We're one day closer to the first shot of the 2020 U.S. Open after practice rounds concluded today. Some players got their first looks at historic Winged Foot Golf Club, others tried to hone in their strategy for the week, and some looked like they were just happy to be here.
Like we'll do all week leading up to Thursday's first round, I'll give you some facts, insights, pictures, and hopefully just some fun stuff for you to chew on waiting for the championship to begin.
WHO'S HERE: mong the 144 golfers in the 2020 U.S. Open Championship, there are:
U.S. Open champions (10): Lucas Glover (2009), Dustin Johnson (2016), Martin Kaymer (2014), Graeme McDowell (2010), Rory McIlroy (2011), Justin Rose (2013), Webb Simpson (2012), Jordan Spieth (2015), Gary Woodland (2019) and Tiger Woods (2000, ’02, ’08).
U.S. Open runners-up (12): Jason Day (2011, ’13), Tommy Fleetwood (2018), Rickie Fowler (2014), Brian Harman (2017), Dustin Johnson (2015), Shane Lowry (2016), Hideki Matsuyama (2017), Graeme McDowell (2012), Phil Mickelson (1999, 2002, ’04, ’06, ’09, ’13), Louis Oosthuizen (2015), Michael Thompson (2012) and Tiger Woods (2005, ’07).
U.S. Amateur champions (10): Byeong Hun An (2009), Bryson DeChambeau (2015), Matthew Fitzpatrick (2013), Viktor Hovland (2018), Matt Kuchar (1997), Danny Lee (2008), Curtis Luck (2016), Phil Mickelson (1990), Andy Ogletree (2019) and Tiger Woods (1994, ’95, ’96).
U.S. Amateur runners-up (4): John Augenstein (2019), Patrick Cantlay (2011), Corey Conners (2014) and Michael Thompson (2007).
U.S. Junior Amateur champions (5): Brian Harman (2003), Jordan Spieth (2009, ’11), Preston Summerhays (2019), Tiger Woods (1991, ’92, ’93) and Will Zalatoris (2014).
U.S. Junior Amateur runners-up (4): Charles Howell III (1996), Davis Riley (2013, ’14), Justin Thomas (2010) and Matthew Wolff (2017).
U.S. Senior Open champions (1): Steve Stricker (2019).
U.S. Senior Open runners-up: none.
U.S. Mid-Amateur champions (1): Lukas Michel (2019).
U.S. Mid-Amateur runners-up: none.
U.S. Amateur Public Links champions (2): Chez Reavie (2001) and Brandt Snedeker (2003).
U.S. Amateur Public Links runners-up: none.
U.S. Amateur Four-Ball champions (1): Cole Hammer (2018).
U.S. Amateur Four-Ball runners-up: none.
USGA champions (26): Byeong Hun An (2009 U.S. Amateur), Bryson DeChambeau (2015 U.S. Amateur), Matthew Fitzpatrick (2013 U.S. Amateur), Lucas Glover (2009 U.S. Open), Cole Hammer (2018 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball), Brian Harman (2003 U.S. Junior Amateur), Viktor Hovland (2018 U.S. Amateur), Dustin Johnson (2016 U.S. Open), Martin Kaymer (2014 U.S. Open), Matt Kuchar (1997 U.S. Amateur), Danny Lee (2008 U.S. Amateur), Graeme McDowell (2010 U.S. Open), Rory McIlroy (2011 U.S. Open), Lukas Michel (2019 U.S. Mid-Amateur), Phil Mickelson (1990 U.S. Amateur), Andy Ogletree (2019 U.S. Amateur), Chez Reavie (2001 U.S. Amateur Public Links), Justin Rose (2013 U.S. Open), Webb Simpson (2012 U.S. Open), Brandt Snedeker (2003 U.S. Amateur Public Links), Jordan Spieth (2009, ’11 U.S. Junior Amateurs, 2015 U.S. Open), Steve Stricker (2019 U.S. Senior Open), Preston Summerhays (2019 U.S. Junior Amateur), Gary Woodland (2019 U.S. Open), Tiger Woods (1991, ’92, ’93 U.S. Junior Amateurs, 1994, ’95, ’96 U.S. Amateurs, 2000, ’02, ’08 U.S. Opens) and Will Zalatoris (2014 U.S. Junior Amateur).
Walker Cup Team Members:
United States (23): John Augenstein (2019), Patrick Cantlay (2011), Cameron Champ (2017), Bryson DeChambeau (2015), Harris English (2011), Rickie Fowler (2007, ’09), Lucas Glover (2001), Cole Hammer (2019), Brian Harman (2005, ’09), Max Homa (2013), Billy Horschel (2007), Dustin Johnson (2007), Matt Kuchar (1999), Phil Mickelson (1989, ’91), Collin Morikawa (2017), Andy Ogletree (2019), John Pak (2019), Webb Simpson (2007), Jordan Spieth (2011), Justin Thomas (2013), Tiger Woods (1995), Brandon Wu (2019) and Will Zalatoris (2017).
