The U.S. Open is an annual golf competition established in 1895, with Horace Rawlins winning the inaugural championship.^[1] It is run by the United States Golf Association (USGA). The championship was not held from 1917 to 1918 or from 1942 to 1945 due to World War I and World War II respectively.

The U.S. Open is currently the third of four major championships to be played each year. U.S. Open champions are automatically invited to play in the other three majors (the Masters, the Open Championship (British Open), and the PGA Championship) for the next five years, and earn a ten-year exemption from qualifying for the U.S. Open. They also receive membership on the PGA Tour for the following five seasons and invitations to The Players Championship for the five years following their victories.^[2] The champion receives a gold champion's medal, and the U.S. Open Championship Cup, which the winner is allowed to keep for a year.^[3]

Willie Anderson, Bobby Jones, Ben Hogan and Jack Nicklaus hold the record for the most U.S. Open victories, with four victories each.^[4] Anderson holds the record for most consecutive wins with three (1903–05). Hale Irwin is the oldest winner of the U.S. Open: he was 45 years and 15 days old when he won in 1990.^[5] The youngest winner of the U.S. Open is John McDermott who was 19 years, 10 months and 14 days old when he won in 1911.^[5] Rory McIlroy holds the record for the lowest aggregate score in 2011 at 268. Rory McIlroy and Brooks Koepka share the record for the lowest score in relation to par with their winning scores of -16. ^[6]

The U.S. Open has been won wire-to-wire by seven golfers on eight occasions: 1914 by Walter Hagen, 1921 by Jim Barnes, 1953 by Hogan, 1970 by Tony Jacklin, 2000 and 2002 by Tiger Woods, 2011 by McIlroy, and 2014 by Martin Kaymer.^[7][8] Eight others have led wire-to-wire in nine tournaments if ties after a round are counted: Willie Anderson in 1903, Alex Smith in 1906, Chick Evans in 1916, Tommy Bolt in 1958, Nicklaus in 1972 and 1980, Hubert Green in 1977, Payne Stewart in 1991, and Retief Goosen in 2001.^[7]