43rd U.S. Senior Open Championship – Fact Sheet

The 43rd U.S. Senior Open Championship kicks off this week at SentryWorld Golf Course in Stevens Point, Wisconsin.

The course will be set up at 7,177 yards and will play to a par of 35-36–71. The yardage for each round of the championship will vary due to course setup and conditions.

SentryWorld Hole By Hole  

Hole 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Total

Par         4 4 3 4 5 4 3 4 4 35

Yardage 460 506 185 372 514 487 234 391 456 3,605   

Hole 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Total

Par         5 4 3 4 5 4 3 4 4 36

Yardage 577 355 182 419 576 457 202 366 438 3,572

THE COURSE

SentryWorld, a public, parkland course in central Wisconsin, was developed by Sentry Insurance in 1982 as part of a sports complex that includes indoor tennis courts, banquet space and restaurants. At the heart of the 200-acre property lies the championship layout, designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr. In 2013, Jones oversaw a major renovation that was led by architects Bruce Charlton and Jay Blasi.

COURSE RATING

Based on the course setup for the championship, the USGA Course Rating™ is 76.5 and the Slope Rating® is 149.

WHO CAN ENTER

The championship is open to any professional or amateur golfer who is 50 years of age or older as of June 29. An amateur is eligible with a Handicap Index® not exceeding 3.4.

ENTRIES

The USGA accepted 3,066 entries for the 2023 U.S. Senior Open, the second-highest total in championship history. The record was established in 2002, when 3,101 golfers applied to play. More than 3,000 entries were accepted for the fourth time.

QUALIFYING

Qualifying, conducted over 18 holes, was held at 33 sites around the country between May 8-June 8. Qualifying sites were scheduled in 25 states, including five in California, three in Florida and two in Wisconsin and Texas. Troy Burne Golf Club, in Hudson, Wis., hosted on May 17, while Stevens Point (Wis.) Country Club was a qualifying site on May 26.

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 Thursday, June 29, through Sunday, July 2. In the case of a tie after 72 holes, a two-hole aggregate playoff will commence immediately after the conclusion of the fourth round.

2022 CHAMPION

Padraig Harrington, who began the day with a five-stroke cushion, had to sweat out a one-stroke victory over 2019 champion Steve Stricker in the 42nd U.S. Senior Open at Saucon Valley Country Club’s Old Course in Bethlehem, Pa. He became the third consecutive player to win this championship in his first start, and the 11th overall.

The 50-year-old carded a final-round, 1-over-par 72 for a 72-hole total of 10-under 274 to become the first player from the Republic of Ireland to hoist the Francis D. Ouimet Memorial Trophy. He also joined World Golf Hall of Famers Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, Lee Trevino and Jack Nicklaus as the only multiple winners of The Open Championship to also win the U.S. Senior Open. Harrington, a three-time major champion, claimed the Claret Jug in 2007 and 2008.

Harrington sealed his victory by holing a 30-foot birdie putt on the par-4 15th hole and closing with three solid two-putt pars. Stricker shot a final-round 65, including a birdie on No. 18 when he hit a 155-yard 9-iron approach to within 6 feet.

PURSE

The 2023 purse is $4 million; with the winner earning $720,000.

TELEVISION SCHEDULE

The 2023 U.S. Senior Open will receive at least 20 hours of broadcast coverage on NBCUniversal. Rolex will be the exclusive presenting partner of coverage for seven USGA championships, including the U.S. Senior Open. Rolex’s commitment will allow uninterrupted coverage of these championships, providing fans hours of continuous live action.

June 29/Thursday, 1 a.m.-2 p.m., 5-7 p.m., Golf Channel

June 30/Friday, 11 a.m.-2 p.m., 5-7 p.m., Golf Channel

July 1/Saturday, Noon.-1 p.m., Peacock, 1-5 p.m., NBC

July 2/Sunday, 11 a.m.-1 p.m., Peacock, 1-4 p.m., NBC

HISTORY

This is the 43rd U.S. Senior Open Championship. The first U.S. Senior Open, played in 1980 on the East Course at Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck, N.Y., was conducted for golfers 55 and older. The next year, the USGA lowered the minimum age to 50.

