2015 US Open Championship – All you need to know

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ARCHITECT
Designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr., Chambers Bay opened in 2007. The course is built on the site of a former sand and gravel quarry adjacent to Puget Sound. The course is the centerpiece of a 930-acre county park. Pierce County acquired the land in 1992.

 

PAR AND YARDAGE
Chambers Bay will play to a par of 36-34-70 when the first hole is a par 5 and 35-35-70 when the 18th hole is a par 5. The total yardage of the course will be in the range of 7,200 to 7,600 yards. The exact yardage (from tee markers to flagsticks) will be provided on a daily basis for each of the four championship rounds. The setup will depend on weather/wind conditions and matching certain teeing grounds with certain hole locations.

HOLE BY HOLE

Hole 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Total
Par 5/4 4 3 4 4 4 4 5 3 36/35
Yardage 598/496 399 198/163 495 488 495 508 614 224/217  
                     
Hole 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Total
Par 4 4 4 4 4 3 4 3 4/5 34/35
Yardage 468/436 537/500 311/281 534 546/521 246/167 423 218/172 525/604  
                     

 

 

COURSE RATING
Based on the course setup for the championship, the USGA Course Rating is 77.3. Its Slope Rating is 145.

 

WHO CAN ENTER
The championship is open to any professional and any amateur golfer with a Handicap Index® not exceeding 1.4. The deadline for entries was April 29.

 

ENTRIES
The USGA accepted 9,882 entries in 2015, the second-highest total in championship history. The record of 10,127 entries was set last year.

 

LOCAL QUALIFYING
Local qualifying, played over 18 holes, was conducted at 111 sites in the U.S. between May 4-21. Qualifying was held in 43 states. Florida hosted 16 local qualifiers, the most of any state, while California was second with 14.

 

SECTIONAL QUALIFYING
Sectional qualifying, played over 36 holes, was conducted at two international sites on May 25 (England and Japan) as well as 10 U.S. sites on June 8.

 

CHAMPIONSHIP FIELD
The starting field of 156 golfers will be cut after 36 holes to the low 60 scorers and ties.

 

SCHEDULE OF PLAY
Eighteen holes of stroke play are scheduled each day from June 18 (Thursday) through June 21 (Sunday). In the event of a tie after 72 holes, an 18-hole playoff will be conducted on June 22 (Monday), beginning at noon (PDT).

 

2014 CHAMPION
Martin Kaymer became the first German-born player to win the U.S. Open Championship and tied the fourth-largest winning margin in championship history with his eight-stroke victory over Rickie Fowler and Erik Compton. Kaymer shot a final-round 69 for a 72-hole score of 9-under 271 at Pinehurst Resort & Country Club’s Course No. 2 to become the seventh player (eighth time) to lead the U.S. Open wire to wire with no ties. He is one of five players to win the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship and The Players Championship, joining Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Raymond Floyd and Lee Trevino. Kaymer took a huge step toward his second major on Thursday and Friday, when he posted the first consecutive 65s in any major championship to set a 36-hole U.S. Open scoring record of 130, besting Rory McIlroy’s total of 131 at Congressional in 2011. Despite tougher conditions during the weekend, Kaymer’s lead was never threatened. On Saturday, he took an unplayable lie after an errant drive on the fourth hole, only to scramble and convert a 20-foot putt for bogey. One hole later, he drilled a 202-yard approach from the sandy area to within 4 feet to set up an eagle 3. Players from Europe have won four of the last five U.S. Opens.

 

EXEMPT PLAYERS WITH MOST U.S. OPEN APPEARANCES (through 2014): Phil Mickelson (24), Ernie Els (22), Jim Furyk (20), Lee Janzen (19) and Tiger Woods (18).

 

ACTIVE CONSECUTIVE U.S. OPEN APPEARANCES(through 2014): Ernie Els (22), Phil Mickelson (21) and Jim Furyk (19).