Great Britain & Ireland (13): Paul Casey (1999), Matthew Fitzpatrick (2013), Tommy Fleetwood (2009), Tom Lewis (2011), Robert MacIntyre (2017), Graeme McDowell (2001), Rory McIlroy (2007), Justin Rose (1997), Sandy Scott (2019), James Sugrue (2019), Andy Sullivan (2011), Connor Syme (2017) and Danny Willett (2007).
NCAA Division I champions (7): Bryson DeChambeau (2015), Max Homa (2013), Charles Howell III (2000), Phil Mickelson (1989, ’90, ’92), Thomas Pieters (2012), Matthew Wolff (2019) and Tiger Woods (1996).
World Amateur Team Championship Competitors (50): Paul Barjon (2012, France), Rafael Cabrera Bello (2000, Spain), Paul Casey (2000, Great Britain & Ireland), Corey Conners (2012, 2014, Canada), Bryson DeChambeau (2014, USA), Thomas Detry (2010, 2012, 2014, Belgium), Rickie Fowler (2008, USA), Ryan Fox (2010, New Zealand), Sergio Garcia (1996, 1998, Spain), Cole Hammer (2018, USA), Lucas Herbert (2014, Australia), Rasmus Hojgaard (2018, Denmark), Billy Horschel (2008, USA), Viktor Hovland (2016, 2018, Norway), Mackenzie Hughes (2012, Canada), a-Takumi Kanaya (2016, 2018, Japan), Sunghoon Kang (2006, Republic of Korea), Martin Kaymer (2014, Germany), Si Woo Kim (2012, Republic of Korea), Matt Kuchar (1998, USA), Danny Lee (2008, Republic of Korea), Tom Lewis (2010, England), Shane Lowry (2006, Ireland), Curtis Luck (2016, Australia), Robert MacIntyre (2016, Scotland), Hideki Matsuyama (2008, 2012 Japan), Rory McIlroy (2006, Ireland), Phil Mickelson (1990, USA), Collin Morikawa (2018, USA), Joaquin Niemann (2016, Chile), Alex Noren (2004, Sweden), Shaun Norris (2002, South Africa), Louis Oosthuizen (2002, South Africa), Adrian Otaegui (2010, Spain), Renato Paratore (2012, 2014, Italy), Taylor Pendrith (2014, Canada), Eddie Pepperell (2010, England), Victor Perez (2014, France), Thomas Pieters (2010, 2012, Belgium), Jon Rahm (2014, Spain), Matthias Schwab (2016, Austria), a-Sandy Scott (2018, Scotland), Cameron Smith (2012, Australia), Henrik Stenson (1998, Sweden), Connor Syme (2016, Scotland), Justin Thomas (2012, USA), Sami Valimaki (2018, Finland), Bernd Wiesberger (2004, 2006, Austria), Tiger Woods (1994, USA) and a-Chun An Yu (2014, 2016, Chinese Taipei).
TOTAL U.S. OPENS WON BY 2020 CHAMPIONSHIP FIELD (12): Lucas Glover (1), Dustin Johnson (1), Martin Kaymer (1), Graeme McDowell (1), Rory McIlroy (1), Justin Rose (1), Webb Simpson (1), Jordan Spieth (1), Gary Woodland (1) and Tiger Woods (3).
PLAYERS IN FIELD WITH MOST U.S. OPEN APPEARANCES (through 2019): Phil Mickelson (28), Steve Stricker (21), Tiger Woods (21), Sergio Garcia (20), Adam Scott (18), Lee Westwood (18), Matt Kuchar (17), Paul Casey (16), Zach Johnson (16), Lucas Glover (14), Graeme McDowell (14), Ian Poulter (14) and Justin Rose (14).
ACTIVE CONSECUTIVE U.S. OPEN APPEARANCES (through 2019): Sergio Garcia (20), Adam Scott (18), Zach Johnson (16), Dustin Johnson (12), Martin Kaymer (12), Matt Kuchar (12), Lucas Glover (11), Graeme McDowell (11) and Rory McIlroy (11).
CHAMPIONSHIP FIELD – The 144-player field for the 2020 U.S. Open Championship is comprised of exempt players due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Two-stage qualifying (local and final), which had been conducted since 1959, was canceled.
With no qualifying this year, the USGA used 28 exemption categories to fill the U.S. Open field, which includes 10 past champions and 13 amateurs.
AMATEURS – Thirteen amateurs have made the 144-player field, the eighth consecutive year that 10 or more amateurs are competing. Andy Ogletree, the 2019 U.S. Amateur champion, and James Sugrue, who won the 2019 Amateur Championship, conducted by The R&A, are in this group.
