The old mantra is that the U.S. Open winning score is typically around even par, with the conventional thinking that the USGA protects par at all costs.
However, a U.S. Open winning score at even par is rare, at best. Since 1930, when the USGA began tracking scores in the championship against par, an even-par total has won just seven times, most recently when Graeme McDowell won the 2010 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach Golf Links.
Actually, the most common U.S. Open winning score has been 4 under par, which has happened 10 times since 1930. A 1-over winning score has been recorded eight different times as well, making it the second-most common winning score.
A winning score lower than 10 under par has only been recorded three times. It first happened Tiger Woods won the 2000 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach at 12-under total. Then Rory McIlroy won the 2011 U.S. Open at Congressional Country Club's Blue Course at 16-under 268, the record 72-hole total. Brooks Koepka won the 2017 U.S. Open at Erin Hills in Wisconsin on 16-under 272, as the course played as a par-72 layout.
There's also an expectation that the U.S. Open is played on a par-70 course, with 72-hole par at 280. And, that's reasonable. In the 83 U.S. Opens dating back to 1930, 48 of the Open host courses had par at 70. The next most-common par is 71, which has been the case 21 different times, most recently in 2011. A U.S. Open host course has played to a par of 72 on 14 different times since 1930, with the 1992 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach being the last time before 2017.
US Open winning scores against par
Click header to sort
YEAR | COURSE | TOTAL | TO PAR | PAR |
---|---|---|---|---|
2019 | Pebble Beach | 271 | -13 | 71 |
2018 | Shinnecock Hills | 281 | +1 | 70 |
2017 | Erin Hills | 272 | -16 | 72 |
2014 | Pinehurst Resort, Course No. 2 | 271 | -9 | 70 |
1980 | Baltusrol Golf Club, Lower Course | 272 | -8 | 70 |
1993 | Baltusrol Golf Club, Lower Course | 272 | -8 | 70 |
2003 | Olympia Fields Country Club, North Course | 272 | -8 | 70 |
1981 | Merion Golf Club, East Course | 273 | -7 | 70 |
1967 | Baltusrol Golf Club, Lower Course | 275 | -5 | 70 |
1968 | Oak Hill Country Club, East Course | 275 | -5 | 70 |
2015 | Chambers Bay | 275 | -5 | 70 |
1984 | Winged Foot Golf Club, West Course | 276 | -4 | 70 |
1997 | Congressional Country Club, Blue Course | 276 | -4 | 70 |
2001 | Southern Hills Country Club | 276 | -4 | 70 |
2004 | Shinnecock Hills Golf Club | 276 | -4 | 70 |
2009 | Bethpage State Park, Black Course | 276 | -4 | 70 |
2016 | Oakmont Country Club | 276 | -4 | 70 |
1976 | Atlanta Athletic Club, Highlands Course | 277 | -3 | 70 |
1987 | Olympic Club, Lake Course | 277 | -3 | 70 |
2002 | Bethpage State Park, Black Course | 277 | -3 | 70 |
1964 | Congressional Country Club, Blue Course | 278 | -2 | 70 |
1966 | Olympic Club, Lake Course | 278 | -2 | 70 |
1977 | Southern Hills Country Club | 278 | -2 | 70 |
1989 | Oak Hill Country Club, East Course | 278 | -2 | 70 |
1996 | Oakland Hills Country Club, South Course | 278 | -2 | 70 |
1985 | Oakland Hills Country Club, South Course | 279 | -1 | 70 |