 

TITLE DEFENSE
Since 1991, five champions have finished better than 15th in trying to defend their U.S. Open crowns. Tiger Woods tied for sixth in 2009 after capturing his third Open title at Torrey Pines Golf Course (South Course) the previous year. Woods also tied for 12th in 2001 after winning his first Open at Pebble Beach Golf Links. Retief Goosen tied for 11th in 2005 following his second Open championship at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club. Graeme McDowell tied for 14th the year after winning the 2010 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach Golf Links. Justin Rose tied for 12th last year following his victory at Merion Golf Club in 2013. During the same period, seven defending champions have missed the cut the next year, including Rory McIlroy in 2012.

 

WHAT THE WINNER RECEIVES
The benefits received by the U.S. Open winner include:

A U.S. Open exemption for the next 10 years
An invitation to the next five Masters Tournaments
An invitation to the next five British Open Championships
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

 

QUALIFYING FOR THE OTHER MAJORS
The top 10 finishers (and ties) are exempt for the following year’s U.S. Open. The top four finishers (and ties) are invited to next year’s Masters Tournament.

 

HISTORY
This is the 115th U.S. Open Championship. The U.S. Open, which was first played in 1895, was not contested for two years (1917-18) during World War I and for four years (1942-45) during World War II. The youngest winner of the U.S. Open is John McDermott, who won in 1911 at the age of 19. He is among eight players 21 or younger who have won the U.S. Open. The oldest winner is Hale Irwin, who was 45 and playing on a special exemption when he won his third U.S. Open title in 1990. Irwin also won in 1974 and 1979.

There are four four-time U.S. Open winners: Willie Anderson (1901, 1903, 1904, 1905), amateur Robert T. Jones Jr. (1923, 1926, 1929, 1930), Ben Hogan (1948, 1950, 1951, 1953), Jack Nicklaus (1962, 1967, 1972, 1980).

Only five players have won the Masters and U.S. Open titles in the same year: Craig Wood (1941), Hogan (1951, 1953), Arnold Palmer (1960), Nicklaus (1972) and Tiger Woods (2002).

 

PURSE
The 2014 purse was $8.684 million; the winner earned $1,620,000.

 

2010 U.S. AMATEUR AT CHAMBERS BAY
Peter Uihlein celebrated his 21st birthday by defeating David Chung, 4 and 2, in the final match of the 2010 U.S. Amateur Championship at Chambers Bay. Uihlein, a member of the winning 2009 USA Walker Cup Team, was the equivalent of 8 under par with the usual match-play concessions through the match’s 34 holes. Chung was 2 under par. Uihlein was 3 up through the first five holes and finished the morning 18 with a 2-up lead. He increased his margin to 4 up through 26 holes with a birdie on the par-5 eighth, despite a holed shot from 118 yards by Chung, which saved par. Uihlein, who held at least a two-hole lead the rest of the way, received custody of the Havemeyer Trophy for one year.

 

2015 U.S. Open Players Who Competed in 2010 U.S. Amateur (11): Byeong-Hun An (semifinalist), Blayne Barber (Rd. 32), Russell Henley (FQ), Morgan Hoffmann (quarterfinalist), Tom Hoge (FQ), Alex Kim (Rd. 32), Brooks Koepka (FQ), Denny McCarthy (Rd. 64), Cheng-Tsung Pan (Rd. 64), Patrick Reed (Rd. 32) and Jordan Spieth (FQ).

 

U.S. OPENS ON PACIFIC COAST
This is the first U.S. Open contested in the Pacific Northwest. The U.S. Open has been played 12 times on the Pacific Coast, including the 2012 championship at The Olympic Club’s Lake Course in San Francisco. Riviera Country Club, in Los Angeles, hosted the 1948 U.S. Open, the first on the Pacific Coast. Ben Hogan won the first of his four U.S. Opens by two strokes over Jimmy Demaret.

