021), Justin Rose (2013), Jordan Spieth (2015) and Gary Woodland (2019)

U.S. Open runners-up (10): Jason Day (2011, ’13), Tommy Fleetwood (2018), Rickie Fowler (2014), Brian Harman (2017), Dustin Johnson (2015), Brooks Koepka (2019), Shane Lowry (2016), Hideki Matsuyama (2017), Phil Mickelson (1999, 2002, ’04, ’06, ’09, ’13) and Scottie Scheffler (2022)

U.S. Amateur champions (6): Sam Bennett (2022), Bryson DeChambeau (2015), Matt Fitzpatrick (2013), Viktor Hovland (2018), Matt Kuchar (1997) and Phil Mickelson (1990)

U.S. Amateur runners-up (4): Patrick Cantlay (2011), Ben Carr (2022), Corey Conners (2014) and Luke List (2004)

U.S. Junior Amateur champions (8): Wenyi Ding (2022), Nick Dunlap (2021), Brian Harman (2003), Min Woo Lee (2016), Scottie Scheffler (2013), Jordan Spieth (2009, ’11), Preston Summerhays (2019) and Michael Thorbjornsen (2018)

U.S. Junior Amateur runners-up (2): Ryan Armour (1993) and Justin Thomas (2010)

U.S. Senior Open champions (1): Padraig Harrington (2022)

U.S. Mid-Amateur champions (1): Matthew McClean (2022)

U.S. Amateur Four-Ball champions (1): Frankie Capan (2017)

U.S. Amateur Public Links runners-up (2): Michael Kim (2013) and Nick Taylor (2009)

USGA champions (24): Sam Bennett (2022 U.S. Amateur), Frankie Capan (2017 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball), Bryson DeChambeau (2015 U.S. Amateur, 2020 U.S. Open), Wenyi Ding (2022 U.S. Junior Amateur), Nick Dunlap (2021 U.S. Junior Amateur), Matt Fitzpatrick (2013 U.S. Amateur, 2022 U.S. Open), Brian Harman (2003 U.S. Junior Amateur), Padraig Harrington (2022 U.S. Senior Open), Viktor Hovland (2018 U.S. Amateur), Dustin Johnson (2016 U.S. Open), Martin Kaymer (2014 U.S. Open), Brooks Koepka (2017, ’18 U.S. Open), Matt Kuchar (1997 U.S. Amateur), Min Woo Lee (2016 U.S. Junior Amateur), Matthew McClean (2022 U.S. Mid-Amateur), Rory McIlroy (2011 U.S. Open), Phil Mickelson (1990 U.S. Amateur), Jon Rahm (2021 U.S. Open), Justin Rose (2013 U.S. Open), Scottie Scheffler (2013 U.S. Junior Amateur), Jordan Spieth (2009, ’11 U.S. Junior Amateurs, 2015 U.S. Open), Preston Summerhays (2019 U.S. Junior Amateur), Michael Thorbjornsen (2018 U.S. Junior Amateur) and Gary Woodland (2019 U.S. Open)

Walker Cup Team members:

United States (21): Patrick Cantlay (2011), Bryson DeChambeau (2015), Austin Eckroat (2021), Harris English (2011), Rickie Fowler (2007, ’09), Brian Harman (2005, ’09), Russell Henley (2011), Max Homa (2013), Billy Horschel (2007), Dustin Johnson (2007), Michael Kim (2013), Chris Kirk (2007), Matt Kuchar (1999), Denny McCarthy (2015), Phil Mickelson (1989, ’91), Collin Morikawa (2017), Patrick Rodgers (2011, ’13), Scottie Scheffler (2017), Jordan Spieth (2011), Justin Thomas (2013) and Davis Thompson (2021)

Great Britain and Ireland (8): Barclay Brown (2021), Matt Fitzpatrick (2013), Tommy Fleetwood (2009), Padraig Harrington (1991, ’93, ’95), David Horsey (2007), Rory McIlroy (2007), Justin Rose (1997) and Jordan Smith (2013)

NCAA Division I champions (6): Bryson DeChambeau (2015), Max Homa (2013), Phil Mickelson (1989, ’90, ’92), Thomas Pieters (2012), Gordon Sargent (2022) and Aaron Wise (2016)

