U.S. SENIOR OPEN
45th U.S. Senior Open: Inside the Field
This is the 45th U.S. Senior Open Championship. The inaugural U.S. Senior Open, played in 1980 at Winged Foot Golf Club, was conducted for golfers 55 and older. The next year, the USGA lowered the minimum age to 50 to coincide with the Senior Tour (now PGA Tour Champions).
Miller Barber captured the first of his three U.S. Senior Open titles in 1982 – he also won in 1984 and 1985. The U.S. Senior Open has six two-time champions: Gary Player (1987, 1988), Jack Nicklaus (1991, 1993), Hale Irwin (1998, 2000), Allen Doyle (2005, 2006), Kenny Perry (2013, 2017), and Bernhard Langer (2010, 2023). Doyle became the championship’s oldest winner in 2006 at the age of 57 years, 11 months, 14 days, until he was surpassed by Langer (65 years, 10 months, 6 days) in 2023.
The youngest champion is Dale Douglass, who won in 1986 at the age of 50 years, 3 months, 24 days.
1993 U.S. Senior Open – Jack Nicklaus won his second U.S. Senior Open when he defeated Tom Weiskopf, an old rival and fellow Ohio State alumnus, by one stroke at Cherry Hills Country Club. Nicklaus would go on to win eight senior major titles.
2008 U.S. Senior Open – Eduardo Romero shot 6-under-par 274 to win by four strokes over Fred Funk at The Broadmoor’s East Course. He became the second Argentine winner of the championship, joining Roberto De Vicenzo (1980).
2018 U.S. Senior Open – David Toms carded an even-par 70 to finish one stroke ahead of Miguel Angel Jimenez, Jerry Kelly and Tim Petrovic at The Broadmoor’s East Course. After making a birdie on No. 16 to go ahead, Toms made a critical up-and-down on the 71st hole.
U.S. Senior Open champions (9): Olin Browne (2011), Brad Bryant (2007), Fred Funk (2009), Padraig Harrington (2022), Bernhard Langer (2010, ‘23), Jeff Maggert (2015), Gene Sauers (2016), Steve Stricker (2019) and David Toms (2018)
U.S. Senior Open runners-up (12): Hiroyuki Fujita (2024), Fred Funk (2008, ’12, ‘13), Retief Goosen (2021), Miguel Angel Jimenez (2016, ‘18), Jerry Kelly (2018, ‘19), Bernhard Langer (2012), Tim Petrovic (2018), David Toms (2019), Gene Sauers (2014), Steve Stricker (2022, 2023), Kirk Triplett (2017) and Mike Weir (2021).
U.S. Open champions (5): Michael Campbell (2005), Angel Cabrera (2007), Ernie Els (1994, ’97), Retief Goosen (2001, ’04) and Lee Janzen (1993, ’98)
U.S. Open runners-up (4): Ernie Els (2000), Miguel Angel Jimenez (2000), Rocco Mediate (2008) and Jeff Sluman (1992)
U.S. Amateur champions (2): Justin Leonard (1992) and Scott Verplank (1984)
U.S. Junior Amateur champions (2): Brett Quigley (1987) and Willie Wood (1977)
U.S. Senior Amateur champions (1): a-Todd White (2023)
U.S. Senior Amateur runners-up (1): a-Daniel Sullivan (2024)
U.S. Amateur Four-Ball champions (1): a-Todd White (2015)
USGA champions (19): Olin Browne (2011 U.S. Senior Open), Brad Bryant (2007 U.S. Senior Open), Angel Cabrera (2007 U.S. Open), Michael Campbell (2005 U.S. Open), Ernie Els (1994, ’97 U.S. Open), Fred Funk (2009 U.S. Senior Open), Retief Goosen (2001, ’04 U.S. Open), Padraig Harrington (2022 U.S. Senior Open), Lee Janzen (1993, ’98 U.S. Open), Bernhard Langer (2010, ‘23 U.S. Senior Open), Justin Leonard (1992 U.S. Amateur), Jeff Maggert (2015 U.S. Senior Open), Brett Quigley (1987 U.S. Junior Amateur), Gene Sauers (2016 U.S. Senior Open), Steve Stricker (2019 U.S. Senior Open), David Toms (2018 U.S. Senior Open), Scott Verplank (1984 U.S. Amateur), a-Todd White (2015 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball, 2023 U.S. Senior Amateur), Willie Wood (1977 U.S. Junior Amateur)