Ogletree, of Little Rock, Miss., defeated John Augenstein, of Owensboro, Ky., 2 and 1, in the 2019 U.S. Amateur final at Pinehurst No. 2. Ogletree and Augenstein were members of the winning 2019 USA Walker Cup Team, which defeated Great Britain and Ireland at Royal Liverpool Golf Club. As a senior, Ogletree earned second-team All-America honors for the second time at Georgia Tech. Augenstein was chosen first-team All-America and was the Southeastern Conference (SEC) Player of the Year as a senior at Vanderbilt University in 2019-20.
Sugrue, of the Republic of Ireland, won The Amateur Championship in 2019, a 2-up victory over Euan Walker at Portmarnock Golf Club. He was a member of the 2019 Great Britain and Ireland Walker Cup Team. Cole Hammer, of Houston, Texas, and a junior at the University of Texas, was the 2019 Mark H. McCormack Medal recipient as the world’s top-ranked amateur and a member of last year’s USA Walker Cup Team. Hammer, who won the 2018 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball with partner Garrett Barber, was the third-youngest player to compete in a U.S. Open when he played at Chambers Bay at age 15 in 2015.
Lukas Michel, of Australia, became the first international player to win the U.S. Mid-Amateur last year when he defeated Joseph Deraney in the final at Colorado Golf Club. He grew up playing with Curtis Luck (2016 U.S. Amateur champion) and Oliver Goss (2013 U.S. Amateur runner-up). Preston Summerhays, of Scottsdale, Ariz., won the 2019 U.S. Junior Amateur at Inverness Club. Summerhays, 18, who attends Chaparral High School, won the Sunnehanna Amateur on July 24 and became the youngest champion in tournament history.
Seven amateurs earned exemptions based on the World Amateur Golf Ranking® / WAGR® as of Aug. 19. Those exempt are in the top seven of the WAGR: No. 1 Takumi Kanaya, of Japan; No. 2 Ricky Castillo, of Yorba Linda, Calif.; No. 3 Chun An Yu, of Chinese Taipei; No. 4 Davis Thompson, of Auburn, Ala.; No. 5 Eduard Rousaud, of Spain; No. 6 Sandy Scott, of Scotland, and No. 7 John Pak, of Scotch Plains, N.J.
Kanaya, who was the recipient of the 2020 Mark H. McCormack Medal as the world’s leading male amateur player, will compete in his first U.S. Open. He won the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship in 2018 and was the runner-up last year. Kanaya also tied for third and was low amateur in last December’s Australian Open. Castillo earned first-team All-America recognition as a freshman at the University of Florida in 2019-20.
Yu, who is a fifth-year senior at Arizona State University, will play in his third consecutive U.S. Open. He was a quarterfinalist in the 2017 U.S. Amateur. Thompson was chosen first-team All-America as a junior at the University of Georgia and advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2020 Western Amateur. Rousaud won two tournaments this year in Spain and reached the Round of 32 in the 2019 U.S. Amateur.
Scott and Pak both competed in the 2019 Walker Cup Match at Royal Liverpool Golf Club in England. Scott, a member of the Great Britain and Ireland Team, earned second-team All-America recognition as a senior at Texas Tech University in 2019-20. Pak, who is a senior at Florida State University, won all three of his matches as a member of the victorious USA Team. He is a three-time All-American and All-South Region selection.
Note: There have been at least 10 amateurs in 13 of the past 14 U.S. Opens. Fifteen amateurs played in last year’s U.S. Open at Pebble Beach. Viktor Hovland, who tied for 12th, was the low amateur. John Goodman was the last amateur to win the championship, in 1933.
Year Number Made Cut Top Finisher
2020 13 TBD
2019 15 4 Viktor Hovland, 12th (tie)
2018 20 3 Luis Gagne, Matt Parziale, 48th (tie)
2017 14 2 Scottie Scheffler, 27th (tie)
2016 11 1 Jon Rahm, 23rd (tie)
2015 16 6 Brian Campbell, 27th (tie)
2014 12 1 Matthew Fitzpatrick, 48th (tie)
2013 10 4 Michael Kim, 17th (tie)
2012 8 3 Jordan Spieth, 21st (tie)
2011 12 3 Patrick Cantlay, 21st (tie)
2010 10 2 Russell Henley, Scott Langley, 16th (tie)
2009 15 3 Nick Taylor, 36th (tie)
2008 11 3 Michael Thompson, 29th (tie)
2007 12 0 none
2006 9 0 none
2005 9 2 Matt Every, 28th (tie)
2004 8 4 Spencer Levin, 13th (tie)
2003 10 2 Trip Kuehne, 57th (tie)
2002 4 1 Kevin Warrick, 72nd
2001 3 1 Bryce Molder, 30th (tie)
2000 7 1 Jeff Wilson, 59th
1999 6 1 Hank Kuehne, 65th
1998 5 1 Matt Kuchar, 14th (tie)
1997 6 0 none
1996 6 4 Randy Leen, 54th
1995 3 0 none
1994 6 0 none
1993 3 1 Justin Leonard, 68th (tie)
1992 5 0 none
1991 4 1 Phil Mickelson, 55th (tie)
1990 4 2 Phil Mickelson, 29th (tie)
1989 2 0 none
1988 4 1 Billy Mayfair, 25th (tie)
1987 2 0 none
1986 5 1 Sam Randolph, 35th (tie)
1985 8 2 Scott Verplank, 34th (tie)
1984 11 2 Mark Hayes, Jay Sigel, 43rd (tie)
1983 9 2 Brad Faxon, 50th (tie)
1982 14 2 Nathaniel Crosby, 59th
1981 18 1 Joey Rassett, 65th (tie)
1980 18 2 Gary Hallberg, 22nd (tie)
2020 U.S. Open Players Who Competed in 2006 U.S. Open (16): Paul Casey (15), Sergio Garcia (MC), Lucas Glover (MC), Scott Hend (T-32), Billy Horschel (MC), Charles Howell III (T-37), Zach Johnson (MC), Matt Kuchar (MC), Graeme McDowell (T-48), Phil Mickelson (T-2), Ian Poulter (T-12), Rory Sabbatini (MC), Adam Scott (T-21), Henrik Stenson (T-26), Steve Stricker (T-6), Tiger Woods (MC).
