Historical Notes - Past Champions - Championship Records

Championship Records

Age

Oldest Champion (years / months / days)
47/3/9 - Jack Westland, 1952

Youngest Champion (years / months / days)
18/7/29 - Tiger Woods, 1994

Youngest Competitors
14/4/12 - Joseph Bramlett, 2002

Youngest Finalist
17/3/5 - Sung Yoon Kim, 1999

Champions

Most Championships Won
5 - Robert T. Jones Jr. (1924, 1925, 1927, 1928, 1930)
4 - Jerome D. Travers (1907, 1908, 1912, 1913)
3 - Tiger Woods (1994, 1995, 1996)
3 - Walter Travis (1900, 1901, 1903)

Most Consecutive Championships Won
3 - Tiger Woods (1994, 1995, 1996)
2 - H. J. Whigham (1896, 1897)
2 - Walter J. Travis (1900, 1901)
2 - H. Chandler Egan (1904, 1905)
2 - Jerome D. Travers (1907, 1908 and 1912, 1913)
2 - Robert T. Jones Jr. (1924, 1925 and 1927, 1928)
2 - W. Lawson Little Jr. (1934, 1935)
2 - E. Harvie Ward Jr. (1955, 1956)
2 - Jay Sigel (1982, 1983)

Most Times in Final
7 - Robert T. Jones Jr. (1919, 1924, 1925, 1926, 1927, 1928, 1930)
5 - Jerome D. Travers (1907, 1908, 1912, 1913, 1914)
5 - Charles Evans Jr. (1912, 1916, 1920, 1922, 1927)

Most Times Runner - Up
3 - Charles Evans Jr. (1912, 1922, 1927)
3 - Raymond Billows (1937, 1939, 1948)
3 - Marvin Giles III (1967, 1968, 1969)

Foreign - Born Champions (7)
H. G. Whigham, Tarbolton, Scotland (1896, 1897)
Findlay S. Douglas, St. Andrews, Scotland (1898)
Walter J. Travis, Malden, Victoria, Australia (1900, 1901, 1901)
Harold H. Hilton, Liverpool, England (1911)
C. Ross Somerville, London, Ontario, Canada (1932)
Gary Cowan, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada (1966, 1971)
Nick Flanagan, New South Wales, Australia (2003)

(Note: Whigham, Douglas, and Travis had emigrated to the United States by the time they won.)

Winners of U.S. Amateur and U.S. Open (11)
Jerome D. Travers (1907, 1908, 1912, 1913 Amateurs; 1915 Open)
Francis Ouimet (1914, 1931 Amateurs; 1913 Open)
*Charles Evans Jr. (1916, 1920 Amateurs; 1916 Open)
*Robert T. Jones Jr. (1924, 1925, 1927, 1928, 1930 Amateurs; 1923, 1926, 1929, 1930 Opens)
W. Lawson Little Jr. (1934, 1935 Amateurs; 1940 Open)
John Goodman (1937 Amateur; 1933 Open)
Gene Littler (1953 Amateur; 1961 Open)
Arnold Palmer (1954 Amateur; 1960 Open)
Jack Nicklaus (1959, 1961 Amateurs; 1962, 1967, 1972, 1980 Opens)
Jerry Pate (1974 Amateur; 1976 Open)
Tiger Woods(1994, 1995, 1996, Amateur; 2000 Open)

*Won both in same year

Winners of U.S. and British Amateurs (13)
Walter J. Travis (1900, 1901, 1903 U.S.; 1904 British)
*Harold Hilton (1911 U.S.; 1900, 1901, 1911, 1913 British)
Jess Sweetser (1922 U.S.; 1926 British)
*Robert T. Jones Jr. (1924, 1925, 1927, 1928, 1930 U.S.; 1930 British)
*W. Lawson Little Jr. (1934, 1935 U.S.; 1934, 1935 British)
William R. Turnesa (1938, 1948 U.S.; 1947 British)
Richard D. Chapman (1940 U.S.; 1951 British)
E. Harvie Ward Jr. (1955, 1956 U.S.; 1952 British)
Deane R. Beman (1960, 1963 U.S.; 1959 British)
*Robert B. Dickson (1967 U.S.; 1967 British)
Steve Melnyk (1969 U.S.; 1971 British)
Marvin Giles III (1972 U.S.; 1975 British)
Jay Sigel (1982, 1983 U.S.; 1979 British)