World Amateur Team Championship competitors (48): Paul Barjon (2012, France), Corey Conners (2012, 2014, Canada), Cameron Davis (2016, Australia), Bryson DeChambeau (2014, USA), Alejandro del Rey (2018, Spain), a-Wenyi Ding (2022, People’s Republic of China), Nicolas Echavarria (2016, Colombia), a-Mateo Fernandez de Oliveira (2018, 2022, Argentina), Rickie Fowler (2008, USA), Ryan Fox (2010, New Zealand), Sergio Garcia (1996, 1998, Spain), Lucas Herbert (2014, Australia), Billy Horschel (2008, USA), Viktor Hovland (2016, 2018, Norway), Mackenzie Hughes (2012, Canada), Martin Kaymer (2004, Germany), Si Woo Kim (2012, Republic of Korea), Matt Kuchar (1998, USA), Min Woo Lee (2018, Australia), Shane Lowry (2008, Ireland), Hideki Matsuyama (2008, 2012 Japan), Denny McCarthy (2014, USA), Rory McIlroy (2006, Ireland), Adrian Meronk (2012, 2014, 2016, Poland), Phil Mickelson (1990, USA), Francesco Molinari (2002, 2004, Italy), Collin Morikawa (2018, USA), Joaquin Niemann (2016, Chile), Wilco Nienaber (2018, South Africa), Alex Noren (2004, Sweden), Carlos Ortiz (2010, 2012, Mexico), Taylor Pendrith (2014, Canada), Guillermo Mito Pereira (2014, Chile), Victor Perez (2014, France), Thomas Pieters (2010, 2012, Belgium), a-Aldrich Potgieter (2022, South Africa), David Puig (2022, Spain), Jon Rahm (2014, Spain), a-Gordon Sargent (2022 USA), Scottie Scheffler (2016, USA), Cameron Smith (2012, Australia), Justin Suh (2018, USA), Adam Svensson (2014, Canada), Nick Taylor (2008, Canada), Justin Thomas (2012, USA), a-Michael Thorbjornsen (2022, USA), a-Alexander Yang (2022, Hong Kong, China)

TOTAL U.S. OPENS WON BY 2023 CHAMPIONSHIP FIELD (11): Martin Kaymer (1), Brooks Koepka (2); Bryson DeChambeau (1), Matt Fitzpatrick (1), Dustin Johnson (1), Rory McIlroy (1), Jon Rahm (1), Justin Rose (1), Jordan Spieth (1) and Gary Woodland (1)

PLAYERS IN FIELD WITH MOST U.S. OPEN APPEARANCES (through 2022): Phil Mickelson (31), Sergio Garcia (23), Stewart Cink (22), Adam Scott (21), Matt Kuchar (19), Justin Rose (17) and Padraig Harrington (16)

ACTIVE CONSECUTIVE U.S. OPEN APPEARANCES (through 2022): Sergio Garcia (23), Adam Scott (21), Dustin Johnson (15) and Rory McIlroy (14)

CHAMPIONSHIP FIELD – The USGA accepted 10,187 entries, the highest total in U.S. Open history. The number eclipses the total of 10,127 entries for 2014 at Pinehurst No. 2. It is the 11th consecutive time and the 14th time overall that entries have surpassed the 9,000 mark, and just the second time entries have exceeded 10,000. The USGA accepted entries for the 2023 U.S. Open from golfers in all 50 states, including 1,282 from host state California, as well as Puerto Rico, the District of Columbia and 87 foreign countries.

The 156-player field includes 89 fully exempt golfers, 10 of whom are champions. Local qualifying, conducted over 18 holes, was held at 109 sites between April 17-May 22. Final qualifying, played over 36 holes, was conducted at 13 sites, 10 of them in the United States; in Texas on May 22 and in California, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, New York, North Carolina, Ohio (Columbus & Springfield) and Washington on June 5. England (May 16), Japan (May 22) and Canada (June 5) hosted international final qualifying.

History of U.S. Open Championship Entries

AMATEURS – Nineteen amateurs have made the 156-player field. Ben Carr, the 2022 U.S. Amateur runner-up, and Aldrich Potgieter, who won the 2022 R&A Amateur Championship, are in this group.

Carr, of Columbus, Ga., lost to Sam Bennett, 1 up, in last year’s U.S. Amateur 36-hole final at The Ridgewood Country Club, in Paramus, N.J. Carr, a four-time all-conference selection, was chosen Sun Belt Conference Golfer of Year as a fifth-year senior at Georgia Southern University in 2022-23.

Potgieter, of South Africa, won the 127th Amateur Championship at Royal Lytham and St. Annes, defeating Sam Bairstow, 3 and 2. He became the second-youngest winner in the championship’s history, as only Matteo Manassero was younger when the Italian was victorious at age 16 in 2009. Potgieter won this year’s Junior Invitational at Sage Valley and recorded a wire-to-wire victory.

Mateo Fernandez de Oliveira, of Argentina, is the first Latin America Amateur champion to earn a full exemption into the U.S. Open. He established a 72-hole championship record at 23-under 265 with his victory earlier this year, breaking Joaquin Niemann’s mark of 273 set in 2018. He earned All-America and All-SEC recognition while playing at the University of Arkansas.

Matthew McClean, of Northern Ireland, defeated Hugh Foley, 3 and 1, to win the 2022 U.S. Mid-Amateur title at Erin Hills, in his first USGA championship start. Last year, the self-employed optometrist finished second in the Irish Men’s Amateur Open and was third in the Brabazon Trophy.

Gordon Sargent, of Birmingham, Ala., won the 2022 NCAA Championship as a freshman at Vanderbilt University. He joined an elite group of players to accomplish that distinction, including Ben Crenshaw, Curtis Strange and Phil Mickelson. He was voted SEC Player of the Year as a sophomore in 2022-23.

This group of amateurs also includes four players who have won the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship: Michael Thorbjornsen (2018), Preston Summerhays (2019), Nick Dunlap (2021) and Wenyi Ding (2022).

Christian Cavaliere, of Katonah, N.Y., played at Boston College but decided not to turn professional and instead founded a sports accessory company. He competed in his fourth U.S. Amateur last year.