2020 U.S. Open Players Who Competed in 2004 U.S. Amateur (4): Brian Harman (Rd.-64), Kevin Kisner (Rd.-32), Webb Simpson (Rd.-64), Michael Thompson (Rd.-64).
2020 U.S. Open Players Who Competed in 2016 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball (2): Cameron Champ (FQ), Cole Hammer (FQ).
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 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.
Year Champion Previous Year Result in Defense
2019 Gary Woodland tie, 36th
2018 Brooks Koepka won 2nd
2017 Brooks Koepka tie, 13th won
2016 Dustin Johnson tie, 2nd missed cut
2015 Jordan Spieth tie, 17th tie, 37th
2014 Martin Kaymer tie, 59th missed cut
2013 Justin Rose tie, 21st tie, 12th
2012 Webb Simpson tie, 14th tie, 32nd
2011 Rory McIlroy missed cut missed cut
2010 Graeme McDowell tie, 18th tie, 14th
2009 Lucas Glover did not play tie, 58th
2008 Tiger Woods tie, 2nd tie, 6th
2007 Angel Cabrera tie, 26th missed cut
2006 Geoff Ogilvy tie, 28th tie, 42nd
2005 Michael Campbell missed cut missed cut
2004 Retief Goosen tie, 42nd tie, 11th
2003 Jim Furyk missed cut tie, 48th
2002 Tiger Woods tie, 12th tie, 20th
2001 Retief Goosen tie, 12th missed cut
2000 Tiger Woods tie, 3rd tie, 12th
1999 Payne Stewart 2nd did not play
1998 Lee Janzen tie, 52nd tie, 46th
1997 Ernie Els tie, 5th tie, 49th
1996 Steve Jones did not play tie, 60th
1995 Corey Pavin missed cut tie, 40th
1994 Ernie Els tie, 7th missed cut
1993 Lee Janzen missed cut missed cut
1992 Tom Kite tie, 37th missed cut
1991 Payne Stewart missed cut tie, 51st
1990 Hale Irwin tie, 54th tie, 11th
1989 Curtis Strange won tie, 21st
1988 Curtis Strange tie, 4th won
1987 Scott Simpson missed cut tie, 6th
1986 Raymond Floyd tie, 23rd tie, 43rd
1985 Andy North missed cut 67th
1984 Fuzzy Zoeller missed cut tie, 9th
1983 Larry Nelson tie, 19th missed cut
1982 Tom Watson tie, 23rd 2nd
1981 David Graham tie, 47th tie, 6th
1980 Jack Nicklaus tie, 9th tie, 6th
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.
Name Masters PGA U.S. Open Open Total
Jack Nicklaus 6 5 4 3 18
Tiger Woods 5 4 3 3 15
Walter Hagen 0 5 2 4 11
Ben Hogan 2 2 4 1 9
Gary Player 3 2 1 3 9
Tom Watson 2 0 1 5 8
Harry Vardon 0 0 1 6 7
Bob Jones 0 0 4 3 7
Gene Sarazen 1 3 2 1 7
Sam Snead 3 3 0 1 7
Arnold Palmer 4 0 1 2 7
PAST MAJOR CHAMPIONS – Brooks Koepka has won four of the last 12 major championships, including back-to-back U.S. Opens in 2017 and 2018. Collin Morikawa captured this year’s PGA Championship in only his second major championship start and was the third-youngest (age 23) to win the title. In 2014, Rory McIlroy became the first player since Padraig Harrington to win consecutive majors with his victories in the Open Championship and PGA Championship. Jordan Spieth followed by capturing the first two majors of the 2015 season. In 2012, McIlroy won the PGA Championship to end a streak in which 15 different players had won the previous 15 major professional golf championships.