Miller Barber captured the first of his three U.S. Senior Open titles in 1982 – he also won in 1984 and 1985 and is the only three-time champion. The U.S. Senior Open has five two-time winners: Gary Player (1987, 1988), Jack Nicklaus (1991, 1993), Hale Irwin (1998, 2000), Allen Doyle (2005, 2006) and Kenny Perry (2013, 2017). Doyle became the championship’s oldest winner in 2006 at the age of 57 years, 11 months, 14 days.

The youngest champion is Dale Douglass, who won in 1986 at the age of 50 years, 3 months, 24 days.

2023 U.S. SENIOR OPEN NOTES

►SentryWorld will host the second U.S. Senior Open Championship in the state of Wisconsin

►The 43rd U.S. Senior Open will be the 17th USGA championship to be conducted in Wisconsin

►Padraig Harrington will attempt to become the fourth player to win consecutive U.S. Senior Opens

USGA AND SENTRYWORLD

This is the third USGA championship and first U.S. Senior Open to be conducted at SentryWorld. Cindy Schreyer won the 1986 U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links and Lei Ye claimed the 2019 U.S. Girls’ Junior. Here are the previous USGA championships held at SentryWorld:

1986 U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links: Cindy Schreyer def. Vicki Goetze, 3 and 2

2019 U.S. Girls’ Junior: Lei Ye def. Jillian Bourdage, 1 up

USGA CHAMPIONSHIPS IN WISCONSIN

This will be the 17th USGA championship played in Wisconsin and the second U.S. Senior Open contested in the state. Brad Bryant won the 2007 U.S. Senior Open at Whistling Straits. In 2025, the Badger State will host the 80th U.S. Women’s Open at Erin Hills, in Erin.

List of USGA Championships in Wisconsin (champion in parentheses)

1951 U.S. Amateur Public Links, Brown Deer Park G.C., Milwaukee (Dave Stanley)

1966 U.S. Amateur Public Links, Brown Deer Park G.C., Milwaukee (Lamont Kaser)

1969 Walker Cup Match, Milwaukee C.C., River Hills (USA)

1977 U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links, Yahara Hills G.C., Madison (Kelly Fuiks)

1977 U.S. Amateur Public Links, Brown Deer Park G.C., Milwaukee (Jerry Vidovic)

1986 U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links, SentryWorld G.C., Stevens Point (Cindy Schreyer)

1988 U.S. Senior Amateur, Milwaukee C.C., River Hills (Clarence Moore)

1998 U.S. Women’s Open, Blackwolf Run, Kohler (Se Ri Pak)

2007 U.S. Senior Open, Whistling Straits, Kohler, Wis. (Brad Bryant)

2008 U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links, Erin Hills, Erin (Tiffany Joh)

2008 U.S. Mid-Amateur, Milwaukee C.C., River Hills (Steve Wilson)

2011 U.S. Amateur, Erin Hills, Erin (Kelly Kraft)

2012 U.S. Women’s Open, Blackwolf Run, Kohler (Na Yeon Choi)

2017 U.S. Open, Erin Hills, Erin (Brooks Koepka)

2019 U.S. Girls’ Junior, SentryWorld G.C., Stevens Point (Lei Ye)

2022 U.S. Mid-Amateur, Erin Hills, Erin (Matthew McClean)

LONGEST U.S. SENIOR OPEN COURSES

7,269 yards, Crooked Stick G.C., second round, Carmel, Ind., 2009

7,249 yards, The Broadmoor (East Course), first round, Colorado Springs, Colo., 2018

7,248 yards, The Broadmoor (East Course), fourth round, Colorado Springs, Colo., 2008