Bastien Amat (New Mexico), Michael Brennan (Wake Forest), Barclay Brown (Stanford), Maxwell Moldovan (Ohio State), Omar Morales (UCLA), Isaac Simmons (Liberty), Brendan Valdes (Auburn), Karl Vilips (Stanford) and Alexander Yang (Stanford) are all college golfers.

Note: Fifteen amateurs played in last year’s U.S. Open at The Country Club. Four amateurs made the 36-hole cut for the second time since 2019. John Goodman was the last amateur to win the championship, in 1933.

Amateurs in Recent U.S. Opens

LOCAL-FINAL QUALIFIERS – Andrew Svoboda, 43, of Milford Conn., and Kyle Mueller, 27, of Athens, Ga., are among 19 U.S. Open competitors who advanced through both local and final qualifying. Svoboda is competing in his fifth U.S. Open, while Mueller is in the field for a second time.

Svoboda, who owns 10 professional victories, including three on the Korn Ferry Tour, also advanced through both stages of qualifying in 2006 when he played in his first U.S. Open at Winged Foot Golf Club. He won the 2001 Big East Conference title while playing at St. John’s University.

Mueller, who competed on PGA Tour Canada last year, also moved through both local and final qualifying to the 2016 U.S. Open as an amateur. Mueller, who played in three U.S. Amateurs, earned All-America and All-Big Ten Conference honors at the University of Michigan.

Olin Browne Jr., of Hobe Sound, Fla., will play in his first U.S. Open at age 34 after earning medalist in the Columbus, Ohio, final qualifier. Browne Jr., who played at Pepperdine University, has lately been competing on the Minor League Golf Tour. His father, Olin, the 2011 U.S. Senior Open champion, played in 12 U.S. Opens, with his best finish a tie for fifth in 1997.

Corey Pereira, 28, of Cameron Park, Calif., is another first-time U.S. Open competitor, but he has not played much golf this year. He has spent time with his girlfriend, Leah Bertucelli, who is battling cancer. Pereira, who played at the University of Washington, made a 15-foot par putt on his final hole, the 9th at Brookside Golf & Country Club, to advance from final qualifying in Columbus, Ohio.

Austen Truslow, a 27-year-old mini-tour player from New Smyrna Beach, Fla., used an unorthodox chipping technique to earn medalist at 5-under 135 in the Boynton Beach, Fla., final qualifier. Truslow, who last played a full season on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2020, employs a one-handed move with his wedge around the greens. He also has recently recovered from two left-wrist surgeries.

JJ Grey, 29, of England, used the memory of a close friend to fuel his run to the U.S. Open. Grey carded rounds of 64 and 69 at Hawks Ridge Golf Club, in Ball Ground, Ga., in final qualifying. He lost Sam Asbury to suicide in 2020. The two had met six years earlier as amateurs and then played together at Georgia State University. Grey promotes the Samuel L. Asbury Foundation for suicide prevention and awareness on his golf bag and initials his golf balls with “SF.”

Frankie Capan, 23, of North Oaks, Minn., is a USGA champion. He and Shuai Ming Wong won the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball title at Pinehurst Resort & Country Club in 2017. Capan was medalist in the Austin, Texas, local qualifier on May 4. Five days earlier he recorded his best finish on the Korn Ferry Tour this season when he tied for third at the HomeTown Lenders Championship. He then went on to tie for sixth, his second-best result on the tour, in the UNC Health Championship the day before he earned one of five spots in the Durham, N.C., final qualifier on June 5.

A total of 16 players worked their way to the U.S. Open through local and final qualifying in 2022. Chris Gotterup was one of three players to make the 36-hole cut and went on to tie for 43rd at The Country Club.

In 2023, there were 109 local qualifying sites that led to 13 final qualifiers, including international sites in England, Canada and Japan. Ken Venturi (1964) and Orville Moody (1969) are the only players to win the U.S. Open after qualifying through both local and final play. Gene Littler (1961), Julius Boros (1963), Jerry Pate (1976), Steve Jones (1996), Michael Campbell (2005) and Lucas Glover (2009) have won as final qualifiers.

2023 Local-Final Qualifiers (20)

Name                                         Final Site                                   Local Site

a-Bastien Amat                            Lakewood, Wash.                      Albuquerque, N.M.

Olin Browne Jr.                         Columbus, Ohio                        Palm City, Fla.

Frankie Capan                          Durham, N.C.                            Austin, Texas

a-Christian Cavaliere                 Summit, N.J.                             Haworth, N.J.

Patrick Cover                            Durham, N.C.                            Springfield, Pa.

JJ Grey                                     Ball Ground, Ga.                       Stockbridge, Ga.

Jordan Gumberg                       England                                    West Palm Beach, Fla.
a-Omar Morales                        Los Angeles, Calif.                    Palm Desert, Calif.

Kyle Mueller                              Ball Ground, Ga.                       Sylvania, Ohio

David Nyfjall                             Columbus, Ohio                         Grayslake, Ill.

Corey Pereira                            Columbus, Ohio                         Mesquite, Nev.

David Puig                                Los Angeles, Calif.                    Maricopa, Ariz.

Alex Schaake                            Springfield, Ohio                        Omaha, Neb.

