Saturday, June 12, 2021

121st U.S. Open Championship Facts, History, and Television Coverage

Torrey Pines Golf South Course hosts the 121st U.S. Open Championship next week, and will be set up at 7,652 yards.

The course will play to a par of 35-36–71, and the yardage for each round of the championship will vary due to course setup and conditions.

Torrey Pines Golf Course (South Course) Hole By Hole  

Hole 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Total

Par 4 4 3 4 4 4 4 3 5 35

Yardage 446 387 195 486 452 515 460 173 609 3,723   

Hole 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Total

Par 4 3 4 5 4 4 3 4 5 36

Yardage 449 222 501 612 434 480/ 223 440 568 3,929

ARCHITECTS

William P. Bell and his son, William F. Bell, designed Torrey Pines Golf Course’s South Course, which opened for play in 1957. Prior to being shaped for a golf course, the land was part of Camp Callan, a naval training center. Bell’s son finished much of the initial layout after his father’s death, as well as designing the adjoining North Course. Rees Jones completed a redesign of the course in 2002 and provided some updates in 2018-19.

COURSE RATING AND SLOPE

Based on the course setup for the championship, the Course Rating™ for the South Course at Torrey Pines is 79.0 and its Slope Rating® is 151.

WHO CAN ENTER

The championship is open to any professional golfer and any amateur golfer with a Handicap Index® not exceeding 1.4. Entries closed on April 21.

ENTRIES

Since 2012, the USGA has annually surpassed the 9,000 mark in entries, with a record 10,127 entries accepted for the 2014 U.S. Open at Pinehurst Resort & Country Club. In 2021, the USGA accepted 9,069 entries, the eighth-highest total in U.S. Open history. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, there were no entries as the U.S. Open featured a fully exempt field.

LOCAL QUALIFYING

Local qualifying, played over 18 holes, was conducted at 108 sites in the U.S. between April 26-May 17. There were 14 local qualifying sites in California, the most of any state, and 13 in Florida. Texas hosted six local qualifiers, while New York and Pennsylvania had five.

FINAL QUALIFYING

In 2021, final qualifying, played over 36 holes, was held at 10 sites in the United States; in Texas on May 24 and in California, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, New York, Ohio (Columbus & Springfield), South Carolina and Washington on June 7. Japan hosted international final qualifying on May 24.

All U.S. Open qualifying was canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and for the same reason England did not host a site this year, as it had done between 2005-2019. An exemption category was added in which players earned entry based on the three-event U.S. Open 2021 European Tour Qualifying Series (Betfred British Masters, Made in HimmerLand and Porsche European Open, May 15-June 7). The top 10 aggregate point earners from those events, who were otherwise not exempt, earned spots in the U.S. Open field.

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 17 (Thursday) through June 20 (Sunday). In the event of a tie after 72 holes, a two-hole aggregate playoff will take place following the completion of Sunday’s final round.

2020 CHAMPION

Bryson DeChambeau carded a final-round, 3-under-par 67 to earn a decisive six-stroke victory over 54-hole leader Matthew Wolff in the 120th U.S. Open Championship at Winged Foot Golf Club, in Mamaroneck, N.Y. DeChambeau joined Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods as the only golfers who have captured an NCAA individual title, a U.S. Amateur and a U.S. Open. Wolff was vying to become the first U.S. Open rookie to win the championship since 20-year-old amateur Francis Ouimet in 1913. DeChambeau was the only competitor to finish in red figures for the week (6-under 274) and became the lone player in the six U.S. Opens contested on Winged Foot’s West Course to post all four rounds at par or better. The 27-year-old from Clovis, Calif., also became the fourth player in the championship’s past 100 years to be the only golfer to better par in the final round and hoist the trophy. While he found just six fairways in the final round, DeChambeau put on a fine display of iron play and putting, hitting 11 of 18 greens and registering 27 putts.

WHAT THE WINNER RECEIVES

Among the benefits enjoyed by the U.S. Open winner 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

QUALIFYING FOR THE OTHER MAJORS

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

HISTORY

This is the 121st U.S. Open Championship. The U.S. Open, which was first played in 1895, was not contested for two years (1917-1918) during World War I and for four years (1942-1945) during World War II. The youngest winner of the U.S. Open is 19-year-old John McDermott, who won in 1911; he is among nine players age 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 Bob Jones (1923, 1926, 1929, 1930), Ben Hogan (1948, 1950, 1951, 1953), and Jack Nicklaus (1962, 1967, 1972, 1980).

Only six players have won the Masters and U.S. Open titles in the same year: Craig Wood (1941), Ben Hogan (1951, 1953), Arnold Palmer (1960), Jack Nicklaus (1972), Tiger Woods (2002) and Jordan Spieth (2015).

PURSE

The 2021 purse will be $12.5 million, the highest among golf’s major championships; the winner will earn approximately $2.25 million.