Year Winner (Championship) Result
2020 Collin Morikawa (PGA) (-13, 267)
2019 Shane Lowry (The Open) (-15, 269)
2019 Gary Woodland (U.S. Open) (-13, 271)
2019 Brooks Koepka (PGA) (-8, 272)
2019 Tiger Woods (Masters) (-13, 275)
2018 Brooks Koepka (PGA) (-16, 264)
2018 Francesco Molinari (The Open) (-8, 276)
2018 Brooks Koepka (U.S. Open) (+1, 281)
2018 Patrick Reed (Masters) (-15, 273)
2017 Justin Thomas (PGA) (-8, 276)
2017 Jordan Spieth (The Open) (-12, 268)
2017 Brooks Koepka (U.S. Open) (-16, 272)
2017 Sergio Garcia (Masters) (-9, 279, def. Rose in playoff)
2016 Jimmy Walker (PGA) (-14, 266)
2016 Henrik Stenson (The Open) (-20, 264)
2016 Dustin Johnson (U.S. Open) (-4, 276)
2016 Danny Willett (Masters) (-5, 283)
2015 Jason Day (PGA) (-20, 268)
2015 Zach Johnson (The Open) (-15, 273, def. Oosthuizen & Leishman in playoff)
2015 Jordan Spieth (U.S. Open) (-5, 275)
2015 Jordan Spieth (Masters) (-18, 270)
2014 Rory McIlroy (PGA) (-16, 268)
2014 Rory McIlroy (The Open) (-17, 271)
2014 Martin Kaymer (U.S. Open) (-9, 271)
2014 Bubba Watson (Masters) (-8, 280)
2013 Jason Dufner (PGA) (-10, 270)
2013 Phil Mickelson (The Open) (-3, 281)
2013 Justin Rose (U.S. Open) (+1, 281)
2013 Adam Scott (Masters) (-9, 279, def. Cabrera in playoff)
2012 Rory McIlroy (PGA) (-13, 275)
2012 Ernie Els (The Open) (-7, 273)
2012 Webb Simpson (U.S. Open) (+1, 281)
2012 Bubba Watson (Masters) (-10, 278, def. Oosthuizen in playoff)
2011 Keegan Bradley (PGA) (-8, 272, def. Dufner in playoff)
2011 Darren Clarke (The Open) (-5, 275)
2011 Rory McIlroy (U.S. Open) (-16, 272)
2011 Charl Schwartzel (Masters) (-14, 274)
2010 Martin Kaymer (PGA) (-11, 277, def. B. Watson in playoff)
2010 Louis Oosthuizen (The Open) (-16, 272)
2010 Graeme McDowell (U.S. Open) (E, 284)
2010 Phil Mickelson (Masters) (-16, 272)
TWO-TEE START – A two-tee start was first adopted for the 2002 U.S. Open. The USGA had successfully adopted a two-tee start for the U.S. Women’s Open in 2000 and for the U.S. Senior Open in 2001. Play will begin at 6:50 a.m. EDT on Thursday, Sept. 17 on the first and 10th tees of the West Course at Winged Foot Golf Club.
OPEN ECONOMICS – Gary Woodland, the 2019 U.S. Open champion, earned $2.25 million from a purse of $12.5 million last year at Pebble Beach (Calif.) Golf Links. In 1959, Billy Casper’s winning share was $12,000 from a purse of $48,000 in the U.S. Open at Winged Foot Golf Club. Hale Irwin earned $35,000 from a purse of $223,900 at Winged Foot in 1974. Following his victory in a playoff at Winged Foot in 1984, Fuzzy Zoeller received $94,000 from a purse of $596,325. In 2006, Geoff Ogilvy earned $1.225 million from a purse of $6.8 million, also at Winged Foot.
OPEN BIRTHDAYS – Seven players in the U.S. Open field will celebrate a birthday around the championship. Past U.S. Amateur champions Byeong Hun An (2009), Bryson DeChambeau (2015) and Viktor Hovland (2018) are among this group. An turns 29 on Sept. 17, the day of the championship’s first round, and Hovland celebrates his 23rd birthday the following day.
2020 U.S. Open Competitor
Name, Birthdate, Age (on birthday)
Tony Finau, 9-14-89, 31
Bryson DeChambeau, 9-16-93, 27
Byeong Hun An, 9-17-91, 29
Ryo Ishikawa, 9-17-91, 29
Viktor Hovland, 9-18-97, 23
Paul Barjon, 9-19-92, 28
Ryan Palmer, 9-19-76, 44
OLDEST & YOUNGEST – Steve Stricker, at age 53 (born Feb. 23, 1967), is the oldest player in this year’s U.S. Open field. Stricker won the 2019 U.S. Senior Open on The Warren Golf Course at Notre Dame, in South Bend, Ind. Preston Summerhays, who won the 2019 U.S. Junior Amateur, is the youngest at age 18 (born July 22, 2002).