Jesse Schutte                           Lakewood, Wash.                      Lake Oswego, Ore.

a-Isaac Simmons                      Rockville, Md.                           Ijamsville, Md.

Jacob Solomon                         Dallas, Texas                            Beaufort, S.C.

Andrew Svoboda                       Summit, N.J.                             Gladstone, N.J.

Austen Truslow                         Boynton Beach, Fla.                  Lakewood Ranch, Fla.

a-Brendan Valdes                      Boynton Beach, Fla.                  Lakewood Ranch, Fla.

a-Alexander Yang                      Lakewood, Wash.                      Lake Oswego, Ore.           

a-amateur

Recent History of Local & Final Qualifiers

Oldest Local-Final Qualifiers (1997-2023)

57, Fran Quinn (2022) – b. 3-11-65
52, Wes Short Jr. (2016) – b. 12-4-63
49, Mark McCormick (2012) – b. 12-14-62
49, Ken Peyre-Ferry (1998) – b. 3-4-49
49, Fran Quinn (2014) – b. 3-11-65
49, Jim White (1999) – b. 4-16-50
48, Darrell Kestner (2002)
48, Gary Koch (2001)
48, Geoffrey Sisk (2013)
47, Steve Allan (2021)
47, Andy Bean (2000)
47, Robert Gaus (2008)
47, Brandt Jobe (2013)
47, Andrew Morse (2006)
47, Paul Simson (1998)
46, Joe Daley (2007)
46, Darrell Kestner (2000)
46, Dick Mast (1997)
46, John Nieporte (2013)
46, Jerry Smith (2010)

Youngest Local-Final Qualifiers (1997-2023)

14, Andy Zhang (2012) – b. 12-14-97
15, Tadd Fujikawa (2006) – b. 1-8-91
15, Cole Hammer (2015) – b. 8-28-99
16, Tom Glissmeyer (2003)
16, Beau Hossler (2011)
16, Derek Tolan (2002)
16, Will Grimmer (2014)
17, Beau Hossler (2012)
17, Alberto Sanchez (2012)
18, Mason Andersen (2017)
18, Maverick McNealy (2014)
18, Robby Shelton (2014)
18, Gavin Hall (2013)
18, Luke List (2003)
18, Jason Semelsberger (1997)

ABOUT THE LOS ANGELES COUNTRY CLUB

In 1897, a group calling itself the Los Angeles Golf Club, led by Joseph Sartori and Edward Tufts, organized an association to further the cause of one of Southern California’s newest sports. After outgrowing three locations and years of planning, the club bordering Beverly Hills officially opened on May 30, 1911. Its stately clubhouse, tennis courts and golf courses have served as the club’s home ever since. The original 18-hole golf course was laid out by Sartori, Tufts, Norman Macbeth and Charles Orr.

In 1921, British golf architect W. Herbert Fowler created two new 18-hole courses at the existing location to address the increasing popularity of the game of golf and The Los Angeles Country Club. In the late 1920s, legendary golf course architect and club member George C. Thomas Jr. redesigned the North Course, later called by many his greatest design. In 2010, the North Course was unveiled after a five-year project led by noted architect Gil Hanse restored Thomas’ 1928 layout. Balancing the unique architectural vision of the North Course and the functionality necessary to sustain its design well into the future, Hanse achieved what Thomas himself envisioned when he said: “In golf course construction, art and utility meet. Both are absolutely vital; one is utterly ruined without the other.” Archived photos, written documents and physical unearthing of landforms provided the framework for a finished product that reflects the past. 

In March 2015, the club undertook a significant 16-month renovation of the historic 106-year-old clubhouse (designed by architect and club member Sumner Hunt) to restore its original grandeur. The reopening in August 2016 included the rededication of the Reagan Terrace in honor of Ronald Reagan, the 40th president of the United States and a member of The Los Angeles Country Club.

In late 2015, Hanse began a renovation of the club’s South Course, designed to provide a different but complementary experience to the North Course. The South Course reopened in July 2016. 

USGA CHAMPIONSHIPS AT LACC

1930 U.S. Women’s Amateur: Glenna Collett (Vare) def. Virginia Van Wie, 6 and 5
1954 U.S. Junior Amateur: Foster Bradley def. Al Geiberger, 3 and 1
2017 Walker Cup: USA def. Great Britain & Ireland, 19-7

OTHER EVENTS AT LACC

1926 Los Angeles Open: Harry Cooper by three strokes over George Von Elm, 279-282
1934 Los Angeles Open: Macdonald Smith by eight strokes over Willie Hunter, Bill Mehlhorn, 280-288
1935 Los Angeles Open: Vic Ghezzi def. Johnny Revolta, 285 (73) – 285 (75)
1936 Los Angeles Open: Jimmy Hines by four strokes over Henry Picard, Jimmy Thomson, 280-284
1940 Los Angeles Open: Lawson Little by one stroke over Clayton Heafner, 282-283

1948 U.S. OPEN

Ben Hogan won the first of his four U.S. Opens with a 72-hole score of 276 (8 under par), two strokes better than Jimmy Demaret, at The Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, Calif. Hogan shot 68-69 on the final day to smash Ralph Guldahl’s championship scoring mark set in 1937 by five shots, and his three rounds in the 60s were a first in U.S. Open competition. In a little more than one year, Hogan won the 1947 and 1948 Los Angeles Opens and the U.S. Open at Riviera, earning the course – like Los Angeles Country Club’s North Course, a George C. Thomas Jr. design – the nickname “Hogan’s Alley.”