 

U.S. Open Championships on Pacific Coast (12)
1948: Riviera Country Club, Los Angeles, Calif. (Ben Hogan)
1955: The Olympic Club (Lake Course), San Francisco, Calif. (Jack Fleck)
1966: The Olympic Club (Lake Course), San Francisco, Calif. (Billy Casper)
1972: Pebble Beach (Calif.) Golf Links (Jack Nicklaus)
1982: Pebble Beach (Calif.) Golf Links (Tom Watson)
1987: The Olympic Club (Lake Course), San Francisco, Calif. (Scott Simpson)
1992: Pebble Beach (Calif.) Golf Links (Tom Kite)
1998: The Olympic Club (Lake Course), San Francisco, Calif. (Lee Janzen)
2000: Pebble Beach (Calif.) Golf Links (Tiger Woods)
2008: Torrey Pines Golf Course (South Course), San Diego, Calif. (Tiger Woods)
2010: Pebble Beach (Calif.) Golf Links (Graeme McDowell)
2012: The Olympic Club (Lake Course), San Francisco, Calif. (Webb Simpson)

 

FUTURE U.S. OPENS
June 16-19, 2016: Oakmont (Pa.) Country Club
June 15-18, 2017: Erin Hills, Erin, Wis.
June 14-17, 2018: Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, Southampton, N.Y.
June 13-16, 2019: Pebble Beach (Calif.) Golf Links
June 18-21, 2020: Winged Foot Golf Club (West Course), Mamaroneck, N.Y.
June 17-20, 2021: Torrey Pines Golf Course (South Course), San Diego, Calif.

 

LONGEST PAR 3s IN U.S. OPEN HISTORY
288 yards, 8th at Oakmont (Pa.) Country Club, 2007
256 yards, 3rd at Merion Golf Club (East Course), Ardmore, Pa., 2013
253 yards, 8th at Oakmont (Pa.) Country Club, 1927, 1935, 1953, 1962
249 yards, 8th at Oakmont (Pa.) Country Club, 1994
247 yards, 17th at Olympia Fields (Ill.) Country Club (North Course), 2003
246 yards, 15th at Chambers Bay, University Place, Wash., 2015
246 yards, 17th at Merion Golf Club (East Course), Ardmore, Pa., 2013
244 yards, 8th at Oakmont (Pa.) Country Club, 1973

 

LONGEST PAR 4s IN U.S. OPEN HISTORY
546 yards, 14th at Chambers Bay, University Place, Wash., 2015
537 yards, 11th at Chambers Bay, University Place, Wash., 2015
534 yards, 13th at Chambers Bay, University Place, Wash., 2015
528 yards, 16th at Pinehurst Resort & Country Club (Course No. 2), Village of Pinehurst, N.C., 2014
525 yards, 18th at Chambers Bay, University Place, Wash., 2015
525 yards, 7th at Bethpage State Park (Black Course), Farmingdale, N.Y., 2009
523 yards, 18th at Congressional Country Club (Blue Course), Bethesda, Md., 2011
521 yards, 18th at Merion Golf Club (East Course), Ardmore, Pa., 2013
520 yards, 1st at The Olympic Club (Lake Course), San Francisco, Calif., 2012
515 yards, 6th at Torrey Pines (South Course), San Diego, Calif., 2008
514 yards, 9th at Winged Foot Golf Club (West Course), Mamaroneck, N.Y., 2006

 

LONGEST PAR 5s IN U.S. OPEN HISTORY
670 yards, 16th at The Olympic Club (Lake Course), San Francisco, Calif., 2012
667 yards, 12th at Oakmont (Pa.) Country Club, 2007
642 yards, 5th at Southern Hills Country Club, Tulsa, Okla., 2001
640 yards, 12th at Winged Foot Golf Club (West Course), Mamaroneck, N.Y., 2006
636 yards, 9th at Congressional Country Club (Blue Course), Bethesda, Md., 2011

 

THE LAST TIME IT HAPPENED AT THE U.S. OPEN
Martin Kaymer: last international winner (2014)
Curtis Strange: last to defend title (1989)
Francis Ouimet: last winner in his first attempt (1913)
Webb Simpson: last winner in his second attempt (2012)
Martin Kaymer: last start-to-finish winner with no ties (2014)
a-Robert T. Jones Jr.: last winner to birdie the 72nd hole to win by one stroke (1926)
Tiger Woods: last winner to birdie the 72nd hole (2008)
Tiger Woods: last winner to birdie the 72nd hole to force a playoff (2008)
Geoff Ogilvy: last winner without a round in the 60s (2006)
Rory McIlroy: last winner with all rounds in the 60s (2011)
Martin Kaymer: last winner between ages 20-29 (29 in 2014)
Justin Rose: last winner between ages 30-39 (32 in 2013)
Payne Stewart: last winner age 40 and older (42 in 1999)
Rory McIlroy: last defending champion to miss the cut (2012)
Hale Irwin: last winner who received a special exemption (1990)
Lucas Glover: last winner to come through sectional qualifying (2009)
Orville Moody: last winner to come through local and sectional qualifying (1969)
John Goodman: last amateur winner (1933)