Walker Cup Team Members:
United States (10): Billy Andrade (1987), Notah Begay III (1995), Brian Gay (1993), Jason Gore (1997), Justin Leonard (1993), Len Mattiace (1987), Scott Verplank (1985), Duffy Waldorf (1985), a-Todd White (2013) and Willie Wood (1983)
Great Britain & Ireland (4): Peter Baker (1985), Stephen Gallacher (1995), Padraig Harrington (1991, ’93, ’95) and Van Phillips (1993)
NCAA Division I champions (3): Jim Carter (1983), Justin Leonard (1994) and Scott Verplank (1986)
NCAA Division II champions (1): Lee Janzen (1986)
World Amateur Team Championship competitors (16): Steven Alker (1990, 1994, New Zealand), Stephen Ames (1986, Trinidad & Tobago), Billy Andrade (1986, USA), Thomas Bjorn (1992, Denmark), Michael Campbell (1992, New Zealand), Greg Chalmers (1994, Australia), Stephen Gallacher (1994, Great Britain and Ireland), Freddie Jacobson (1994, Sweden), Brendan Jones (1998, Australia), Shingo Katayama (1994, Japan), Soren Kjeldsen (1994, Denmark), Justin Leonard (1992, USA), Thomas Levet (1998, France), Katsumasa Miyamoto (1992, 1994, Japan), Vijay Singh (1980, Fiji) and Scott Verplank (1984, USA)
TOTAL U.S. SENIOR OPENS WON BY 2025 CHAMPIONSHIP FIELD (10): Olin Browne (1), Brad Bryant (1), Fred Funk (1), Padraig Harrington (1), Bernhard Langer (2), Jeff Maggert (1), Gene Sauers (1), Steve Stricker (1) and David Toms (1)
PLAYERS IN FIELD WITH MOST U.S. SENIOR OPEN APPEARANCES (2025 included) – Brad Bryant (17), Fred Funk (17), Bernhard Langer (17) and Jeff Sluman (17)
ACTIVE CONSECUTIVE U.S. SENIOR OPEN APPEARANCES (2025 included) – Bernhard Langer (17), and Jeff Sluman (17)
CHAMPIONSHIP FIELD – The USGA accepted 2,585 entries in 2025. Juan Angel, a 55-year-old amateur from Colombia submitted his entry 3 minutes before the deadline of 5 p.m. EDT on March 26. Mark O’Sullivan, a 50-year-old amateur from Mesa, Ariz., was the first entrant on Feb. 18. Don Klenk, a professional from Burr Ridge, Ill., was the oldest entrant at age 77.
The 156-player field includes 78 fully exempt golfers, nine of whom are U.S. Senior Open champions. Two-stage qualifying was held for the first time in championship history. Local qualifying, conducted over 18 holes at 32 sites in 25 U.S. states, took place from April 3-May 9. Those players who advanced joined a group of locally exempt players in final qualifying, which was also conducted over 18 holes. This final stage was held at 12 sites across the U.S., from May 19-June 12.
The USGA accepted entries for the 2025 championship from golfers in 49 U.S. states, including 101 from host state Colorado, as well as the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and 34 foreign countries.
AMATEURS – There are 19 amateurs in the 156-player field. Daniel Sullivan, last year’s U.S. Senior Amateur runner-up, and Todd White, the 2024 R&A Senior Amateur winner, are among this group.