*Won both in same year

Winners of U.S. Amateur and U.S. Junior (1)
Tiger Woods (1994, 1995, 1996 Amateurs; 1991, 1992, 1993 Juniors)

Winners of U.S. Amateur and National Collegiate Athletic Association Championship (12)
H. Chandler Egan (Harvard, fall 1902 NCAA; 1904, 1905 Amateur)
Jess Sweetster (Yale, 1920 NCAA; 1922 Amateur)
George T. Dunlap Jr. (Princeton, 1930, 1931 NCAA; 1933 Amateur)
John W. Fischer (Michigan, 1932 NCAA; 1936 Amateur)
E. Harvie Ward Jr. (North Carolina, 1949 NCAA; 1955, 1956 Amateur)
Hillman Robbins Jr. (Memphis State, 1954 NCAA; 1957 Amateur)
*Jack Nicklaus (Ohio State, 1959 Amateur; 1961 NCAA; 1961 Amateur)
*Robert J. Murphy Jr. (Florida, 1965 Amateur; 1966 NCAA)
Scott Verplank (Oklahoma State, 1984 Amateur; 1986 NCAA)
*Phil Mickelson (Arizona State, 1989, 1990 NCAA; 1990 Amateur; 1992 NCAA)
Justin Leonard (Texas, 1992 Amateur; 1994 NCAA)
*Tiger Woods (Stanford, 1994, 1995, 1996 Amateur; 1996 NCAA)

*Won both in same year (4)

Longest Period Between Victories
17 years - Francis Ouimet (1914 to 1931)

Course

Longest Course
7,195 yards - Cog Hill Golf and Country Club (No. 4 Course), Lemont, Ill., 1997

Shortest Course
4,423 yards - Shinnecock Hills G.C., Southampton, N.Y., 1896

Since 1941
6,493 yards - Montclair G.C. (fourth and second nines), West Orange, N.J., 1985

Most Times Host Club of Championship
5 - The Country Club, Brookline, Mass. (1910, 1922, 1934, 1957, 1982)
5 - Merion G.C., Ardmore, Pa. (1916, 1924, 1930, 1966, 1989)
5 - Oakmont (Pa.) C.C., (1919, 1925, 1938, 1969, 2003)

Entries

Largest
7,920 (1999)

Smallest
32 (1895)

Match Play

Largest Margin of Victory, 18 Hole Match
9 and 8 - Harry Todd def. Mattthew Zadalis, second round, Omaha (Neb.) Field Club, 1941
9 and 8 - Gerald Kesselring d. Russell Brothers, second round, Minneapolis (Minn.) G.C., 1950
9 and 8 - Dr. Don Keith d. Thomas W. Beck, first round, The Olympic Club (Lake Course), San Francisco, Calif., 1958
9 and 8 - Bill Rogers d. Rick Cain, fourth round, Inverness Club, Toledo, Ohio, 1973

Largest Margin of Victory, 36 - Hole Match
14 and 13 - Jerome D. Travers d. George A. Crump, first round, C.C. of Detroit, Grosse Pointe Farms, Mich., 1915
14 and 13 - Robert T. Jones Jr. d. John B. Beck, third round, Brae Burn C.C., West Newton, Mass., 1928
14 and 12 - Charles B. Macdonald d. Stewart Stickney, first round, Onwentsia Club, Lake Forest, Ill., 1899

