Oakmont has hosted the
U.S. Open 10 times, more than any other course, most recently in
2025. It has also hosted three
PGA Championships, six
U.S. Amateurs, two
U.S. Women's Opens, and three
NCAA men's championships (1916, 1930, 1937).
U.S. Opens 1927 The first U.S. Open at Oakmont was won by
Tommy Armour, who defeated
Harry Cooper in an 18-hole Friday playoff. Their 72-hole score was 301 (+13); the par-72 course played to in
1927 (the first and ninth holes were both par 5). The average score for the field was 78.6 (+ 6.6) and the field recorded just 2 rounds under par. The total purse of prize money was $800 ($ in dollars).
1935 Won by
Sam Parks Jr. at 11 strokes over par. The par 72 course played to in
1935 and the average score for the field was 80.55 (+ 8.55) and the field recorded 3 rounds under par. The total purse of prize money was $5,000 ($ in dollars) with a winner's share of $1,000 ($ in dollars).
1953 Ben Hogan won the second of his three straight majors in
1953 at Oakmont by six strokes, coming in at five under par. Scheduling conflicts made it impossible to win all four majors that year, as the late rounds of the
PGA Championship, then a
match play event, and the mandatory 36-hole qualifier directly preceding the
British Open overlapped in early July. Hogan won
The Masters by five strokes and the British Open at
Carnoustie by four strokes. The par-72 Oakmont course played at in 1953, and the average score for the field was 77.12 (+ 5.12); the field recorded 20 rounds under par. The purse was $14,900 and the champion earned $5,000 ($ and $ in dollars).
1962 At the
1962 U.S. Open, an up-and-coming 22-year-old named
Jack Nicklaus defeated the world's top player at the time, the 33-year-old
Arnold Palmer, in a Sunday playoff round in Palmer's "backyard". Both competitors had completed the 72 holes with a 283 (–1). It was the first professional victory for Nicklaus, and the first of his 18 professional majors. Palmer won the next major, the 1962
British Open, and his fourth
Masters in
1964, but never another U.S. Open. In 1962, par was reduced by a stroke to 71 (the first hole became a par-4) and the course length was slightly reduced to ; the average score for the field was 75.86 (+ 4.86) and the field recorded 19 rounds under par. The purse was $81,600 and the champion earned $17,500 ($ and $ in dollars).
1973 Johnny Miller shot a final round 63 (–8) to set a record low score at a U.S. Open, and finished at 279 (–5) to win by one stroke in
1973. Following an overnight rainstorm, Miller entered the final round in 12th place at three-over, six strokes behind the four co-leaders. Miller had carded a disappointing five-over 76 on Saturday, and his tee time on Sunday was about an hour ahead of the final pairing, which included
Arnold Palmer. Miller birdied the first four holes and hit all 18 greens in regulation, and used only 29 putts. Miller and four others were the only ones to break par during the final round in 1973. The par 71 course played at and the average score for the field was 75.45 (+ 4.45) and the field recorded 40 rounds under par. The purse was $219,400 and the champion earned $35,000 ($ and $ in dollars). Miller's low score (9 birdies with 1 bogey) led the USGA to set up the course at the following year's championship, now known as
The Massacre at Winged Foot, in an extremely challenging manner;
Hale Irwin's winning score in
1974 was seven strokes over par.
Johnny Miller's 63 Club selection and results - June 17, 1973
1983 In
1983,
Larry Nelson was at 148 (+6) after the first two rounds. He then established the 36-hole record at the U.S. Open when he finished 65–67 to finish at 280 (–4), one stroke ahead of runner-up and defending champion
Tom Watson. Nelson's two-round total of 132 (–10) broke the 51-year-old record by four shots, established by
Gene Sarazen in
1932. Nelson's record, although not receiving level acclaim to Miller's 63 finish, stood until 2011 when Rory McIlroy broke it. The par 71 course played at in 1983, and the average score for the field was 76.13 (+ 5.13), and the field recorded 27 rounds under par. The purse was $506,184 and the champion earned $72,000 ($ and $ in dollars).
1994 In
1994, a 24-year-old
Ernie Els outlasted
Loren Roberts and
Colin Montgomerie in another Monday playoff round to capture the U.S. Open, his first major and first victory in the U.S. It was the first three-way playoff at the U.S. Open since
1963. The three in the playoff completed the four rounds at 279 (–5), but all were well over par early in the playoff round, played in oppressive heat and
humidity, as temperatures approached . Montgomerie shot a 42 on the front nine, ending at 78 (+7) and was eliminated. However, Els and Roberts were tied at 3-over 74, with Roberts missing a short putt on the 18th hole to win outright, so they kept playing as a sudden-death playoff. On the second extra hole, Roberts bogeyed, and Els made par to win the championship. The par 71 course played at in 1994, and the average score for the field was 74.25 (+ 3.25); the field recorded 62 rounds under par. The purse was $1.75 million and the champion earned $320,000 ($ and $ in dollars).
2007 Ángel Cabrera of
Argentina shot 285 (+5) in
2007, one stroke ahead of runners-up
Tiger Woods and
Jim Furyk. A course renovation had deepened the bunkers and removed over 4,000 trees that had been planted mostly in the 1960s, returning the course to its original links-style appearance. The course was lengthened to and par was reduced by a stroke to 70, as the uphill 9th hole became a par-4. The par-3 8th hole played at in Round 4, the par-5 12th hole at over , and the par-4 15th at . The average score for the field in 2007 was 75.72 (+ 5.72), with every hole averaging an over-par score. The field recorded just 8 rounds under par, only two per round. Cabrera had two of these sub-par rounds, shooting a 69 (-1) on Thursday and Sunday. The weather was much more agreeable than in 1994: the high temperatures were for the first three rounds and for the final round, and there were no weather delays in any of the rounds. The total purse was $7.0 million and the champion earned $1.26 million ($ and $ in dollars).
2016 The club hosted the U.S. Open for a record ninth time in
2016, and
Dustin Johnson shot 276 (–4) to win his first major title by three strokes.
2025 The club hosted the U.S. Open for a tenth time in
2025, and
J. J. Spaun shot 279 (–1) to win his first major title by two strokes.
2033 Oakmont is scheduled to host its eleventh U.S. Open in 2033.
2042 Oakmont is scheduled to host its twelfth U.S. Open in 2042. ==Quotes from notable golfers==