No other venue has a closer association with the US Open than Pennsylvania’s Oakmont Country Club.
The club’s history with the Major stretches back almost a century, to 1927, when it hosted the US Open for the first time, while it will be held at the course for a record 10th time in 2025.
It’s not just the men’s game that has seen Oakmont host one of the toughest tests in golf on multiple occasions, either. The US Women’s Open has been held at Oakmont twice. Meanwhile, its place as one of the most famous US Open venues is secure well into the future, with the men’s Major returning in 2033, 2042 and 2049, while the women’s equivalent will be held there for the third time in 2028 and again a decade later.
While the stories of those Majors will unfold in due course, here is how the previous editions of the US Open played at Oakmont were won.
US Open Winners At Oakmont
Tommy Armour – 1927
A year after Scottish-born Tommy Armour claimed his first Major title at the PGA Championship, he had the honor of becoming the first US Open winner at Oakmont when he closed the one-shot gap over third-round leader Harry Cooper to force a playoff.
He won the 18-hole decider by three, finishing on four over to condemn Cooper to the first of his four runner-up placings in a Major.
Sam Parks Jr – 1935
The US Open's second visit to Oakmont produced a shock when 25-year-old club pro Sam Parks Jr, who had no previous tournament wins, prevailed by two over Jimmy Thomson.
The upset was well and truly on with just one round to go as the two shared the lead. However, Parks Jr’s preparation, which had seen him play a practice round at the course every day the previous month, paid off when he carded a final round of 76 to win by two.
Ben Hogan - 1953
Undoubtedly, 1953 was Ben Hogan’s year, who followed up his win at The Masters with a wire-to-wire victory in the US Open for his fourth success in the Major.
He led by three after the first round and, even though Sam Snead, who had won the PGA Championship at Oakmont two years earlier, was just one behind at the end of the third, Hogan’s 71 in the final round saw him beat Snead by six.
He wasn’t done there, going on to win The Open to complete the Triple Crown, only failing to get a chance at winning all four because the PGA Championship overlapped with the Carnoustie Major.
Jack Nicklaus – 1962
It’s not as though there had been no warnings… Jack Nicklaus had already played in two US Opens as an amateur, and he wasn’t far away from victory on both occasions, placing runner-up in 1960 and T4 a year later. However, it was the 1962 edition at Oakmont where he won the first of his record 18 Major titles.
With one round to go, Nicklaus had his sights set firmly on his maiden professional title, sitting in T5, just two back of leaders Bobby Nichols and Arnold Palmer. After the 13th hole of the final round, Nicklaus had drawn level with Palmer, and nothing separated them five holes later, so they returned the next day for an 18-hole playoff.
Nicklaus got off to a flying start and was four ahead after six extra holes. At one point, that gap narrowed to one, but Nicklaus wasn’t to be denied, eventually winning by three to set him on his way to becoming arguably the greatest player of all time.
Johnny Miller – 1973
In 1973, Oakmont was the scene of a performance that is widely regarded as one of the best in history, when Johnny Miller won despite heading into the final round six shots back of four players tied at the top.
He soon made headway, with birdies in his first four holes, and by the time he had finished, he had broken the record for the lowest score in a Major with an eight-under 63 to beat John Schlee by one. It took 44 years for that to be bettered when Branden Grace carded a 62 in the third round of the 2017 Open at Royal Birkdale.
Larry Nelson - 1983
Heading into the final round of the 1983 US Open at Oakmont, most attention was on co-leaders Tom Watson, who was the defending champion, and Seve Ballesteros. However, just one behind was Larry Nelson, who was eyeing his second Major title.
Sunday’s final round was cut short due to bad weather, but by that time, Nelson and Watson were tied at four under. After returning on Monday, Nelson was in control until the three putted for bogey on the 18th, leaving an anxious wait for Watson to finish. Watson needed a birdie at the 18th to force a playoff, but he failed to hole out a chip shot, leaving Nelson the victor, helped by setting a new tournament record of just 132 shots over the last 36 holes.