FIELD FOR THE AGES – There are nine players in the 2020 U.S. Open field who will be 21 years old or younger when the first round begins on Thursday, Sept. 17. Preston Summerhays, the 2019 U.S. Junior Amateur champion, and Rasmus Hojgaard, who won the European Tour’s ISPS Handa UK Championship on Aug. 30, are under age 20.
There are 25 players in the field who are 40 or older. Tiger Woods, 44, won three U.S. Opens, in 2000, 2002 and 2008. Lucas Glover, 40, and Graeme McDowell, 41, captured the 2009 and 2010 U.S. Open titles, respectively. Justin Rose, 40, won the 2013 U.S. Open.
The average age of the 144-player field is 31.19.
INTERNATIONAL GROUP – There are 26 countries represented in the 2020 U.S. Open. The United States has 68 players in the field, while England has 13, Australia 9 and South Africa has 7.
Countries with players in the field – United States (69), England (13), Australia (9), South Africa (7), Spain (5), Canada (4), France (4), Japan (4), Republic of Korea (4), Scotland (3), Austria (2), Belgium (2), Germany (2), Republic of Ireland (2), New Zealand (2), Northern Ireland (2), Sweden (2), Chile (1), Chinese Taipei (1), Colombia (1), Denmark (1), Finland (1), Italy (1), Norway (1), Slovakia (1) and Thailand (1).
2019 RETURNS – Gary Woodland, the defending U.S. Open champion, is one of 69 players in this year’s field who competed in the 2019 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach (Calif.) Golf Links. Woodland is also among four of the last five major professional champions returning, including Collin Morikawa (2020 PGA), Shane Lowry (2019 The Open) and Tiger Woods (2019 Masters). The group also includes three players who advanced to the 2017 U.S. Open through the two-stage qualifying process. Cameron Champ, who tied for 32nd, Corey Conners and Chan Kim worked their way through local and final qualifying.
FIRST TIME AT U.S. OPEN – There are 36 players in the 2020 championship field who are playing in their first U.S. Open. Rasmus Hojgaard, of Denmark, has won twice on the European Tour this season. He recorded an eagle on the third playoff hole to defeat Renato Paratore and Antoine Rozner to win the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open on Dec. 8. In another playoff, Hojgaard edged Justin Walters with a par on the second extra hole to capture the ISPS Handa UK Championship on Aug. 30. Lee Hodges (WinCo Foods Portland Open) and Curtis Luck (Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship) were winners on the Korn Ferry Tour.
List of First-Time U.S. Open Players (36): a-John Augenstein, Danny Balin, Paul Barjon, Christiaan Bezuidenhout, a-Ricky Castillo, Thomas Detry, Lee Hodges, Rasmus Hojgaard, Mark Hubbard, Jazz Janewattananond, Marty Jertson, a-Takumi Kanaya, Kurt Kitayama, Romain Langasque, Mike Lorenzo-Vera, Curtis Luck, Robert MacIntyre, a-Lukas Michel, Shaun Norris, a-Andy Ogletree, Adrian Otaegui, a-John Pak, Taylor Pendrith, Victor Perez, J.C. Ritchie, a-Eduard Rousaud, Matthias Schwab, a-Sandy Scott, Greyson Sigg, a-James Sugrue, a-Preston Summerhays, Connor Syme, a-Davis Thompson, Sami Valimaki, Ryan Vermeer, Matthew Wolff
2019 QUALIFYING TO 2020 U.S. OPEN FIELD – There are 53 players in the 2020 U.S. Open who competed in final qualifying for the 2019 championship. Collin Morikawa, who won this year’s PGA Championship, was one of 15 players who advanced through the second stage to the U.S. Open one year ago. Morikawa, Joel Dahmen, Chesson Hadley, Rory Sabbatini, Erik van Rooyen and Brandon Wu qualified in Columbus, Ohio. Other qualifiers were – Matt Jones, Brendon Todd, in Dallas, Texas; Shugo Imahira and Chan Kim, in Japan; Renato Paratore, Thomas Pieters and Bernd Wiesberger, in England; Harris English, in Canada; and a-Chun An Yu, in Newport Beach, Calif.
TRADITIONAL GROUPING – Defending U.S. Open champion Gary Woodland, defending Open champion Shane Lowry and 2019 U.S. Amateur champion Andy Ogletree will form a traditional grouping for the opening two rounds on Thursday, Sept. 17 and Friday, Sept. 18. Woodland won last year at Pebble Beach (Calif.) Golf Links by three strokes over Brooks Koepka with a four-round total of 271 (13 under par). Lowry captured the Open Championship, conducted by The R&A, by six strokes over Tommy Fleetwood at Royal Portrush Golf Club. Ogletree defeated John Augenstein, 2 and 1, in the U.S. Amateur final at Pinehurst No. 2.