7,241 yards, Crooked Stick G.C., first round, Carmel, Ind., 2009

7,223 yards, Crooked Stick G.C., fourth round, Carmel, Ind., 2009

7,217 yards, The Broadmoor (East Course), first round, Colorado Springs, Colo., 2008

7,208 yards, Crooked Stick G.C., third round, Carmel, Ind., 2009

7,192 yards, The Broadmoor (East Course), third round, Colorado Springs, Colo., 2008

7,185 yards, The Broadmoor (East Course), fourth round, Colorado Springs, Colo., 2018

7,164 yards, Inverness Club, fourth round, Toledo, Ohio, 2011

7,156 yards, The Broadmoor (East Course), third round, Colorado Springs, Colo., 2018

LONGEST PAR 3s in U.S. SENIOR OPEN HISTORY

250 yards, 5th, fourth round, Warren Course at Notre Dame, South Bend, Ind., 2019

244 yards, 12th, first round, The Broadmoor (East Course), Colorado Springs, Colo., 2008

240 yards, 5th, first round, Warren Course at Notre Dame, South Bend, Ind., 2019

240 yards, 3rd, second round, Omaha (Neb.) C.C., 2021

239 yards, 12th, third round, The Broadmoor (East Course), Colorado Springs, Colo., 2008

238 yards, 12th, first round, The Broadmoor (East Course), Colorado Springs, Colo., 2018

237 yards, 14th, third round, Scioto C.C., Columbus, Ohio, 2016

235 yards, 15th, second round, Inverness Club, Toledo, Ohio, 2011

235 yards, 3rd, third round, Omaha (Neb.) C.C., 2021

234 yards, 17th, fourth round, Del Paso C.C., Sacramento, Calif., 2015

LONGEST PAR 4s in U.S. SENIOR OPEN HISTORY

559 yards, 17th, first round, The Broadmoor (East Course), Colorado Springs, Colo., 2018

545 yards, 17th, second round, The Broadmoor (East Course), Colorado Springs, Colo., 2008

545 yards, 17th, third round, The Broadmoor (East Course), Colorado Springs, Colo., 2008

538 yards, 17th, second round, The Broadmoor (East Course), Colorado Springs, Colo., 2018

532 yards, 17th, fourth round, The Broadmoor (East Course), Colorado Springs, Colo., 2018

517 yards, 17th, third round, The Broadmoor (East Course), Colorado Springs, Colo., 2018

510 yards, 17th, first round, The Broadmoor (East Course), Colorado Springs, Colo., 2008

503 yards, 10th, first round, The Broadmoor (East Course), Colorado Springs, Colo., 2018

502 yards, 10th, fourth round, Omaha (Neb.) C.C., 2013

502 yards, 10th, second round, The Broadmoor (East Course), Colorado Springs, Colo., 2018

LONGEST PAR 5s IN U.S. SENIOR OPEN HISTORY

627 yards, 15th, third round, Del Paso Country Club, Sacramento, Calif., 2015

623 yards, 12th, second round, Saucon Valley C.C. (Old Course), Bethlehem, Pa., 2022

619 yards, 12th, fourth round, Saucon Valley C.C. (Old Course), Bethlehem, Pa., 2022

608 yards, 7th, Brooklawn Country Club, Fairfield, Conn., 1987

608 yards, 6th, Canterbury Golf Club, Beachwood, Ohio, 1996

608 yards, 3rd, first round, The Broadmoor (East Course), Colorado Springs, Colo., 2018

608 yards, 3rd, fourth round, The Broadmoor (East Course), Colorado Springs, Colo., 2018

608 yards, 12th, third round, Saucon Valley C.C. (Old Course), Bethlehem, Pa., 2022

604 yards, 15th, first round, Del Paso Country Club, Sacramento, Calif., 2015

604 yards, 12th, first round, Saucon Valley C.C. (Old Course), Bethlehem, Pa., 2022