Ernie Els – 1994
Ernie Els was primed for his first Major title after three rounds of the 1994 US Open at Oakmont, with a lead of two. However, a bogey on the 18th of his final round saw him make a 73, taking him to a playoff against Colin Montgomerie and Loren Roberts.
Els began the playoff poorly with bogey-triple bogey, but thankfully for him, he wasn’t the only one, with Montgomerie faring even worse and falling out of contention, while Roberts double-bogeyed the fifth.
In the end, Els and Roberts were tied on three over after the 18 holes, with Montgomerie eliminated on seven over. In the sudden-death decider, par was enough for Els to claim the first of his four Major titles.
Angel Cabrera – 2007
Cabrera led by one at the halfway stage of the 2007 edition, but a 76 in the third round saw him fall four behind leader Aaron Baddeley and facing an uphill battle to win his first Major.
He was up to the task, carding a one-under final round of 69, but he had to wait to see if it would be enough with Jim Furyk and Tiger Woods both hoping to overturn his one-shot lead. Both players needed a birdie on the 18th to take it to a Monday playoff, but both failed, making Cabrera the first Argentinian to win the tournament.
Dustin Johnson – 2016
A weather-affected edition in 2016 saw Shane Lowry hold a commanding four-shot lead over Andrew Landry and Dustin Johnson with one round to play, but he had a disappointing 76 on Sunday to place T2 with Scott Piercy and Jim Furyk as Johnson claimed his maiden Major title.
Johnson, who carded a 69 in the final round, could even afford a one-shot penalty after he was adjudged to have made his ball move as he addressed it on the fifth green and still win by three.
Year |
Player |
Winning Score |
1927 |
Tommy Armour |
+13 (playoff) |
1935 |
Sam Parks Jr. |
+11 (two strokes) |
1953 |
Ben Hogan |
-5 (six strokes) |
1962 |
Jack Nicklaus |
-1 (playoff) |
1973 |
Johnny Miller |
-5 (one stroke) |
1983 |
Larry Nelson |
-4 (one stroke) |
1994 |
Ernie Els |
-5 (playoff) |
2007 |
Angel Cabrera |
+5 (one stroke) |
2016 |
Dustin Johnson |
-4 (three strokes) |
US Women’s Open Winners At Oakmont
Patty Sheehan – 1992
Set at 6,312 yards, the first US Women’s at Oakmont was the second longest in the tournament’s history, and it was Patty Sheehan who got to grips with it the best, albeit requiring an 18-hole playoff against Juli Inkster to achieve it.
The two were tied for the lead after three rounds, and with nothing separating them after 72 holes, 18 additional holes were required. Sheehan got off to a good start with a birdie at the first and another followed at the 13th, along with three bogeys. For Inkster, it wasn’t as successful, with four bogeys and one birdie ensuring Sheehan won by two.
Paula Creamer – 2010
Paula Creamer was three shots behind leader Brittany Lang after the opening round, but at the halfway stage she tied the lead with Sakura Yokomine. Her second successive 70 in the third round opened a one-shot gap over Wendy Ward, and a 69 saw her ease to a four-shot victory over Na Yeon Choi and Suzann Pettersen for her one Major title to date.
Year |
Player |
Winning Score |
1992 |
Patty Sheehan |
-4 (playoff) |
2010 |
Paula Creamer |
-3 (four strokes) |
Other Major Tournament Winners At Oakmont
Event |
Winner |
Winning Score |
1919 US Amatuer |
Davidson Herron |
5&4 |
1922 PGA Championship |
Gene Sarazen |
4&3 |
1925 US Amateur* |
Bobby Jones |
8&7 |
1938 US Amateur* |
Willy Turnesa |
8&7 |
1951 PGA Championship |
Sam Snead |
7&6 |
1978 PGA Championship |
John Mahaffey |
-8 (playoff) |
*Considered a Major at the time