TORREY PINES GOLF COURSE NOTES

►The 121st U.S. Open will be the second conducted at Torrey Pines (2008)

►Torrey Pines’ South Course is hosting its third USGA championship

►The 2021 U.S. Open will be the 85th USGA championship held in California

►In 2021, the U.S. Open Championship will be played in California for the 14th time

ABOUT TORREY PINES GOLF COURSE

Torrey Pines Golf Course is a 36-hole municipal public golf facility that is owned by the city of San Diego. The course is named for the Torrey Pine, a rare tree that grows wild along this local stretch of coastline in San Diego County and on Santa Rosa Island. The courses were built on the site of Camp Callan, a U.S. Army installation during World War II and sit on coastal cliffs that overlook the Pacific Ocean, just south of Torrey Pines State Reserve. The North and South Courses were designed by William P. Bell and his son, William F. Bell. Rees Jones redesigned the South in 2001 and Tom Weiskopf redesigned the North in 2016. Since the late 1960s, Torrey Pines has hosted a PGA Tour event, which is now known as the Farmers Insurance Open.

USGA CHAMPIONSHIPS AT TORREY PINES

1998 U.S. Amateur Public Links (South Course): Trevor Immelman def. Jason Dufner, 3 and 2

2008 U.S. Open (South Course): Tiger Woods def. Rocco Mediate, 283 (71, 4) – 283 (71, 5)

OTHER EVENTS AT TORREY PINES

PGA Tour’s Farmers Insurance Open (since 1968)

Junior World Golf Championship (every July)

San Diego City Amateur (every June)

2008 U.S. OPEN

Tiger Woods outdueled Rocco Mediate in a 19-hole playoff to win his third U.S. Open title and record-tying ninth USGA championship. Woods made par on the first extra hole after the two were tied following an 18-hole playoff. Woods had forced the playoff with Mediate by making a 12-foot birdie putt on the 72nd hole of regulation play. The win was Woods’ final appearance of the year. Woods, who matched Bob Jones’ record for most USGA titles won, had knee surgery the following week to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left leg. Lee Westwood finished third with a 72-hole score of 284 (even par).

1998 U.S. AMATEUR PUBLIC LINKS

Trevor Immelman, of South Africa, won the title, defeating Jason Dufner in the 36-hole final, 3 and 2. Immelman, who made eight birdies in the championship match, leaped to a 3-up lead through the opening five holes and never trailed. Bubba Watson, Ryan Armour and Ryuji Imada were among the players who advanced to match play.

USGA CHAMPIONSHIPS IN CALIFORNIA

This will be the 85th USGA championship played in California and the 14th U.S. Open contested in the state. In 2021, the U.S. Women’s Open was held at The Olympic Club (Lake Course) in San Francisco, June 3-6. The 2023 U.S. Women’s Open will be played at Pebble Beach Golf Links and the 2023 U.S. Open will be contested at The Los Angeles Country Club.

U.S. Open Championships in California (13):

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)

FUTURE U.S. OPENS IN THIS DECADE

June 16-19, 2022: The Country Club, Brookline, Mass.

June 15-18, 2023: The Los Angeles (Calif.) Country Club (North Course)

June 13-16, 2024: Pinehurst Resort & Country Club (Course No. 2), Village of Pinehurst, N.C.

June 12-15, 2025: Oakmont (Pa.) Country Club

June 18-21, 2026: Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, Southampton, N.Y.

June 17-20, 2027: Pebble Beach (Calif.) Golf Links

June 15-18, 2028: TBD

June 14-17, 2029: Pinehurst Resort & Country Club (Course No. 2), Village of Pinehurst, N.C.

LONGEST U.S. OPEN COURSES

7,845 yards, Erin Hills, first round, Erin, Wis., 2017

7,839 yards, Erin Hills, second round, Erin, Wis., 2017

7,818 yards, Erin Hills, third round, Erin, Wis., 2017

7,721 yards, Erin Hills, fourth round, Erin, Wis., 2017

7,695 yards, Chambers Bay, second round, University Place, Wash., 2015

7,637 yards, Chambers Bay, third round, University Place, Wash., 2015

7,603 yards, Torrey Pines Golf Course (South Course), second round, San Diego, Calif., 2008

7,514 yards, Congressional C.C. (Blue Course), first round, Bethesda, Md., 2011

7,497 yards, Chambers Bay, first round, University Place, Wash., 2015

7,476 yards, Torrey Pines Golf Course (South Course), first round, San Diego, Calif., 2008

LONGEST PAR 3s IN U.S. OPEN HISTORY

300 yards, 8th, fourth round, Oakmont (Pa.) C.C., 2007

299 yards, 8th, fourth round, Oakmont (Pa.) C.C., 2016

281 yards, 8th, second round, Oakmont (Pa.) C.C., 2007

281 yards, 8th, second round, Oakmont (Pa.) C.C., 2016

279 yards, 8th, third round, Oakmont (Pa.) C.C., 2007

266 yards, 3rd, fourth round, Merion G.C. (East Course), Ardmore, Pa., 2013

264 yards, 2nd, first round, Shinnecock Hills G.C., Southampton, N.Y., 2018

261 yards, 8th, first round, Oakmont (Pa.) C.C., 2007

258 yards, 8th, first round, Oakmont (Pa.) C.C., 2016

256 yards, 3rd, third round, The Olympic Club (Lake Course), San Francisco, Calif., 2012