Sullivan, of Pasadena, Calif., advanced to the U.S. Senior Amateur final after making his first start in the championship. Sullivan fell to Louis Brown, 4 and 3, in the 18-hole final at The Honors Course, in Ooltewah, Tenn. He reached the U.S. Mid-Amateur’s semifinal round in 2016 and 2017. Sullivan, who played intramural golf at USC while focusing on a degree in business administration, works as a real estate lender. He claimed his third SCGA (Southern California Golf Association) Public Links Championship in 2023.
White carded a final-round 69 to win the R&A Senior Amateur by one stroke over Brent Paterson, of New Zealand, at Saunton Golf Club, in Saunton, England. White had won his second USGA championship with a 4-and-3 victory over Jody Fanagan, of the Republic of Ireland, in the 2023 U.S. Senior Amateur final at Martis Camp, in Truckee, Calif. He is one of eight players to win both championships in a career. A high school history teacher from Spartanburg, S.C., White won the inaugural U.S. Amateur Four-Ball in 2015 with partner Nathan Smith. Both were members of the victorious 2013 USA Walker Cup Team.
Mark Strickland was the low amateur in the 2023 U.S. Senior Open when he tied for 42nd at SentryWorld. Strickland, of San Diego, Calif., has competed in seven different USGA championships. He will play in his fourth U.S. Senior Open and 23rd USGA championship. He earned a place in this year’s field as the first alternate from the Deal, N.J., final qualifier.
Christian Raynor advanced through both qualifying stages and will play in his third U.S. Senior Open. His best finish has been a tie for 60th in 2023 at SentryWorld. Raynor was the medalist in the Wallace, N.C., final qualifier on May 28, firing a 67 at River Landing Golf Club’s River Course. Raynor, of Kennesaw, Ga., has competed in eight USGA championships, including the 1994 U.S. Amateur when he reached the quarterfinals against Trip Kuehne at TPC at Sawgrass (Valley Course), in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. Kuehne went on to lose in the 36-hole final to Tiger Woods.
Note: There were 19 amateurs in the 2024 U.S. Senior Open at Newport (R.I.) Country Club. For the third time in the last five U.S. Senior Opens contested, none made the 36-hole cut. Three-time USGA champion William C. (Bill) Campbell (1980) and two-time U.S. Mid-Amateur champion Tim Jackson (2009) are the only amateurs to hold the lead at a U.S. Senior Open through 36 holes. Campbell, the 1965 U.S. Amateur champion, was the runner-up in the inaugural U.S. Senior Open.
QUALIFIERS – Scott McCarron, who has won 11 PGA Tour Champions events, including the 2017 Senior Players Championship, and recorded three PGA Tour victories, is among the 79 U.S. Senior Open qualifiers.
McCarron, of Mooresville, N.C., reached this year’s championship from the Oconomowoc, Wis., final qualifier on June 3, where he was one of 10 players to advance. He will be competing in his sixth U.S. Senior Open, with his best finish a tie for sixth in 2019 at the Warren Course at Notre Dame, in South Bend, Ind.
Bo Van Pelt was the medalist (66) in the same final qualifier and will compete in his first U.S. Senior Open. The Tulsa, Okla. native has won on four professional tours, including the PGA Tour, and has played in nine U.S. Opens. Duffy Waldorf and Paul Goydos also qualified in Wisconsin. Waldorf, of Rensselaer, Ind., will make his 10th U.S. Senior Open start, with his best finish a tie for ninth in 2013 at Omaha (Neb.) Country Club. He owns four PGA Tour victories and two PGA Tour Champions wins. Goydos, of Long Beach, Calif., has recorded three top-10 finishes in the Senior Open, including a tie for fifth in 2018 at The Broadmoor’s East Course. He won the 2016 Charles Schwab Cup Championship and four other PGA Tour Champions events.
Chris DiMarco, who resides in Denver, Colo., will compete in his fourth U.S. Senior Open after advancing from a 4-for-3 playoff in the Colorado Springs, final qualifier on June 10. His best finish is a tie for sixth in 2019 at Notre Dame’s Warren Course. DiMarco, who played in eight U.S. Opens, won three PGA Tour events and once on the DP World Tour. He also was victorious on the Korn Ferry Tour and PGA Tour Canada, winning the Canadian Order of Merit in 1992.