 

USGA CHAMPIONSHIPS IN PACIFIC NORTHWEST
The 2015 U.S. Open will be the 59th USGA championship to be held in the Pacific Northwest. Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, in Bandon, Ore., served as the host site for the inaugural U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Championship on May 9-13, the 33rd USGA championship in that state. The U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship will be played at Portland (Ore.) Golf Club on Aug. 10-16. The 2015 U.S. Open will be the 25th in Washington state, while Idaho has hosted one USGA championship.

The 2010 U.S. Amateur was contested at Chambers Bay and the 2010 U.S. Senior Open was played at Sahalee Country Club, in Sammamish, Wash. The USGA conducted three championships in the region in 2011. Gold Mountain Golf Club, in Bremerton, Wash., was the site for the U.S. Junior Amateur and Bandon Dunes Golf Resort hosted the U.S. Amateur Public Links and U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links championships. In 2014, the final U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links Championship was played at The Home Course, in Dupont, Wash.

 

CHAMPIONSHIP TROPHY
The first United States Open Championship was won by Horace Rawlins in September 1895, at Newport (R.I.) Country Club. As the victor, Rawlins earned $150, a gold champion’s medal, and use of the championship sterling silver cup for one year. The trophy was designated for display at Rawlins’ club until presented to the next year’s champion, beginning 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 country 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 original U.S. Open Trophy is on display at the USGA Museum in Far Hills, N.J.

 

EXEMPTION LIST (as of June 12)

The following 74 golfers are fully exempt into the 2015 U.S. Open (a: amateur, Bold: U.S. Open champion)

Byeong-Hun An

 

 

Joost Luiten

Keegan Bradley

 

 

Hunter Mahan

Angel Cabrera

 

 

Ben Martin

Paul Casey

 

 

Hideki Matsuyama

Darren Clarke

 

 

Graeme McDowell

George Coetzee

 

 

Rory McIlroy

Erik Compton

 

 

Phil Mickelson

Jason Day

 

 

Francesco Molinari

Jamie Donaldson

 

 

Colin Montgomerie

Victor Dubuisson

 

 

Ryan Moore

Jason Dufner

 

 

Kevin Na

Ernie Els

 

 

a-Bradley Neil

Matthew Every

 

 

Geoff Ogilvy

Tommy Fleetwood

 

 

Louis Oosthuizen

Rickie Fowler

 

 

Ryan Palmer

Jim Furyk

 

 

Ian Poulter

Stephen Gallacher

 

 

Patrick Reed

Sergio Garcia

 

 

Justin Rose

Lucas Glover

 

 

a-Oliver Schniederjans

Branden Grace

 

 

Charl Schwartzel

Bill Haas

 

 

Adam Scott

Russell Henley

 

 

John Senden

Charley Hoffman

 

 

Webb Simpson

Morgan Hoffmann

 

 

Brandt Snedeker

J.B. Holmes

 

 

Jordan Spieth

Billy Horschel

 

 

Henrik Stenson

Thongchai Jaidee

 

 

Brendon Todd

Miguel Angel Jimenez

 

 

Cameron Tringale

Dustin Johnson

 

 

Jimmy Walker

Zach Johnson

 

 

Marc Warren

Martin Kaymer

 

 

Bubba Watson

Chris Kirk

 

 

Lee Westwood

Brooks Koepka

 

 

Bernd Wiesberger

Matt Kuchar

 

 

Danny Willett

Anirban Lahiri

 

 

Gary Woodland

Marc Leishman

 

 

Tiger Woods

Shane Lowry

 

 

a-Gunn Yang

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