What Are The Largest Margins Of Victory At The US Open?
The US Open is often a tight affair, but every so often, a player has won by a large margin
For many golf fans, the US Open fits the definition of what a Major is supposed to represent more than the others.
Like The Masters, the PGA Championship and The Open, it has a long and proud history, while the world's best players compete in it each year. Winning a US Open is also career-defining, just like the other Majors.
There is one big factor that can sometimes separate the US Open from the other Majors, though: its difficulty.
While the 2026 PGA Championship offered an excellent example of another Major that tested players to the limit, it’s not always the case.
However, where the US Open is concerned, difficulty is a central part of its identity, with narrow fairways, thick rough and firm greens commonplace.
As a result, winning scores frequently finish only a few shots under par, if at all - although every so often, a player will master the conditions, the setup and the occasion in ways the rest of the field can’t.
So, what are the largest margins of victory at the US Open?
By some distance, the honor of the largest margin of victory belongs to Tiger Woods.
Woods arrived at the 2000 US Open with two Major titles to his name – the 1997 Masters and 1999 PGA Championship.
Of the two, Woods’ first Green Jacket offered the biggest indication of what was to come, when he swept to victory by nine over Costantino Rocca – but no one could have been prepared for what he produced at Pebble Beach.
Woods didn’t just claim a wire-to-wire victory, he beat the rest of the field so comprehensively that his 15-shot winning margin remains the largest of any Major in history.
Woods led Miguel Angel Jimenez by one at six under after the opening round. Despite difficult weather conditions, a 69 took him to eight under after 36 holes, leaving him six clear of Jimenez and Thomas Bjorn.
Woods' dominance coincided with a changing-of-the-guard moment the same day, where four-time US Open champion Jack Nicklaus bowed out of the tournament with a par at the 18th, bringing to an end his run of 44 consecutive appearances.
Tiger Woods won the US Open by a record 15 shots in 2000
In the third round, Woods powered on. Despite battling strong winds and thick rough, he shot a 71 to keep him at eight under, with the lead 10 over Ernie Els.
At that stage, Woods’ victory seemed inevitable, and so it proved, with a 67 to get him to 12 under – the only player to finish under par – and an incredible 15 clear of Jimenez and Els on three over.
Woods didn’t just win his maiden US Open title in remarkable style, it was the start of what became known as the Tiger Slam, when he won all four Majors consecutively, concluding at the 2001 Masters.
At the 2000 US Open, Woods broke a record for the largest margin of victory that had stood for 101 years.
In 1899, Willie Smith won by 11 shots in just the fifth edition of the event. The Scot achieved it at Baltimore Country Club, beating compatriots Val Fitzjohn, George Low Sr and Englishman Bert Way.
Englishman James Barnes is the only other player who stands alone with a winning margin at the US Open. In 1921, he finished on nine over to beat American Walter Hagen and Scot Fred McLeod by nine at Columbia Country Club.
Two players, Rory McIlroy and Martin Kaymer, have won the US Open by eight.
McIlroy was the first at Congressional in 2011. He led by three at six under after the first round, before a 66 in the second round saw him move to 11 under, six clear of YE Yang.
Rory McIlroy beat Jason Day by eight shots in 2011
The lead over Yang was eight after 54 holes, when McIlroy carded a 68 to get to 14 under. A final round of 69 – McIlroy’s fourth sub-70 round of the week – meant he got to 16 under, eight clear of Jason Day.
It was only three more years until Kaymer matched McIlroy’s feat at Pinehurst No.2. A five under 65 set him on his way, with four players three back, before he extended his lead to six over Brendon Todd with another 65 in the second round.
Kaymer wobbled in the third round with a two-over 72, but his lead was still five over Erik Compton and Rickie Fowler.
Finally, his 69 to round off his tournament took him to nine-under, with Compton and Fowler the two closest, eight behind. They were the only three players to finish under par.
Three players have won a US Open by seven. The first was Fred Herd in 1898. Alex Smith followed in 1906, before Tony Jacklin did the same in 1970.
Bryson DeChambeau won the US Open by six in 2020
Four have won the tournament by six. Laurie Auchterlonie did it first in 1920. Ralph Guldahl matched that achievement in 1938 before Ben Hogan also won by six in 1953.
Bryson DeChambeau was the most recent player to win by six, when he finished six under for the tournament with Matthew Wolff his nearest challenger in 2020 at Winged Foot.
Largest Margins Of Victory At The US Open
- Tiger Woods: 15 strokes (2000)
- Willie Smith: 11 strokes (1899)
- James Barnes: 9 strokes (1921)
- Martin Kaymer: 8 strokes (2014)
- Rory McIlroy: 8 strokes (2011)
- Tony Jacklin: 7 strokes (1970)
- Alex Smith: 7 strokes (1906)
- Fred Herd: 7 strokes (1898)
- Bryson DeChambeau: 6 strokes (2020)
- Ben Hogan: 6 strokes (1953)
- Ralph Guldalph: 6 strokes (1938)
- Laurie Auchterlonie: 6 strokes (1902)
