The stakes are set. Legacies will be impacted this weekend at Los Angeles Country Club, the host of the 2023 U.S. Open. A new name — or maybe an old name? — will be engraved on the U.S. Open trophy Sunday night. Whoever it is will join a long list of golf’s greatest champions.
The U.S. Open has long been described as the greatest test in golf, where a four-round total under par is an achievement for anyone. It often requires a specific demeanor of a specific type of golfer to get it done. Jack Nicklaus did so four different times. Tiger Woods? He got his three, the most recent in 2008 at Torrey Pines.
Some great players never get it done. The name Phil Mickelson comes to mind, famous for his six major championships, none ever at the U.S. Open. Infamously, Mickelson has finished second at the Open six different times.
2023 U.S. Open purse: Payout breakdown, winner’s share
But as for the event’s greatest champions, this major championship has been more difficult to dominate. There is no six-time U.S. Open champion, like Nicklaus has done at the Masters. There is no five-time champ, like Tom Watson did at the Open Championship. No, the most career U.S. Open victories is four, but an incredible quartet of players share that record.
Nicklaus is joined with his four U.S. Open titles by Willie Anderson, Ben Hogan and Bobby Jones. In other words, pretty fantastic company. Nicklaus won in three different decades, in 1962, 1967, 1972 and 1980. Anderson won in 1901 and then three-straight from 1903-1905. Jones did his damage in the 20s and then won back-to-back in 1929 and 1930, while Hogan did his damage 20 years later, with his back-to-back wins in 1950 and 1951.
Below is a list of players with multiple U.S. Open titles:
4: Nicklaus, Anderson, Jones, Hogan
3: Woods, Hale Irwin
2: Brooks Koepka, Retief Goosen, Lee Janzen, Ernie Els, Curtis Strange, Andy North, Lee Trevino, Billy Casper, Julius Boros, Cary Middlecoff, Ralph Guldahl, Gene Sarazen, Walter Hagen, John McDermott, Alex Smith