LONGEST PAR 4s IN U.S. OPEN HISTORY

551 yards, 13th, second round, Chambers Bay, University Place, Wash., 2015

544 yards, 11th, second round, Chambers Bay, University Place, Wash., 2015

542 yards, 4th, third round, Pinehurst Resort & C.C. (Course No. 2), Village of Pinehurst, N.C., 2014

541 yards, 11th, first round, Chambers Bay, University Place, Wash., 2015

541 yards, 11th, fourth round, Chambers Bay, University Place, Wash., 2015

536 yards, 14th, first round, Shinnecock Hills G.C., Southampton, N.Y., 2018

534 yards, 14th, third round, Chambers Bay, University Place, Wash., 2015

533 yards, 13th, third round, Chambers Bay, University Place, Wash., 2015

530 yards, 11th, third round, Chambers Bay, University Place, Wash., 2015

529 yards, 14th, third round, Shinnecock Hills G.C., Southampton, N.Y., 2018

LONGEST PAR 5s IN U.S. OPEN HISTORY

684 yards, 12th, first round, Oakmont (Pa.) C.C., 2016

681 yards, 18th, fourth round, Erin Hills, Erin, Wis., 2017

676 yards, 18th, second round, Erin Hills, Erin, Wis., 2017

674 yards, 12th, third round, Oakmont (Pa.) C.C., 2016

671 yards, 16th, third round, The Olympic Club (Lake Course), San Francisco, Calif., 2012

667 yards, 12th, first round, Oakmont (Pa.) C.C., 2007

667 yards, 12th, second round, at Oakmont (Pa.) C.C., 2007

667 yards, 12th, fourth round, Oakmont (Pa.) C.C., 2007

667 yards, 18th, third round, Erin Hills, Erin, Wis., 2017

660 yards, 16th, first round, The Olympic Club (Lake Course), San Francisco, Calif., 2012

THE LAST TIME IT HAPPENED AT THE U.S. OPEN

Martin Kaymer: last international winner (2014)

Brooks Koepka: last to defend title (2018)

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)

Jordan Spieth: last winner to birdie the 72nd hole to win by one stroke (2015)

Gary Woodland: last winner to birdie the 72nd hole (2019)

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)

Gary Woodland: last winner with all rounds in the 60s (2019)

Bryson DeChambeau: last winner between ages 20-29 (27 in 2020)

Gary Woodland: last winner between ages 30-39 (35 in 2019)

Payne Stewart: last winner age 40 and higher (42 in 1999)

Gary Woodland: last defending champion to miss the cut (2020)

Hale Irwin: last winner who received a special exemption (1990)

Lucas Glover: last winner to come through final qualifying (2009)

Orville Moody: last winner to come through local and final qualifying (1969)

John Goodman: last amateur winner (1933)

TELEVISION COVERAGE

The 121st U.S. Open will receive more than 45 hours of live coverage on NBC, Golf Channel and Peacock. With featured groups and featured holes coverage, the total will surpass 100 hours. Beginning Monday, June 14, NBC Sports will surround the championship with more than 40 hours of live on-site studio coverage on Golf Channel’s “Golf Central Live From the U.S. Open.”

Led by Emmy Award-winning producer Tommy Roy and along with NBC Sports’ producer Brandt Packer, NBCUniversal’s U.S. production will utilize a deep roster of broadcasters, including six past USGA champions – Kay Cockerill (1986, ’87 U.S. Women’s Amateur), David Duval (1989 U.S. Junior Amateur), Trevor Immelman (1998 U.S. Amateur Public Links), Peter Jacobsen (2004 U.S. Senior Open), Gary Koch (1970 U.S. Junior Amateur) and Justin Leonard (1992 U.S. Amateur). Dan Hicks (anchor) and Paul Azinger (analyst) will be the lead NBCUniversal broadcast team.

Date/Day Time (Local/PDT) Network Coverage

June 17/Thursday

6:45-9:30 a.m. Peacock

9:30 a.m.-4 p.m.     Golf Channel

4-7 p.m.                  NBC

7-8 p.m.                  Peacock

June 18/Friday 

6:45-9:30 a.m. Peacock

9;30 a.m.-3 p.m.      Golf Channel

3-6 p.m.                   NBC

6-7 p.m.                   Golf Channel

7-8 p.m.                   Peacock

June 19/Saturday

8 a.m.-6 p.m. NBC

June 20/Sunday

7-9 a.m.         Golf Channel

9 a.m.-5 p.m.           NBC 

CHAMPIONSHIP TROPHY

The first United States Open Championship was won by Horace Rawlins in September 1895 at Newport Country Club in Rhode Island. 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 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 Golf 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 Golf Museum in Liberty Corner, N.J.

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