1990 U.S. Open Tournament Winner and Scores
The 1990 U.S. Open was the 90th time the tournament was played. It ended with an 18-hole playoff that still didn't settle the issue, so continued into sudden-death holes.
Winner: Hale Irwin, 280
Where it was played: Medinah Country Club (No. 3 Course) in Medinah, Illinois
Tournament dates: June 14-18, 1990
Leader after first round: Jeff Sluman, Scott Simpson and Tim Simpson, 66
Leader after second round: Tim Simpson, 135
Leader after third round: Mike Donald and Billy Ray Brown, 209
What Happened in the 1990 U.S. Open
The "victory lap" — that's what the 1990 U.S. Open is best-remembered for, even though Hale Irwin's sprint around the 18th green wasn't actually in celebration of a win. That had to wait one more day.Irwin, 45 years old and a 2-time champion of this event, only got into the tournament through a special invite from the USGA. He made the most of his opportunity, firing a final-round 67 to get in the clubhouse at 8-under 280.
He achieved that score by rolling in a 45-foot birdie on the 72nd hole. When the ball dropped into the cup, giving Irwin the clubhouse lead, the crowd exploded, and Irwin took off on a sprint around the perimeter of Medinah No. 3's 18th green, slapping hands with spectators. It was an unusual outburst for a player previously regarded as stoic.
But there were still others on the course who could catch Irwin. Nick Faldo and Billy Ray Brown each came up one stroke short. But journeyman Mike Donald, shooting 71, managed to tie Irwin at 8-under. That meant Irwin and Donald had to face off in an 18-hole playoff the following day.
But once again, the scheduled number of holes wasn't enough for these two. After 18 holes of the playoff, Irwin and Donald were again tied at 74. They kept going, switching to a sudden-death playoff format, and Irwin finally won the title with a birdie on the 19th hole.
It was Irwin's third U.S. Open victory, and he set a record as the U.S. Open's oldest winner at 45 years and 15 days old.
At the opposite end of the scales were two amateurs making their major championship debuts and making the cut. Phil Mickelson turned 20 during the tournament and finished tied for 29th. David Duval was just shy of 19, and finished tied for 56th.
Curtis Strange, trying to win a third consecutive U.S. Open title, was two strokes off the lead after three rounds, but shot 75 in the final round and finished tied for 21st.
1990 U.S. Open Final Scores
| Hale Irwin | 69-70-74-67—280 (74-3) |
| Mike Donald | 67-70-72-71—280 (74-x) |
| Billy Ray Brown | 69-71-69-72—281 |
| Nick Faldo | 72-72-68-69—281 |
| Mark Brooks | 68-70-72-73—283 |
| Greg Norman | 72-73-69-69—283 |
| Tim Simpson | 66-69-75-73—283 |
| Craig Stadler | 71-70-72-71—284 |
| Scott Hoch | 70-73-69-72—284 |
| Jose Maria Olazabal | 73-69-69-73—284 |
| Fuzzy Zoeller | 73-70-68-73—284 |
| Tom Sieckmann | 70-74-68-72—284 |
| Steve Jones | 67-76-74-67—284 |
| John Inman | 72-71-70-72—285 |
| Scott Simpson | 66-73-73-73—285 |
| John Huston | 68-72-73-72—285 |
| Jim Benepe | 72-70-73-70—285 |
| Larry Mize | 72-70-69-74—285 |
| Jeff Sluman | 66-70-74-75—285 |
| Larry Nelson | 74-67-69-75—285 |
| Steve Elkington | 73-71-73-69—286 |
| Ian Woosnam | 70-70-74-72—286 |
| Curtis Strange | 73-70-68-75—286 |
| Paul Azinger | 72-72-69-74—287 |
| Jumbo Ozaki | 73-72-74-68—287 |
| Billy Tuten | 74-70-72-71—287 |
| Corey Pavin | 74-70-73-70—287 |
| Webb Heintzelman | 70-75-74-68—287 |
| Chip Beck | 71-71-73-73—288 |
| a-Phil Mickelson | 74-71-71-72—288 |
| Brian Claar | 70-71-71-76—288 |
| Mike Hulbert | 76-66-71-75—288 |
| David Frost | 72-72-72-73—289 |
| Bob Tway | 69-72-74-74—289 |
| Bobby Wadkins | 71-73-71-74—289 |
| Bob Lohr | 71-74-72-72—289 |
| Isao Aoki | 73-69-74-73—289 |
| Tom Byrum | 70-75-74-70—289 |
| Kirk Triplett | 72-70-75-72—289 |
| Steve Pate | 75-68-72-74—289 |
| Jack Nicklaus | 71-74-68-76—289 |
| Seve Ballesteros | 73-69-71-76—289 |
| Jim Gallagher Jr. | 71-69-72-77—289 |
| Ted Schulz | 73-70-69-77—289 |
| Mike Reid | 70-73-68-78—289 |
| Craig Parry | 72-71-68-79—290 |
| Robert Thompson | 71-73-72-75—291 |
| Dave Barr | 74-71-75-71—291 |
| Mark McCumber | 76-68-74-73—291 |
| Dave Rummells | 73-71-70-77—291 |
| Ray Stewart | 70-74-73-75—292 |
| Bill Glasson | 71-73-72-76—292 |
| Andy North | 74-71-71-76—292 |
| Greg Twiggs | 72-70-73-77—292 |
| Lanny Wadkins | 72-72-70-78—292 |
| Blaine McCallister | 71-72-75-75—293 |
| Tom Kite | 75-70-74-74—293 |
| a-David Duval | 72-72-72-77—293 |
| Gil Morgan | 70-72-73-78—293 |
| Bob Gilder | 71-70-74-78—293 |
| Robert Gamez | 72-73-73-76—294 |
| Scott Verplank | 72-69-77-76—294 |
| Ronan Rafferty | 75-70-73-78—296 |
| David Graham | 72-73-74-79—298 |
| Howard Twitty | 73-72-77-77—299 |
| Brad Faxon | 70-74-76-81—301 |
| Mike Smith | 72-72-82-80—306 |
| Randy Wylie | 70-75-81-82—308 |
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