LOCAL KNOWLEDGE I – Danny Balin is the head professional at Fresh Meadow Country Club, in Lake Success, N.Y. Gene Sarazen won the 1932 U.S. Open at Fresh Meadow in its previous location, in Queens, where Sarazen had also served as head professional. Balin, who was the runner-up in the 2019 PGA Professional Championship, previously worked at Westchester Country Club, in Rye, N.Y. and Sunningdale Country Club, in Scarsdale, N.Y.
LOCAL KNOWLEDGE II – Brandon Wu has spent part of his life in Scarsdale, N.Y., a town located in Westchester County, 4½ miles from Winged Foot Golf Club. Wu carded a final-round 65 to win the Korn Ferry Tour Championship on Aug. 30. He tied for second in the Albertsons Boise Open two weeks earlier. Wu, who tied for 35th as an amateur in last year’s U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, helped Stanford University win its ninth NCAA Championship and third consecutive Pac-12 Conference crown in 2019. He was born in Danville, Calif., but lived in Beijing for five years.
RETURN TO WINGED FOOT – Phil Mickelson, a runner-up in the U.S. Open six times, returns to Winged Foot Golf Club where he tied for second in the 2006 championship. Mickelson, who owns 44 PGA Tour victories, including five major professional titles, shared the third-round lead with Kenneth Ferrie. He was in position to win the 2006 Open but carded a double-bogey 6 on the 72nd hole to finish in a tie with Jim Furyk and Colin Montgomerie, one stroke behind champion Geoff Ogilvy. Steve Stricker, who won last year’s U.S. Senior Open, held the 36-hole lead at Winged Foot in 2006 and went on to tie for sixth. Stricker, who has won 12 PGA Tour and five PGA Tour Champions events, set 14 records at The Warren Course at Notre Dame, in South Bend, Ind., en route to winning the U.S. Senior Open by six strokes over Jerry Kelly and David Toms.
GOLDEN FLASHES – Canadians Mackenzie Hughes, Corey Conners and Taylor Pendrith were teammates at Kent State University in the 2010-11 and 2011-12 seasons. Hughes, who was two years ahead of Conners and Pendrith, will play in his third U.S. Open. He posted four top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour in 2019-20 and qualified for the Tour Championship. Conners, who like Hughes has won on the PGA Tour, is making his second U.S. Open start. In 2019, he was victorious in the Valero Texas Open. Pendrith, who served as Conners’ caddie in the 2014 U.S. Amateur final at Atlanta Athletic Club, is playing in his first U.S. Open. He has five top-10s, including three second-place finishes, on the Korn Ferry Tour this season.
CHALLENGING JOURNEY – Christiaan Bezuidenhout, 26, of South Africa, has batted adversity from a young age to reach his first U.S. Open. Bezuidenhout was poisoned in a freak accident as a 2-year-old. He was rushed to the hospital, where his stomach was pumped but the rat poison ravaged his nervous system and created a few lifelong challenges. He developed a severe stutter which led to bouts with anxiety and depression. Golf has helped Bezuidenhout deal with his obstacles. He won the European’s Tour’s Andalucia Masters, defeating a group that included Jon Rahm, by six strokes. He is playing in his third professional major championship.
GOLF IN THE FAMILY – Preston Summerhays, last year’s U.S. Junior Amateur champion, won his second consecutive Utah State Amateur in 2019 after becoming the youngest player (age 15) to claim the championship the previous year. He broke a record that was shared by Tony Finau, who is also in the 2020 U.S. Open field, and Preston’s uncle Daniel, a recently retired PGA Tour pro. Summerhays is the son of Boyd, a former PGA Tour player and Finau’s swing coach, and the great nephew of Bruce, who won three PGA Tour Champions events. Daniel Summerhays played in four U.S. Opens and finished in a tie for eighth in 2016 at Oakmont (Pa.) Country Club. Bruce competed in four U.S. Opens.
DIRECT FROM FINLAND – Sami Valimaki will be the first player from Finland to play in the U.S. Open since Mikko Ilonen in 2012. The 22-year-old became the fourth Finnish player to win on the European Tour when he defeated Brandon Stone on the third playoff hole in the Oman Open on March 1. Valimaki joined Ilonen, Mikko Korhonen and Roope Kakko as European Tour winners from Finland.
WELCOME BACK – Dan McCarthy, 35, of Syracuse, N.Y., returns to the U.S. Open following a 10-year gap since his first appearance in 2010 at Pebble Beach (Calif.) Golf Links. McCarthy was among five players who earned exemptions based on the three-event 2020 Korn Ferry Tour Series, which began with the Albertsons Boise Open and ended with its Tour Championship on Aug. 30. McCarthy, who attended NCAA Division II LeMoyne College, tied for third in the Korn Ferry Tour Championship and recorded top-10 finishes in three of his last five events played. Scott Hend, 47, of Australia will compete in his fourth U.S. Open but first since 2011 at Congressional Country Club. Hend, who owns 15 professional victories, earned his exemption as the top finisher in the 2019 Asian Tour Order of Merit.