USGA CHAMPIONSHIPS IN CALIFORNIA

This will be the 86th USGA championship played in California and the 15th U.S. Open contested in the state. In 2023, the U.S. Women’s Open will be played at Pebble Beach (Calif.) Golf Links (July 6-9), the U.S. Women’s Amateur will be held at Bel-Air Country Club, in Los Angeles (Aug. 7-13), and the U.S. Senior Amateur will be contested at Martis Camp Club, in Truckee (Aug. 26-31).

Recent USGA Championships in California

2017 U.S. Women’s Amateur, San Diego Country Club, Chula Vista (Sophia Schubert)
2017 U.S. Amateur, The Riviera Country Club, Pacific Palisades (Doc Redman)
2017 Walker Cup Match, The Los Angeles Country Club, Los Angeles (USA)
2018 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball, El Caballero Country Club, Tarzana (Katrina Prendergast and Ellen Secor)
2018 U.S. Girls’ Junior, Poppy Hills Golf Course, Pebble Beach (Yealimi Noh)
2018 U.S. Amateur, Pebble Beach Golf Links, Pebble Beach (Viktor Hovland)
2019 U.S. Open, Pebble Beach Golf Links, Pebble Beach (Gary Woodland)
2021 U.S. Women’s Open, The Olympic Club (Lake Course), San Francisco (Yuka Saso)
2021 U.S. Open, Torrey Pines Golf Course (South Course), San Diego (Jon Rahm)

U.S. Open Championships in California (14):

1948: The Riviera Country Club, Pacific Palisades (Ben Hogan)
1955: The Olympic Club (Lake Course), San Francisco (Jack Fleck)
1966: The Olympic Club (Lake Course), San Francisco (Billy Casper)
1972: Pebble Beach Golf Links, Pebble Beach (Jack Nicklaus)
1982: Pebble Beach Golf Links, Pebble Beach (Tom Watson)
1987: The Olympic Club (Lake Course), San Francisco (Scott Simpson)
1992: Pebble Beach Golf Links, Pebble Beach (Tom Kite)
1998: The Olympic Club (Lake Course), San Francisco (Lee Janzen)
2000: Pebble Beach Golf Links, Pebble Beach (Tiger Woods)
2008: Torrey Pines Golf Course (South Course), San Diego (Tiger Woods)
2010: Pebble Beach Golf Links, Pebble Beach (Graeme McDowell)
2012: The Olympic Club (Lake Course), San Francisco (Webb Simpson)
2019: Pebble Beach Golf Links, Pebble Beach (Gary Woodland)
2021: Torrey Pines Golf Course (South Course), San Diego (Jon Rahm)

2023 U.S. Open Players Who Competed in 2017 Walker Cup Match (2): Collin Morikawa, Scottie Scheffler

PAST U.S. OPEN CHAMPIONS – Brooks Koepka became the seventh player to repeat as U.S. Open champion in 2018 at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club. Koepka also won at Erin Hills the previous year. Curtis Strange was the last before Koepka to win consecutive U.S. Opens in 1988 and 1989. Other champions who won back-to-back titles are John J. McDermott (1911, ’12), a-Bob Jones (1929, ’30), Ralph Guldahl (1937, ’38) and Ben Hogan (1950, ’51). Willie Anderson won three consecutive U.S. Open titles, from 1903-05.

In Defense of the U.S. Open

WHAT THE CHAMPION RECEIVES

Among the benefits enjoyed by the U.S. Open champion are:

►A U.S. Open exemption for the next 10 years
►An invitation to the next five Masters Tournaments
►An invitation to the next five Open Championships, conducted by The R&A
►An invitation to the next five PGA Championships
►An invitation to the next five Players Championships
►Exempt status on the PGA Tour for five years
►Custody of U.S. Open Trophy for one year, Jack Nicklaus Medal and a replica trophy

QUALIFYING FOR THE OTHER MAJORS       

The top 10 finishers (and ties) are exempt into next year’s U.S. Open. The top four finishers (and ties) are invited to the following year’s (2024) Masters Tournament.

CHAMPIONSHIP TROPHY

The first United States Open Championship was won by Horace Rawlins in September 1895, at Newport (R.I.) Golf Club. Rawlins earned $150, a gold champion’s medal, and possession of the championship sterling silver cup for one year. The trophy was designated for display at Rawlins’ club until it was presented to the next year’s champion. Thus began a perennial rite that has endured for more than a century.

The original two-handled cup was destroyed by fire in September 1946 at Lloyd Mangrum’s home club, Tam O’Shanter, outside of Chicago. The USGA considered replacing it with a new design but opted instead to preserve the look of the original with a full-scale replica on April 24, 1947. This replica remained in service, passed from champion to champion until 1986, when it was permanently retired to the USGA Museum. Today, the U.S. Open champion receives possession of the 1986 full-scale replica.

The U.S. Open Trophy that debuted in 1947 is on display at the USGA Golf Museum in Liberty Corner, N.J.

