Six players with three or more US Open wins. Can DeChambeau or Koepka join them?
Bryson DeChambeau is one of the names that’s been heavily fancied for victory at Oakmont Country Club this week, with the monster hitter aiming to win a third US Open title.
And though Brooks Koepka may be struggling for form, he seems to come alive in Major tournaments, and a win this weekend would seal his place in history.
Few venues are a tougher test of golf than Oakmont, with its putting surfaces being dubbed ‘sloped like basketball courts’ and thick rough that we haven’t seen in a long time.
For DeChambeau, as well as Major tournament specialist Brooks Koepka, it’s an opportunity to join an exclusive club who have won the event on at least three separate occasions.
Let’s take a look at the six golfers who have achieved that feat…
=5. Tiger Woods – 3 wins (2000, 2002, 2008)
Tiger Woods’ US Open record features three symbolically iconic triumphs, each a testament to every facet of his greatness. His 2000 US Open win at Pebble Beach has to be the most dominant 72 holes of golf in history as he dismantled the field to win by 15 strokes – a margin that still remains a record.
His 2008 victory at Torrey Pines was mystifying as he battled his way through a bad knee injury to win an 18-hole playoff on the Monday.
=5. Hale Irwin – 3 wins (1974, 1979, 1990)
The longevity of Hale Irwin can be shown by his incredible record of scoring three US Open wins in different eras. In 1990, he became the oldest winner of the Major at the age of 45.
It was his knack for embracing varied conditions and adapting that made him so successful with grit and percentage play rather than flamboyance.
=1. Jack Nicklaus – 4 wins (1962, 1967, 1972, 1980)
Talking about longevity, Nicklaus’s four US Open titles (of his 18 Majors in total) came across nearly two decades, proving his greatness well and truly stood the test of time as he dominated as competitors came and went.
His versatility helped him win on a variety of classic courses, including an impressive victory at the American classic, Pebble Beach.
=1. Ben Hogan – 4 wins (1948, 1950, 1951, 1953)
Hogan’s stretch of four US Open triumphs in six years is truly legendary, with his 1950 comeback win after a near-fatal car crash one of the most incredible stories of resilience in golf.
Hogan’s focus and shot-making ability made him an elite US Open tactician, with his guile and delivery paying off on four separate occasions.
=1. Bobby Jones (a) – 4 wins (1923, 1926, 1929, 1930)
Incredibly, Jones was an amateur and still completed a US Open quadruple, including a victory in 1930 in both the US and British Open.
He dominated the tournament in an era when the game was changing and evolving rapidly, but his class remained.
=1. Willie Anderson – 4 wins (1901, 1903, 1904, 1905)
Anderson is the only player to have won the US Open in three consecutive seasons and is a historic figure and pioneer in the long history of golf.
He set the early standard for US Open excellence, reaping the rewards of skill and unwavering consistency with the equipment and brutal courses at his disposal.
Six players to have won three or more US Open titles…
=5. Tiger Woods – 3 wins (2000, 2002, 2008)
=5. Hale Irwin – 3 wins (1974, 1979, 1990)
=1. Jack Nicklaus – 4 wins (1962, 1967, 1972, 1980)
=1. Ben Hogan – 4 wins (1948, 1950, 1951, 1953)
=1. Bobby Jones (a) – 4 wins (1923, 1926, 1929, 1930)
=1. Willie Anderson – 4 wins (1901, 1903, 1904, 1905)
READ MORE: The 7 lowest US Open winning scores at Oakmont where the greens are “sloped like basketball courts”