J.J. Henry and Len Mattiace are first-time U.S. Senior Open competitors. Henry, of Fort Worth, Texas, qualified in Pearland, Texas on May 19. He has produced three PGA Tour victories and played in eight U.S. Opens. Mattiace, 57, of Atlantic Beach, Fla., advanced from the Deal, N.J., final qualifier. He was the runner-up in the 2003 Masters Tournament, losing to Mike Weir in a playoff. He won twice on the PGA Tour.
Willie Wood, 64, of Edmond, Okla., is one of 38 two-stage qualifiers in the field. He advanced from a 3-for-2 playoff in the Mesa, Ariz., final qualifier on June 2. Wood, who has won on the PGA Tour and PGA Tour Champions, will compete in his seventh U.S. Senior Open. His best finish is a tie for 29th in 2011 at Inverness Club, in Toledo, Ohio. Wood won the 1977 U.S. Junior Amateur title, one of the 21 USGA championships he has played.
Note: In 2002, Don Pooley became the only player to win the U.S. Senior Open as a qualifier.
List of Local-Final Qualifiers (38): a-Thomas Ansbro, a-Tomas Arlia, John Balfanz, John Bushka, Burke Cromer, Rod Curl Jr., a-Chris Devlin, Boomer Erick, Darin Fisher, a-Ryan Gioffre, a-Tom Greller, a-Kelly Grunewald, Ryan Helminen, Armando Manuel Inman, a-Joe Jaspers, a-Marcus Jones, Ed Kirby, Mark Knowles, Cliff Kresge, Richard Lee, Len Mattiace, Eric Meichtry, a-Darin Overson, Perry Parker, Ron Philo, Ted Purdy, a-Christian Raynor, Taggart Ridings, Eric Rolland, Jeff Roth, Roger Rowland, Andrew Sapp, a-Peter Samborsky II, Matt Schalk, Kevin Shields, Rob Shields, a-Channing Tam, Willie Wood.
For the first time since its inception in 1980, the U.S. Senior Open featured a qualifying framework that is comparable to the U.S. Open with local and final qualifying sites. Local qualifying, conducted over 18 holes at 32 sites in 25 U.S. states, took place from April 3-May 9. Those players who advanced joined a group of locally exempt players in final qualifying, which was also conducted over 18 holes. This final stage was held at 12 sites across the U.S., from May 19-June 12. There are 38 players in this year’s field who reached the championship as a two-stage qualifier
2025 U.S. Senior Open -- First Stage Low Scores
64, Mike Vance, 2025 (Franklin Bridge G.C., Franklin, Tenn.)
64, a-Brian Quackenbush, 2025 (Florence S.C.; Florence C.C.)
2025 U.S. Senior Open - Final Stage Low Score
66, Bo Van Pelt, 2025 (Oconomowoc C.C., Oconomowoc, Wis.)
Mathew Goggin qualified for his second consecutive U.S. Senior Open on May 19. Last year, he tied the lowest score in the qualifying history with a 7-under-par 63. Goggin, an Australian who competed in four U.S. Opens, had nine birdies at Florence (S.C.) Country Club in matching a score held by three other players. In 2018, Kent Jones carded a bogey-free 63 in the Santa Fe, N.M., qualifier. He had one eagle and seven birdies at Las Campanas (Sunset Course). Leonard Thompson fired a 63 at Florence (S.C.) Country Club in 2006 and Jimmy Blanks shot the same score at Grenelefe Golf & Tennis Resort, in Haines City, Fla., in 1996.
U.S. Senior Open Qualifying Low Scores (Since 1980)
63, Mathew Goggin, 2024 (Florence S.C.; Florence C.C.)
63, Kent Jones, 2018 (The Club at Las Campanas; Santa Fe, N.M.)
63, Leonard Thompson, 2006 (Florence, S.C.; Florence C.C.)