1986 | Shinnecock Hills Golf Club | 279 | -1 | 70 |
1999 | Pinehurst Resort, Course No. 2 | 279 | -1 | 70 |
1971 | Merion Golf Club, East Course | 280 | 0 | 70 |
1995 | Shinnecock Hills Golf Club | 280 | 0 | 70 |
1998 | Olympic Club, Lake Course | 280 | 0 | 70 |
2005 | Pinehurst Resort, Course No. 2 | 280 | 0 | 70 |
1937 | Oakland Hills Country Club, South Course | 281 | 1 | 70 |
1952 | Northwood Club | 281 | 1 | 70 |
1956 | Oak Hill Country Club, East Course | 281 | 1 | 70 |
1961 | Oakland Hills Country Club, South Course | 281 | 1 | 70 |
1969 | Champions Golf Club, Cypress Creek Course | 281 | 1 | 70 |
2012 | Olympic Club, Lake Course | 281 | 1 | 70 |
2013 | Merion Golf Club, East Course | 281 | 1 | 70 |
1957 | Inverness Club | 282 | 2 | 70 |
1959 | Winged Foot Golf Club, West Course | 282 | 2 | 70 |
1965 | Bellerive Country Club | 282 | 2 | 70 |
1958 | Southern Hills Country Club | 283 | 3 | 70 |
1941 | Colonial Country Club | 284 | 4 | 70 |
1954 | Baltusrol Golf Club, Lower Course | 284 | 4 | 70 |
2006 | Winged Foot Golf Club, West Course | 285 | 5 | 70 |
2007 | Oakmont Country Club | 285 | 5 | 70 |
1950 | Merion Golf Club, East Course | 287 | 7 | 70 |
1951 | Oakland Hills Country Club, South Course | 287 | 7 | 70 |
1955 | Olympic Club, Lake Course | 287 | 7 | 70 |
1974 | Winged Foot Golf Club, West Course | 287 | 7 | 70 |
2011 | Congressional Country Club, Blue Course | 268 | -16 | 71 |
2000 | Pebble Beach Golf Links | 272 | -12 | 71 |
1948 | Riviera Country Club | 276 | -8 | 71 |
1988 | The Country Club, Composite Course | 278 | -6 | 71 |
1973 | Oakmont Country Club | 279 | -5 | 71 |
1994 | Oakmont Country Club | 279 | -5 | 71 |
1960 | Cherry Hills Country Club | 280 | -4 | 71 |
1983 | Oakmont Country Club | 280 | -4 | 71 |
1936 | Baltusrol Golf Club, Upper Course | 282 | -2 | 71 |
1947 | St. Louis Country Club | 282 | -2 | 71 |
1962 | Oakmont Country Club | 283 | -1 | 71 |
2008 | Torrey Pines Golf Course, South Course | 283 | -1 | 71 |
1938 | Cherry Hills Country Club | 284 | 0 | 71 |
1979 | Inverness Club | 284 | 0 | 71 |
2010 | Pebble Beach Golf Links | 284 | 0 | 71 |
1978 | Cherry Hills Country Club | 285 | 1 | 71 |
1932 | Fresh Meadow Country Club | 286 | 2 | 71 |
1949 | Medinah Country Club, Course No. 3 | 286 | 2 | 71 |
1975 | Medinah Country Club, Course No. 3 | 287 | 3 | 71 |
1934 | Merion Golf Club, East Course | 293 | 9 | 71 |
1963 | The Country Club, Composite Course | 293 | 9 | 71 |
1990 | Medinah Country Club, Course No. 3 | 280 | -8 | 72 |
1970 | Hazeltine National Golf Club | 281 | -7 | 72 |
1982 | Pebble Beach Golf Links | 282 | -6 | 72 |
1991 | Hazeltine National Golf Club | 282 | -6 | 72 |
1953 | Oakmont Country Club | 283 | -5 | 72 |
1939 | Philadelphia Country Club, Spring Mill Course | 284 | -4 | 72 |
1946 | Canterbury Golf Club | 284 | -4 | 72 |
1992 | Pebble Beach Golf Links | 285 | -3 | 72 |
1930 | Interlachen Country Club | 287 | -1 | 72 |
1933 | North Shore Country Club | 287 | -1 | 72 |
1940 | Canterbury Golf Club | 287 | -1 | 72 |
1972 | Pebble Beach Golf Links | 290 | 2 | 72 |
1931 | Inverness Club | 292 | 4 | 72 |
1935 | Oakmont Country Club | 299 | 11 | 72 |