MAJOR CHAMPIONSHIP VICTORY LEADERS – Jack Nicklaus is first among the all-time major championship victory leaders with 18 major professional titles, including four U.S. Opens. Tiger Woods is second with 15 major professional championships and has won three U.S. Opens.

PAST MAJOR CHAMPIONS – Brooks Koepka posted a two-stroke victory over Viktor Hovland and Scottie Scheffler in this year’s PGA Championship to win his fifth major professional title. Koepka had previously won two U.S. Opens (2017, 2018) and two PGAs (2018, 2019). Jon Rahm won the 2023 Masters Tournament, his second major triumph. Since 2020, Koepka, Rahm and Collin Morikawa are the only players to have won multiple majors.

Winners of Previous Major Championships

OPEN ECONOMICS – Matt Fitzpatrick, the 2022 U.S. Open champion, earned $3.15 million from a purse of $17.5 million last year at The Country Club, in Brookline, Mass. In 1998, Lee Janzen received $535,000 from a purse of $3 million at The Olympic Club, in San Francisco. Ben Hogan’s winning share in 1948 was $2,000 from a purse of $10,000 in the U.S. Open at The Riviera Country Club, in Pacific Palisades, Calif. The 2023 purse will be announced on Wednesday.

OPEN BIRTHDAYS – Seven players in the U.S. Open field will celebrate a birthday around the championship. Dustin Johnson, the 2016 U.S. Open champion, and Scottie Scheffler, the 2022 Masters winner and 2013 U.S. Junior Amateur champion, are among this group.

2023 U.S. Open Competitor

Name                                                   Birthdate                       Age (on birthday)

Eric Cole                                               6-12-88                         35

Justin Suh                                             6-12-97                         26

Phil Mickelson                                       6-16-70                         53

Tom (Joohyung) Kim                             6-21-02                         20

Matt Kuchar                                          6-21-78                         45

Scottie Scheffler                                    6-21-96                         27

Aaron Wise                                           6-21-96                         27

Dustin Johnson                                     6-22-84                         39

OLDEST & YOUNGEST – Phil Mickelson turns 53 on June 16, the day of the championship’s second round, and is the oldest player in this year’s U.S. Open field. He is a six-time U.S. Open runner-up. Padraig Harrington, who is 51, won last year’s U.S. Senior Open. Wenyi Ding, the 2022 U.S. Junior Amateur champion, is the youngest at age 18 (born Nov. 19, 2004).

FIELD FOR THE AGES – There are 13 players in the 2023 U.S. Open field who will be 21 years old or younger when the first round begins on Thursday, June 15. Three U.S. Junior Amateur champions are among that group, including Michael Thorbjornsen (2018), Preston Summerhays (2019) and Nick Dunlap (2021).

There are 16 players in the field who are 40 or older, including seven major professional champions. Phil Mickelson, 53, has captured six major titles, while Padraig Harrington, 52, has won three. Justin Rose, 42, won the 2013 U.S. Open at Merion Golf Club. Stewart Cink, 50, and Francesco Molinari, 40, won the Open Championship in 2009 and 2018, respectively. Adam Scott, 42, and Sergio Garcia, 43, were Masters Tournament champions in 2013 and 2017, respectively.

The average age of the 156-player field is 30.39.

INTERNATIONAL GROUP – There are 26 countries represented in the 2023 U.S. Open. The United States has 81 players in the field, while England has 9 and Australia and Canada each have 7.

Countries with players in the field – United States (81), England (9), Australia (7), Canada (7), France (5), Republic of Korea (5), Spain (5), Sweden (5), Japan (4), South Africa (4), Republic of Ireland (3), Mexico (3), Argentina (2), Colombia (2), Chile (2), Northern Ireland (2), Austria (1), Belgium (1), People’s Republic of China (1), Germany (1), Italy (1), Hong Kong/China (1), New Zealand (1), Norway (1), Poland (1) and Thailand (1)

RETURNEES FROM 2022 – Matt Fitzpatrick, the defending U.S. Open champion, is one of 75 players in this year’s field who competed in the 2022 U.S. Open at The Country Club, in Brookline, Mass. Fitzpatrick is also among the last 10 major professional champions returning, including Brooks Koepka (2023 PGA), Jon Rahm (2023 Masters, 2021 U.S. Open), Cameron Smith (2022 Open), Justin Thomas (2022 PGA), Scottie Scheffler (2022 Masters), Collin Morikawa (2021 Open, 2020 PGA), Phil Mickelson (2021 PGA), Hideki Matsuyama (2021 Masters), Dustin Johnson (2020 Masters) and Bryson DeChambeau (2020 U.S. Open).

FIRST TIME AT THE U.S. OPEN – There are 47 players in the 2023 championship field who are playing in their first U.S. Open. Taylor Moore (Valspar Championship), Nicolas Echavarria (Puerto Rico Open) and Adam Svensson (2022 RSM Classic) each registered their first career PGA Tour wins in 2022-23. Cameron Davis (2021 Rocket Mortgage Classic) and Ryan Armour (2017 Sanderson Championship) have also posted PGA Tour victories. Thriston Lawrence and Simon Forsstrom have each won on the DP World Tour this season. Carson Young, who won the Korn Ferry Tour’s 2022 Panama Championship, posted the second-lowest 36-hole U.S. Open final qualifying score at the Dallas, Texas site on May 22. His 125 total (63-62) is bettered only by Stewart Cink, who shot 123 (62-61) in Columbus, Ohio in 2003.