63, Jimmy Blanks, 1996 (Haines City, Fla.; Grenelefe Golf & Tennis Resort)
64, Eric Axley, 2024 (Oak Ridge, Tenn.; Oak Ridge C.C.)
64, Clark Dennis, 2017 (Dallas, Texas; Las Colinas Country Club)
64, Brad Lardon, 2016 (The Woodlands, Texas; The Club at Carlton Woods/Nicklaus Course)
64, Bill Harvey, 2014 (Albuquerque, N.M.; Albuquerque C.C.)
64, a-Bert Atkinson, 2009 (Florence, S.C.; Florence C.C.)
64, Steve Haskins, 2009 (Albuquerque, N.M.; Albuquerque C.C.)
64, Wesley Burton, 2007 (Boynton Beach, Fla.; Quail Ridge C.C./North Course)
64, Rod Souza, 2004 (Copperopolis, Calif.; Saddle Creek C.C.)
64, Robert Gaona, 2002 (Goodyear, Ariz.; Tuscany Falls C.C.)
64, Dick McClean, 2001 (Redlands, Calif.; Redlands C.C.)
64, Steve Moreland, 2000 (Charlotte, N.C.; Cedarwood C.C.)
64, Mike Vance, 2025 (Franklin Bridge G.C., Franklin, Tenn.) – Local Qualifier
64, a-Brian Quackenbush, 2025 (Florence S.C.; Florence C.C.) – Local Qualifier
►The Broadmoor is hosting its ninth USGA championship, which dates to the 1959 U.S. Amateur
►The East Course will host its third U.S. Senior Open, which ties a record for most times as a playing site with Saucon Valley Country Club
►World Golf Hall of Famers Jack Nicklaus, Juli Inkster and Annika Sorenstam have won USGA titles here
►The Broadmoor will host the 1,016th USGA championship with this year’s U.S. Senior Open
►The 45th U.S. Senior Open is the 36th USGA championship to be conducted in the state of Colorado
►The Broadmoor is one of seven clubs to have hosted a U.S. Amateur, U.S. Women’s Open and U.S. Senior Open
This will be the third U.S. Senior Open Championship and the ninth USGA championship to be conducted at The Broadmoor.
The Broadmoor’s East Course was the site of the 2018 U.S. Senior Open when David Toms carded an even-par 70 to finish one stroke ahead of Miguel Angel Jimenez, Jerry Kelly and Tim Petrovic. After making a birdie on No. 16 to go ahead, Toms channeled some positive thoughts from his previous major championship victory, the 2001 PGA Championship, to make a critical up-and-down par on the 71st hole. When he knocked his drive on the difficult par-4 17th into a fairway bunker, leaving himself no chance to reach the green in two because the ball sat near the bunker’s face, Toms recalled the up-and-down par he made on the 72nd hole in the PGA at Atlanta Athletic Club to edge Phil Mickelson by one stroke. He laid up his second shot to 93 yards from the green and then after an indifferent approach, he sank a 19-footer from above the hole for a 4. Toms finished with a 72-hole score of 3-under 277.
In 2008, Eduardo Romero became the second Argentinean to win the U.S. Senior Open, joining 1980 champion Roberto De Vicenzo. Romero finished at 6-under-par 274, including a third-round 65, to post a four-stroke victory over Fred Funk.
In 1959, Jack Nicklaus defeated Charles Coe, 1 up, to win the first of his two U.S. Amateur Championships. The 19-year-old Nicklaus made an 8-foot birdie putt on the 36th hole to clinch the final match, a stroke he says gave him the confidence to become the game’s greatest major champion. Nicklaus would go on to win eight USGA championships, including the 1991 and 1993 Senior Opens.
The U.S. Women’s Open Championship has been conducted twice on the East Course. In 1995, Annika Sorenstam shot a final-round 68 to edge Meg Mallon by one stroke (278-279) to win the first of her three U.S. Women’s Open titles. Sorenstam, who won on the 50th anniversary of the championship, became the 13th player to make the U.S. Women’s Open her first American professional victory.
