Golf Compendium

The early history of the U.S. Open golf tournament was dominated by British golfers. The tournament was first played in 1895, but it wasn't until 1911 that an American golfer won it. That first American winner of the U.S. Open was Johnny McDermott.

The 2026 U.S. Open golf championship will be the 126th time this tournament is played. The U.S. Open, run by the United States Golf Association (USGA), dates to 1895. It is one of the four major championships of men's professional golf, and the second-oldest (after the British Open).

Alex Smith was one of a trio of famous golfing brothers from Scotland who made their names as pros in America. In the early 1900s, Smith compiled one of the most-impressive U.S. Open records, including winning that major championship twice. He had other big wins, and also became famous as an instructor: Three of his pupils later joined the World Golf Hall of Fame.

What is the largest-ever come-from-behind win in the U.S. Open? If we qualify that to mean that most strokes made up by a golfer in the final round, the answer is seven strokes. And one of the giants of the game set the record.

The 2024 U.S. Women's Open was the 79th time this major championship was played. And it was the second time that Yuka Saso won this title.

There are 156 golfers in the field at the U.S. Open each year. But how do those players make the field? Some of them qualify automatically by meeting selection criteria (such as winning majors, ranking high in the world rankings, and so on). Others play their way in through qualifier tournaments.

How many golfers have won back-to-back U.S. Open titles? So far the number is seven. Neither Jack Nicklaus nor Tiger Woods did it, but there is one golfer who won this tournament three times in a row.

Ken Still was a professional golfer on the PGA Tour in the 1960s and 1970s. All of his PGA Tour wins, though, happened in the two-year stretch of 1969 and 1970. He also made the American Ryder Cup team during that time.

The PGA Championship and the British Open (Open Championship) are two of the four "major championships" in men's professional golf. That makes them two of the most important tournaments on the schedule every year. Winning just one of them earns a golfer a place in history. Winning them both? That is an uncommon achievement. Winning them both in the same calendar year? That's something that has happened well under 10 times in golf history.

The 2026 PGA Championship will be the 108th time this golf tournament is played. The PGA Championship was first played in 1916. It is one of the four major championships of men's professional golf and is run by the PGA of America.