Golf Equipment Supply | Discount Golf Equipment

The 2008 US Open golf tournament is being held from June 12 to June 15. We look back at the history of the US Open Championship. The first edition of the Championship was held in October 4, 1895 by the United States Golf Association. It was staged on Newport (R.I.) Golf and Country Club’s nine-hole course.

The first US Open was something of a sideshow, as the official site notes, to the first US Amateur that was held on the same course, during the same week. Both championships were to be staged in September but had to be postponed owing to a conflict of dates with a then more established Newport sports extravaganza, the America’s Cup yacht races.

One amateur and ten professionals started in the historic 36-hole competition that was four trips around the Newport course in a day. Horace Rawlins, 21, an Englishman emerged the surprise winner. He was then the assistant at the host course itself.

Total prize money was $335. Rawlins won $150 and a gold medal. In 1911, the tournament had its first native-born American winner. He was Young John J. McDermott who repeated as champion in 1912.

Tags: Golf news, US Open Championship

This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 10th, 2008 at 5:54 am and is filed under Golf news. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.