List of First-Time U.S. Open Players (47): a-Bastien Amat, Ryan Armour, a-Michael Brennan, a-Barclay Brown, Olin Browne Jr., Frankie Capan, a-Ben Carr, a-Christian Cavaliere, Gunn Charoenkul, Patrick Cover, Jens Dantorp, Cameron Davis, Alejandro del Rey, a-Wenyi Ding, Nicolas Echavarria, a-Mateo Fernandez de Oliveira, Simon Forsstrom, Deon Germishuys, Brent Grant, JJ Grey, Jordan Gumberg, Paul Haley, Berry Henson, Yuto Katsuragawa, Thriston Lawrence, Hank Lebioda, a-Matthew McClean, McClure Meissner, Taylor Moore, a-Omar Morales, Ryutaro Nagano, Vincent Norrman, David Nyfjall, Corey Pereira, a-Aldrich Potgieter, David Puig, a-Gordon Sargent, Alex Schaake, Jesse Schutte, a-Isaac Simmons, Jacob Solomon, Adam Svensson, Austen Truslow, a-Brendan Valdes, a-Karl Vilips, a-Alexander Yang, Carson Young

LOCAL KNOWLEDGE I – Omar Morales has toured The Los Angeles Country Club as a college golfer. UCLA considers LACC one of its home courses and the Westwood campus is just a mile from this year’s U.S. Open venue. Morales was the medalist in final qualifying with a pair of 65s at nearby Hillcrest Country Club, another course he has played many times. The sophomore led the Bruins with a 72.2 scoring average, won the El Macero Classic on April 16, and played in his first PGA Tour event 11 days later, the Mexico Open at Vidanta. Morales will hit the first ball of the 123rd edition of the U.S. Open when he starts from the first tee at 6:45 a.m. PDT on Thursday.

WANT A RIDE? – Berry Henson, of Rancho Mirage, Calif., will strike the first ball from the 10th tee at 6:45 a.m. PDT on Thursday. What a journey Henson has been on since the 43-year-old grew up in Palm Desert, 120 miles south of Los Angeles. He is an Uber driver who on a normal day provides two to four rides. Henson, who has competed on the Asian Tour and failed to advance from PGA Tour Q-School seven times, became a driver following a wrist injury. He played his college golf at the University of San Diego, from 1998-2003, and won the Asian Tour’s Philippine Open in 2011. Henson carded rounds of 64 and 71 at Canoe Brook Country Club to advance from the Summit, N.J., final qualifier on June 5.

LOCAL KNOWLEDGE II – Collin Morikawa, Scottie Scheffler and Max Homa are familiar with the surroundings of the North Course at The Los Angeles Country Club. Morikawa and Scheffler were members of the victorious 2017 USA Walker Cup Team that defeated Great Britain and Ireland, 19-7, at LACC. Morikawa, from nearby La Canada High School, registered a 4-0 record in foursomes and singles. He and Scheffler helped close out the convincing result with singles victories on the final day. Morikawa recorded a 2-and-1 triumph over Harry Ellis, while Scheffler garnered a 1-up victory over Connor Syme. Homa, who is a graduate of Valencia High School, won the 2013 Pac-12 Conference Championship at LACC, posting a course-record 61 in the first round. The threesome will play together in the first two rounds of the 2023 U.S. Open. The group starts from the first tee at 8:13 a.m. PDT on Thursday and from the 10th hole at 1:43 p.m. PDT on Friday.

TRADITIONAL GROUPING – Defending U.S. Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick, 2022 Open Championship winner Cameron Smith and 2022 U.S. Amateur champion Sam Bennett will form a traditional grouping for the opening two rounds. Fitzpatrick won last year at The Country Club by one stroke over Scottie Scheffler and Will Zalatoris with a four-round total of 274 (6 under par). Smith captured the 150th Open Championship, conducted by The R&A, by one stroke over Cameron Young at St. Andrews. Bennett defeated Ben Carr, 1 up, in the U.S. Amateur final at The Ridgewood Country Club, in Paramus, N.J. The grouping will tee off in Thursday’s opening round from the first hole at 1:32 p.m. PDT and from the 10th hole at 8:02 a.m. PDT on Friday.

MAJOR GROUPS – Brooks Koepka, who won the 2017 and 2018 U.S. Opens, Rory McIlroy, the 2011 U.S. Open champion, and Hideki Matsuyama, the 2021 Masters winner, will play together in the first two rounds. The group starts from the first hole on Thursday at 1:54 p.m. PDT. Koepka has also captured three PGA Championships (2018, 2019, 2023). McIlroy also won the 2014 Open Championship and 2012 and 2014 PGA Championships. Padraig Harrington, the 2022 U.S. Senior Open champion, will play with Phil Mickelson, who has won six professional majors and is a six-time U.S. Open runner-up, and Keegan Bradley, the 2011 PGA champion. Harrington claimed three professional major titles. The group is scheduled to start from the 10th hole on Thursday at 12:59 p.m. PDT.

