30 years after the start of The Open, the US Open was first played in 1895, making it the second oldest of the modern day golf majors. Since 1895, the original golf majors were The Open, The Amateur Championship, The US Open, and The US Amateur. It wasn't until 1960, when Arnold Palmer commented that he could win the Grand Slam, after he had won The Masters and The US Open, if he could manage to win The Open and The PGA, that the modern day golf majors were established.
The US Open had a difficult start as it was played for the first time during the same week and on the same course as The US Amateur Championship. The course was the Newport Golf and Country Club, Rhode Island which was a 9-hole course. The event consisted of 4 rounds of the 9-holes played on the same day and the winner was Englishman, Horace Rawlins. There were only 10 professionals and one amateur playing each other for a prize total of $335.
From the original 36 holes in one day, the format of The US Open has changed several times during the years. The Championship was extended by the USGA to 72-holes in 1898; 36-holes played over each of two days. The format was changed in 1926 to 18-holes played over each of two days, finishing with 36 holes on the third day. The present day format was established in 1965 - 18-holes played over each of 4 days.
The popularity of The US Open coincided with the incredible career of Georgia amateur, Bobby Jones, who won in 1923, 1926, 1929, and 1930. Another contributing factor was that spectator tickets were sold to the public for the first time in 1922. The next big surge in popularity happened in 1954 because the event was televised on national television for the first time. All 18 holes from the final two days had live coverage in 1977 and, believe it or not, it wasn't until 1982 that there was live broadcasts of the first two days.
The British dominated The US Open from its beginnings up to 1910, with Scotsmen winning 12 times in the first 15 years. One of those Scotsmen was Willie Anderson who won the US Open four times at the beginning of the Century. Only three other players have won the event four times: Bobby Jones in the 20's with his last win in 1930, the year he won the Grand Slam; Ben Hogan in the late 40's, early 50's; and Jack Nicklaus between 1962 and 1980.
With Tiger Woods remarkable win in the 2008 US Open bringing his US Open wins to three, I am sure he will be joining the four golfing legends above quite soon. Another interesting statistic is that a European has not won the US Open since Tony Jacklin in 1970. Also in the 2008 US Open, England's Lee Westwood was very close to breaking the 38 year European drought but missed his birdie putt on the 18th that would have forced a three way play-off.
Surprisingly, only 5 players have managed to win The US Open as well as The Open, The Masters, and The PGA. None of them have won all 4 majors in one single year though - Bobby Jones did his Grand Slam with The Open, The (British) Amateur Championship, The US Open, and The US Amateur. The five players to win the four golf majors were Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, and Tiger Woods.
With 78 wins between 1911 and 2008, Americans have dominated The US Open. No other country have come close; South Africa has the second most wins with 5 titles. There have only been a handful of nations that have won the event once or twice - Australia, New Zealand, England, Scotland, and Argentina. Since 1910, Scotland have only managed to produce one golfer that has won The US Open; Willie MacFarlane in 1925. In fact, in recent years, only Sandy Lyle has managed to win a golf major on US soil - The Masters in 1988.
Traveling to Arizona for the FBR Open Golf Tournament is delightful because of the sunny weather that greets the traveler and the best golf viewing that the FBR golf tournament offers to the golf lover. The FBR Open Golf Tournament is the first PGA golf event in the Calendar year. The National Golf Association has designated Phoenix as the Golf Capital of the World. The world's best golfers come to play at the Tournament Player's Club (TPC) course in Scottsdale Arizona The tournament goes on from January 28th to February 3rd. The tournament is sponsored by the Freidman, Billings, Ramsey Group Inc but it is a group of businessmen called the Thunderbirds who have turned the sport into a community event. They have called it the greatest show on grass and have raised over $40 million for various Arizona charities.
The course on which the FBR Open is played enjoys spectacular scenery. The McDowell Mountains tower over this desert golf course. Designed by Tom Weiskopf and Jay Morrish, the mounds and bunkers are strategically placed to challenge even the most expert among golfers. The beautiful course is well maintained and studded with saguaro cacti and mesquite trees. This eighteen hole golf course ranked third in the Golf Digest's top 100 courses in 1999.
It is no wonder that this year over 5000 fans came to view the tournament while golf greats like Vijay Singh, Aaron Baddley and Phil Michelson played. The tournament attracts crowds of golf lovers every year. The loudest applause is at par -3-No: 16 because of the amphitheater atmosphere of the hole. Phoenix is agog with golf tournaments all year through but the FBR Phoenix Open tees the golf season off.
Golf tournaments cannot finish in a day and a true golf lover needs to watch his or her favorite golfers over the span of the entire tournament. Staying at a vacation rental during the FBR open spells sensible golf watching. Hotels cost $500-700 per room per night while renting a villa or condo or apartments costs the same with multiple bedrooms at no extra charge. The tired spectator who is not comfortable with the location of the bedroom can always switch to another bedroom. Long golf viewing walks require a good night's sleep and an early start and a vacation rental will provide the privacy that hotels cannot give. You will not be disturbed by service knocks or blaring televisions of neighboring rooms. Problems of late room service will not trouble you when you get your food yourself and constantly ringing telephones will not disturb you golf sleep.
Most vacation rentals are situated in quiet residential areas and some offer the security of not only being in gated communities but gated communities specific to golfers. Renting a home through an agent may help you get a package deal of tournament tickets car hire and home rental in one go. You have the freedom to decide the size the price and the location of the vacation rental.
Traveling to Arizona for the FBR Phoenix Open Golf Tournament and choosing accommodation at a vacation rental is a case of watching great golfers play in a great course in great comfort.
Both Mick Euan Tait & Chad Sullivan are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Mick Euan Tait has sinced written about articles on various topics from Recreation and Sports, Recreation and Sports and Recreation and Sports. Mick Euan Tait is a golfer, golf fan, and golf writer. Check out his website for more fascinating information about . You can also s. Mick Euan Tait's top article generates over 6600 views. to your Favourites.
Chad Sullivan has sinced written about articles on various topics from Family Travel, Family and Recreation and Sports. Chad Sullivan has been involved into helping people located to Arizona for many years. visit his website . Chad Sullivan's top article generates over 22200 views. to your Favourites.