Largest Margin of Victory, Final
12 and 11 - Charles B. Macdonald d. Charles E. Sands, Newport (R.I.) G.C., 1895
11 and 10 - Charles R. Coe d. Rufus King, Oak Hill C.C. (East Course), Rochester, N.Y., 1949
11 and 9 - Richard D. Chapman d. W.B. McCullough Jr., Winged Foot C.C. (West Course), Mamaroneck, N.Y., 1940

Longest Match, 18 Holes
28 holes - Maurice J. McCarthy d. George Von Elm, second round, Merion Cricket Club (East Course), Ardmore, Pa., 1930

Longest Match, 36 Holes
41 holes - Walter J. Travis d. H.H. Wilder, second round, Garden City (N.Y.) G.C., 1908
41 holes - Charles Evans Jr., d. Reginald M. Lewis, second round, Engineers' C.C., Roslyn, N.Y., 1920

Longest Match, Final
39 holes - Sam Urzetta d. Frank Stranahan, Minneapolis (Minn.) G.C., 1950
39 holes - Jeff Quinney d. James Driscoll, Baltusrol G.C., (Upper Course), Springfield, N.J., 2000
38 holes - Tiger Woods d. Steve Scott, Pumpkin Ridge G.C., (Witch Hollow Course) North Plains, Ore., 1996
38 holes - Max R. Marston d. Jess W. Sweetser, Flossmoor (Ill.) C.C., 1923

Most Match - Play Victories
57 - Charles Evans Jr.
55 - Charles R. Coe

Best Match - Play Winning Percentage (minimum 20 victories)
909 - Tiger Woods (20 - 2)
843 - Robert T. Jones Jr. (43 - 8)
840 - W. Lawson Little Jr. (21 - 4)
828 - Jack Nicklaus (24 - 5)

Most Consecutive Match - Play Victories
18 - Tiger Woods (1994, 1995, 1996)
17 - E. Harvie Ward Jr. (1955, 1956, 1958) (He did not compete in 1957)
16 - W. Lawson Little Jr.

Most Consecutive Times In Match Play (Since 1973)
9 - Jerry Courville Jr. (1994 - 2003)

Most Extra - Hole Matches by One Player, Championship
5 - Reynolds Smith, The Country Club (Original Course), Brookline, Mass., 1934

Most Competitors in Playoff
31 - 1988, Va. Hot Springs G. & T.C. (Cascades Course), Hot Springs, Va. (for 8 places)
25 - 1987, Jupiter Hills Club, Jupiter, Fla. (for 9 places)

Most Times Medalist
6 - Walter J. Travis (1900, 1901, 1902, 1906, 1907, 1908)
6 - Robert T. Jones Jr. (1920, 1923*, 1926, 1927, 1929*, 1930)
4 - Charles Evans Jr. (1909, 1912, 1913, 1923*)

*co - medalist

Lowest Medalist Score, 36 Holes
132 - Hank Kim, TPC at Sawgrass (Stadium and Valley Courses), Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., 1994.
134 - Bob Clampett, Canterbury G.C., Cleveland, Ohio, 1979
134 - Sam Randolph, Montclair G.C. (fourth and second nines), West Orange, N.J., 1985

Lowest 18 - Hole Round in Qualifying Stroke Play
63 - Robert Godfrey, first round, East Lake G.C., Atlanta, Ga., 2001
63 - Chris Mundorf, second round, East Lake G.C., Atlanta, Ga., 2001
64 - Phil Mickelson, second round, second stroke play course, Meridian G.C., Englewood, Colo., 1990
64 - Hank Kim, first round, TPC at Sawgrass, Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., 1994
64 - Lucas Glover, first round, Druid Hills G.C., Atlanta, Ga., 2001
64 - James Driscoll, first round, East Lake G.C., Atlanta, Ga., 2001
65 - Tiger Woods, first round, TPC at Sawgrass, Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., 1994

Longest Playoff to Qualify for Match Play
9 holes - From 22 players, Van Phillips d. John McClure for 64th spot, Champions Golf Club, Houston, Texas, 1993

Stroke Play (1965 - 72)