Major Championship Groupings

Hole #1 (Thursday, 1:54 p.m.) – Brooks Koepka, Hideki Matsuyama, Rory McIlroy
Hole #10 (Thursday, 12:59 p.m.) – Phil Mickelson, Padraig Harrington, Keegan Bradley

CINK QUALIFIES – Stewart Cink became the first player since 2016 who was fully exempt into the U.S. Senior Open and then qualified for the U.S. Open. The 50-year-old advanced to his 23rd U.S. Open after qualifying with rounds of 68 and 67 in Columbus, Ohio. His best finish was a tie for third in 2001 at Southern Hills. Cink, who won eight PGA Tour events, defeated Tom Watson in a playoff to win the 2009 Open Championship at Turnberry. Wes Short Jr. was the last player to accomplish the same feat and he also came through the Columbus final qualifier.

ALMA MATER – Brian Harman, the co-runner-up in the 2017 U.S. Open at Erin Hills, leads a group of seven University of Georgia alumni who are in the 2023 U.S. Open field. Arizona State University, with 2021 U.S. Open champion Jon Rahm, Oklahoma State University and Stanford University each have five players competing. Four players on the current Cardinal team are among that group.

Colleges with Most Players in 2023 U.S. Open

7, Georgia (H. English, B. Harman, R. Henley, C. Kirk, K. Mitchell, S. Straka, D. Thompson)
5, Arizona State (A. del Rey, P. Mickelson, D. Puig, J. Rahm, P. Summerhays)
5, Oklahoma State (A. Eckroat, R. Fowler, V. Hovland, A. Noren, S. Stevens)
5, Stanford (B. Brown, P. Rodgers, M. Thorbjornsen, K. Vilips, A. Yang)
4, UNLV (C. Hoffman, K. Kitayama, T. Montgomery, A. Scott)

LAST ONES IN – The final two spots in the U.S. Open field were filled by first alternates from final qualifying.

Michael Kim, 29, of the Republic of Korea, was the first alternate from the Dallas, Texas, final qualifier on May 22. He is competing in his second U.S. Open, but has not played since 2013 when he tied for 17th and was low amateur at Merion Golf Club. Kim, who won the PGA Tour’s John Deere Classic in 2018, was a member of the winning 2013 USA Walker Cup Team and received the Jack Nicklaus Award as Division I’s top player while competing at the University of California-Berkeley. He was raised in San Diego, Calif., and attended Torrey Pines High School.

Maxwell Moldovan is playing in the U.S. Open for the second consecutive year. The 21-year-old from Uniontown, Ohio, was the first alternate from the Springfield, Ohio qualifier on June 5. Moldovan, an All-America and All-Big Ten Conference selection at Ohio State University, won three tournaments – the Nexus Collegiate, Southern Invitational and Robert Kepler Invitational – as a junior in 2022-23. He has competed in six USGA championships, including four U.S. Amateurs.

FUN FACTS

Grandstands

5,886 grandstand seats
2,200 premium suite level seats

Merchandise

Main merchandise pavilion totals 26,000 square feet (on South Course)
Satellite merchandise tent totals 9,300 square feet (on North Course)
More than 400,000 pieces of on-site merchandise available
Up to 90,000 expected transactions

Volunteers

3,347 volunteers on 16 committees
72 percent from California
47 U.S. states
19 countries

First-Aid Volunteers

60 volunteers, including 13 physicians

Broadcast

Available in over 190 countries and in 25-plus languages

Communications

525 high density access points
125 network switches
43 miles of copper (cat 5e) cable for TVs, data network
5.5 miles of fiberoptic cable
Expect to use over 60 terabytes of cumulative Internet bandwidth
812 televisions & 27 digital displays
667 radios
41 multi-function copiers

Fence

40,000 linear feet or approximately 7.5 miles of fence

Tent/Flooring & Matting

556,000 square feet of flooring (enough to cover the basketball court in Crypto.Com Arena 99 times)
330,000 feet of tenting (enough to cover SoFi Stadium’s playing surface nearly six times)
230,000 square feet of temporary matted roads & compounds

Food/Beverage (2022 figures)

59,404 hot dogs
27,415 hamburgers
237,106 beers
31,905 bags of chips
17,070 desserts

(2023 projections for aluminum cups/water)

296,430 aluminum cups
approximately 250,000 aluminum bottles of water

Media Content (2022 figures)

8M unique visitors to usga.org
6.2M unique visitors to usopen.com
14.6M unique visitors to USGA YouTube channel
3.1M U.S. Open App lifetime installs
6.4M live streams, with 130M live stream minutes watched
Total news hits (broadcast, digital and radio) = 417,000
Total social posts = 471,000
Total impressions = 642.3B

Golf Course Maintenance Volunteers

100 volunteers
27 states
8 countries

Some notable clubs supporting LACC: Bel-Air Country Club, Brentwood Country Club, Chicago Golf Club, Colonial Country Club, Cypress Point Club, Hillcrest Country Club, Lancaster Country Club, Merion Golf Club, Monterey Peninsula Country Club, Muirfield Village Golf Club, Oakland Hills Country Club, Oakmont Country Club, The Riviera Country Club, and Shinnecock Hills Golf Club.