THE CADDIE KNOWS – J.J. Jakovac, who is the caddie of 2020 PGA champion Collin Morikawa, is no stranger to Winged Foot Golf Club. Jakovac, of Napa, Calif., advanced to the Round of 32 in the 2004 U.S. Amateur, which was contested on the West Course. Jakovac, who worked with Morikawa for the first time last year at U.S. Open qualifying, in Columbus, Ohio, won two NCAA Division II individual championships (2002, 2004) and was a three-time first-team All-American at Chico (Calif.) State University. Jakovac has caddied for five other PGA Tour players, including Ryan Moore, who won the 2004 U.S. Amateur at Winged Foot.
LAST ONES IN – The USGA filled the final five spots in the U.S. Open field through the 2019-20 FedExCup Final Points List (top five players, not otherwise exempt) following the Tour Championship, which concluded on Monday, Sept. 7.
The five FedExCup Final Points exempt players were: No. 15 Sebastian Munoz, 27, of Colombia; No. 37 Brian Harman, 33, of Sea Island, Ga.; No. 40 Tyler Duncan, 31, of Columbus, Ind.; No. 44 Mark Hubbard, 31, of Denver, Colo.; and No. 45 Danny Lee, 30, of New Zealand.
Munoz, who tied for eighth in the Tour Championship in Atlanta, Ga., will compete in his second U.S. Open. He won the 2019 Sanderson Farms Championship in a playoff with Sungjae Im last September and recorded five top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour during the 2019-20 season.
Harman was a runner-up along with Hideki Matsuyama to Brooks Koepka in the 2017 U.S. Open at Erin Hills. He will make his fifth U.S. Open start. Harman tied for third in A Military Tribute at Greenbrier, one of his eight top-25 efforts on the PGA Tour this season. Harman, who won the 2003 U.S. Junior Amateur, owns two PGA Tour victories.
Duncan will play in his third U.S. Open. His best finish is a tie for 56th in 2018 at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club. He won The RSM Classic, in St. Simons Island, Ga., last November, defeating 2012 U.S. Open champion Webb Simpson in a playoff. It was one of his four top-25 finishes on the PGA Tour.
Hubbard is one of 36 players in the field who will compete in his first U.S. Open. He has three top-10 performances on the PGA Tour this season, including a tie for second in the Houston Open. He made the 36-hole cut in 19 of 24 events played.
Lee, who won the 2008 U.S. Amateur at Pinehurst Resort & Country Club, had three top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour this season, including a runner-up finish to Justin Thomas in The CJ Cup at Nine Bridges. Lee is playing in his third U.S. Open and his best finish is a tie for 57th in 2016 at Oakmont (Pa.) Country Club.
CHAMPION OUT – Brooks Koepka withdrew from the 2020 U.S. Open on Sept. 9 because of an injury.
Koepka, who won the 2017 and 2018 U.S. Open Championships, was replaced in the field by Paul Waring, a 35-year-old professional from England, the first alternate as determined by the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) as of Aug. 23, 2020.
Koepka, who has captured four major professional titles, including the 2018 and 2019 PGA Championships, owns four top-5 finishes in seven U.S. Opens played. He was the runner-up to Gary Woodland last year at Pebble Beach (Calif.) Golf Links and tied for fourth in 2014 at Pinehurst Resort & Country Club.
Waring, who was No. 90 in the OWGR of Aug. 23, will play in his second U.S. Open after having competed in 2018 at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club. He won the European Tour’s Nordea Masters in 2018 and has played in four Open Championships, conducted by The R&A.
ON TOUR – Dustin Johnson, the 2016 U.S. Open champion, posted three victories and Webb Simpson, who won the U.S. Open in 2012 at The Olympic Club, won twice on the PGA Tour this season. Justin Thomas also captured three PGA Tour events in the 2019-20 season.
Multiple PGA Tour Winners in 2019-20
3, Dustin Johnson (Travelers Championship, The Northern Trust, Tour Championship)
3, Justin Thomas (The CJ Cup at Nine Bridges, Sentry Tournament of Champions, WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational)
2, Collin Morikawa (Workday Charity Open, PGA Championship)
2, Jon Rahm (Memorial Tournament, BMW Championship)
2, Webb Simpson (Waste Management Phoenix Open, RBC Heritage)
2, Brendon Todd (Bermuda Championship, Mayakoba Golf Classic)
Multiple European Tour Winners in 2019-20
2, Rasmus Hojgaard (AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open, ISPS Handa UK Championship)
Multiple Korn Ferry Tour Winners in 2020-21
2, Davis Riley (Panama Championship, TPC San Antonio Championship)
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