Lowest Score, 18 Holes
65 - Marvin Giles III, fourth round, Scioto C.C., Columbus, Ohio, 1968
65 - Kurt Cox, second round, Waverley C.C., Portland, Ore., 1970

Lowest First Round
67 - Lanny Wadkins, Waverley C.C., Portland, Ore., 1970
67 - Martin West, Wilmington (Del.) C.C.(South Course), 1971
68 - Gary Sanders, Waverley C.C., Portland, Ore., 1970

Lowest Second Round
65 - Kurt Cox, Waverley C.C., Portland, Ore., 1970
67 - Deane Beman, Merion G.C. (East Course), Ardmore, Pa., 1966
67 - Jim Gabrielsen, Waverley C.C., Portland, Ore., 1970
67 - Tom Kite Jr., Waverley C.C., Portland, Ore., 1970
67 - James McLean, Wilmington (Del.) C.C. (South Course), 1971

Lowest Third Round
68 - A. Downing Gray, at Merion G.C. (East Course), Ardmore, Pa., 1966
68 - Gary Sanders, at Waverley C.C., Portland, Ore., 1970
68 - Marvin Giles III, at Wilmington (Del.) C.C. (South Course), 1971
68 - Martin West, at Wilmington (Del.) C.C. (South Course), 1971
68 - Charles Harrison, at Charlotte (N.C.) C.C., 1972

Lowest Fourth Round
65 - Marvin Giles III at Scioto C.C., Columbus, Ohio, 1968
67 - Gary Cowan, at Merion G.C. (East Course), Ardmore, Pa., 1966
67 - Jack Ewing Jr., at Broadmoor G.C. (West Course), Colorado Springs, Colo., 1967
67 - John Bohmann, at Scioto C.C., Columbus, Ohio, 1968

Miscellaneous

Most Times Qualified for Championship
49 - Charles Evans Jr.
37 - William C. Campbell, including a record 33 straight from 1941 - 77 (Amateur was not played for four years from 1942 - 45 during World War II)

Most Recent Holes - in - One

Justin Leonard, first round, stroke play, 185 - yard, par - 3, fourth hole, Champions Golf Club (Jack Rabbit Course), Houston, Texas, 1993

Rick Ten Broeck, second round, stroke play, 154 - yard, par - 3, seventh hole, Champions Golf Club (Jack Rabbit Course), Houston, Texas, 1993

Martin Pettigrew, first round, stroke play, 190 - yard, par - 3, eighth hole, Newport Country Club, Newport, R.I., 1995

Duke Delcher, quarterfinal match, 175 - yard, par - 3, 15th hole, Pumpkin Ridge (Witch Hollow) G.C., North Plains, Ore., 1996

Brian Nosler, first round, stroke play, 150 - yard, par 3, fourth hole, Oak Hill Country Club (West Course), Rochester, N.Y., 1998

Herbert Stevens, second round, stroke play, 167 - yard, par 3, sixth hole, Oak Hill Country Club (East Course), Rochester, N.Y., 1998

Charles Stevens, first round, stroke play, 186 - yard, par 3, fifth hole, Spyglass Hill Golf Club, Pebble Beach, Calif., 1999

Matthew Chubb, second round, stroke play, 195 - yard, par 3, fourth hole, Lower Course, Baltusrol Golf Club, Springfield, N.J., 2000

Mike Plate, second round, stroke play, 235 - yard, par 3, eighteenth, East Lake G.C., Atlanta, Ga., 2001

Matt Johnson, second round, stroke play, 149 - yard, par 3, thirteenth, Druid Hills G.C., Atlanta, Ga., 2001

Mark Christiansen, first round, stroke play, 202 - yard 16th hole, Pittsburgh (Pa.) Field CLub, 2003

Last to win title in first time qualified
Matthew Kuchar, Cog Hill Golf and Country Club, Lemont, Ill., 1997
Jeff Quinney, Baltusrol Golf Club, Springfield, N.J., 2000
Nick Flanagan, Oakmont (Pa.) C.C., 2003