In 2011, So Yeon Ryu, of the Republic of Korea, defeated countrywoman Hee Kyung Seo in a three-hole aggregate playoff, the first time the championship used this format to decide the winner. The two players were tied at 3-under-par 281 after 72 holes. Ryu birdied the last two holes of the playoff to win by three strokes.
The Broadmoor’s East Course also hosted the 1962 Curtis Cup Match, when the USA defeated Great Britain and Ireland, 8-1. The USA Team included JoAnne Gunderson Carner, an eight-time USGA champion, seven-time USGA champion Anne Quast Sander, two-time U.S. Women’s Amateur winner Barbara McIntire and Judy Bell, a future USGA president.
In 1967, The Broadmoor’s West Course hosted the U.S. Amateur and Robert B. Dickson edged Vinny Giles by one shot when the championship was conducted in a 72-hole, stroke-play format. In 1982, the resort’s South Course (later became the Mountain Course) hosted the U.S. Women’s Amateur, as Juli Inkster defeated Cathy Hanlon, 4 and 3, for her third consecutive title.
2025 U.S. Senior Open Players Who Competed in 2018 U.S. Senior Open (31): Stephen Ames (T-31), Billy Andrade (T-16), Woody Austin (MC), Paul Broadhurst (T-5), Olin Browne (MC), Brad Bryant (MC), David Carr (MC), Glen Day (MC), Clark Dennis (MC), Scott Dunlap (T-44), Joe Durant (T-44), Bob Estes (T-31), Steve Flesch (MC), Fred Funk (MC), Lee Janzen (T-10), Miguel Angel Jimenez (T-2), Brandt Jobe (T-5), Jerry Kelly (T-2), Bernhard Langer (T-16), Jeff Maggert (T-49), Rocco Mediate (T-14), Tom Pernice Jr. (T-12), Tim Petrovic (T-2), Gene Sauers (T-21), Vijay Singh (T-16), Jeff Sluman (MC), Kevin Sutherland (T-8), Ken Tanigawa (T-40), David Toms (Won), Kirk Triplett (T-8), Scott Verplank, (T-16).
2025 U.S. Senior Open Players Who Competed in 2008 U.S. Senior Open (4): Brad Bryant (T-14), Fred Funk (2nd), Bernhard Langer (T-6), Jeff Sluman (T-18)
Richard Bland – the last international winner (2024)
Allen Doyle – the last to defend title successfully (2006)
Padraig Harrington – the last to win on his first attempt (2022)
David Toms – the last to win on his second attempt (2018)
Olin Browne – the last start-to-finish winner with no ties (2011)
Hale Irwin – the last winner to birdie the 72nd hole to win by one stroke (1998)
Gary Player – the last winner without a round in the 60s (1988)
Richard Bland – the last winner with all rounds in the 60s (2024)
Gene Sauers – the last defending champion to miss the cut (2017)
Don Pooley – the last winner to come through final qualifying (2002)
Among the benefits the 2025 U.S. Senior Open champion receives are:
►A gold medal and custody of the Francis D. Ouimet Memorial Trophy for the ensuing year
►An exemption from qualifying for the 2026 U.S. Open Championship at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club
►An exemption from qualifying for the next 10 U.S. Senior Open Championships
CAREER SENIOR MAJOR LEADERS – Bernhard Langer, who has won all five senior major professional titles, is the career leader in that category with 12. Jack Nicklaus, a two-time U.S. Senior Open champion, is second with eight senior major professional titles. Hale Irwin, who won the U.S. Senior Open in 1998 and 2000, and Steve Stricker, the 2019 U.S. Senior Open champion, are tied for third with seven senior majors.
The U.S. Senior Open, first contested in 1980, is in just its fifth decade as a USGA championship. Yet the Francis D. Ouimet Memorial Trophy is actually the oldest among the USGA’s championship trophies.