601 yards, 3rd, first round, The Broadmoor (East Course), Colorado Springs, Colo., 2008

601 yards, 3rd, fourth round, The Broadmoor (East Course), Colorado Springs, Colo., 2008

WINNERS OF U.S. OPEN AND U.S. SENIOR OPEN

Billy Casper (1959, 1966 U.S. Open; 1983 U.S. Senior Open)

Jim Furyk (2003 U.S. Open; 2021 U.S. Senior Open)

Hale Irwin (1974, 1979, 1990 U.S. Open; 1998, 2000 U.S. Senior Open)

Orville Moody (1969 U.S. Open; 1989 U.S. Senior Open)

Jack Nicklaus (1962, 1967, 1972, 1980 U.S. Open; 1991, 1993 U.S. Senior Open)

Arnold Palmer (1960 U.S. Open; 1981 U.S. Senior Open)

Gary Player (1965 U.S. Open; 1987, 1988 U.S. Senior Open)

Lee Trevino (1968, 1971 U.S. Open: 1990 U.S. Senior Open)

THE LAST TIME IT HAPPENED AT THE SENIOR OPEN

Padraig Harrington – the last international winner (2022)

Allen Doyle – the last to defend title successfully (2006)

Padraig Harrington – the last to win on his first attempt (2022)

David Toms – the last to win on his second attempt (2018)

Olin Browne – the last start-to-finish winner with no ties (2011)

Hale Irwin – the last winner to birdie the 72nd hole to win by one stroke (1998)

Gary Player – the last winner without a round in the 60s (1988)

Steve Stricker – the last winner with all rounds in the 60s (2019)

Gene Sauers – the last defending champion to miss the cut (2017)

Don Pooley – the last winner to come through final qualifying (2002)

FUTURE SITES

June 27-30, 2024: Newport (R.I.) Country Club

June 26-29, 2025: The Broadmoor (East Course), Colorado Springs, Colo.

2030 (Dates TBD): Spyglass Hill Golf Course, Pebble Beach, Calif.

2032 and 2042 (Dates TBD): Saucon Valley Country Club (Old Course), Bethlehem, Pa.

WHAT THE CHAMPION RECEIVES

Among the benefits received by the 2023 U.S. Senior Open champion are:

►A gold medal and custody of the Francis D. Ouimet Memorial Trophy for the ensuing year

►An exemption from final qualifying for the 2024 U.S. Open Championship

►An exemption from qualifying for the next 10 U.S. Senior Open Championships

CHAMPIONSHIP TROPHY

The U.S. Senior Open, first contested in 1980, is in its fifth decade as a USGA championship. Yet the U.S. Senior Open Trophy is actually the oldest among the USGA’s championship trophies.

On Sept. 24, 1894, the Tuxedo Club of Tuxedo Park, N.Y., invited three other clubs to compete in the first American interclub tournament. Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, Saint Andrew’s Golf Club and The Country Club agreed to the challenge. While there is still some dispute as to which team won, The Country Club team, consisting of H.C. Leeds, Laurence Curtis, Robert Bacon and W.B. Thomas, returned home with the trophy. The sterling silver, hourglass-shaped cup remained in the club’s possession until the mid-1950s, when it was given to the USGA for exhibition.

In June 1980, with the USGA preparing for the first U.S. Senior Open, The Country Club suggested that the trophy be used as the formal award for the championship. The cup was presented “by The Country Club and Golfers of Massachusetts,” and formally dedicated as the Francis D. Ouimet Memorial Trophy. Roberto De Vicenzo received it at Winged Foot Golf Club as the inaugural champion. A replica of the trophy, complete with engraving of the 1894 Brookline team, was produced by the USGA in 1997 and awarded to Graham Marsh at Olympia Fields (Ill.) Country Club. The original was then given its second and final retirement.

The original U.S. Senior Open Trophy is on display at the USGA Museum in Liberty Corner, N.J.