US Open winning scores: A history of the 72-hole winning totals
U.S. Open

US Open winning scores: A history of the 72-hole winning totals

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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.

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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 93 U.S. Opens dating back to 1930, 57 of the Open host courses had par at 70. The next most-common par is 71, which has been the case 22 different times, most recently in 2021. 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
2022 The Country Club 274 -6 70
2021 Torrey Pines 278 -6 71
2020 (Sept.) Winged Foot 274 -6 70
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

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