On Sept. 24, 1894, the Tuxedo Club, of Tuxedo Park, N.Y., invited three other clubs to compete in the first American interclub tournament. Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, Saint Andrew’s Golf Club, and The Country Club of Brookline, Mass., agreed to the challenge. All four are founding clubs of the USGA. While there is still some dispute as to which team won, the team from The Country Club, consisting of H.C. Leeds, Laurence Curtis, Robert Bacon and W.B. Thomas, returned home with the trophy. The sterling silver, hourglass-shaped cup remained in the club’s possession until the mid-1950s, when it was given to the USGA for exhibition.
In June 1980, with the USGA preparing for the inaugural U.S. Senior Open, The Country Club suggested that the trophy be used as the formal award for the championship. The cup was presented “by The Country Club and Golfers of Massachusetts,” and formally dedicated as the Francis D. Ouimet Memorial Trophy. Roberto De Vicenzo received it at Winged Foot Golf Club as the inaugural champion. A replica of the trophy, complete with engraving of the 1894 Brookline team, was produced by the USGA in 1997 and awarded to Graham Marsh at Olympia Fields Country Club in Illinois. The original was then given its second and final retirement and is on display at the USGA Golf Museum in Liberty Corner, N.J.
TWO-TEE START – Play will begin at 7 a.m. MDT on Thursday (June 26) on the first and 10th tees at The Broadmoor’s East Course. A two-tee start was adopted for the 2001 U.S. Senior Open. The USGA had adopted a two-tee start for the U.S. Women’s Open in 2000 and used the format for the first time in the U.S. Open in 2002.
SENIOR OPEN PRIZE MONEY – Richard Bland earned $800,000 from a purse of $4 million when he captured the 2024 U.S. Senior Open at Newport (R.I.) Country Club. Hale Irwin received $400,000 from a purse of $2.25 million when the championship was played in 2000 at Saucon Valley Country Club. In 1980, Roberto De Vicenzo won the first U.S. Senior Open and earned $20,000.
SENIOR OPEN BIRTHDAYS – Three players in the U.S. Senior Open field will be celebrating a birthday around the championship. Mark Hensby, who tied for third in 2022 at Saucon Valley Country Club, turns 54 on June 29, the final round of the championship. Boomer Erick turned 50 six days prior to the start of the championship. Mark Knowles turns 54 on Tuesday.
FIELD FOR THE AGES – Eight players in the 2025 U.S. Senior Open field have celebrated their 50th birthday since January. Soren Kjeldsen turned 50 on May 17. The Danish professional has claimed four DP World Tour victories and played in five U.S. Opens, with his best finish a tie for 33rd in 2010 at Pebble Beach (Calif.) Golf Links.
There are 34 players in the field who are 60 or older. Fred Funk (2009), Olin Browne (2011), Jeff Maggert (2015), Gene Sauers (2016) and Bernhard Langer (2010, 2023) are U.S. Senior Open champions.
The average age of the 156-player field is 55.88.
INTERNATIONAL GROUP – There are 22 countries represented in the 2025 U.S. Senior Open. The USA has 103 players in the field, while Australia has 10 and England has seven.
Countries with players in the field: United States (103), Australia (10), England (7), South Africa (4), Canada (3), Germany (3), Japan (3), New Zealand (3), Scotland (3), Sweden (3), Argentina (2), Denmark (2), Republic of Korea (2), Brazil (1), Fiji (1), France (1), India (1), Republic of Ireland (1), Mexico (1), Northern Ireland (1), Spain (1) and Thailand (1).
FIRST TIME IN U.S. SENIOR OPEN – There are 43 players in the 2025 championship field who are making their U.S. Senior Open debut. Stewart Cink, who won the 2009 Open Championship at Turnberry in a playoff with Tom Watson, has top-3 finishes in all four major championships. Cink, who has competed in 23 U.S. Opens, has won eight times on the PGA Tour and twice on PGA Tour Champions. He defeated Retief Goosen in a playoff at this year’s Insperity Invitational. Angel Cabrera, of Argentina, captured consecutive senior major titles in May when he won the Regions Tradition and Senior PGA Championship. Cabrera, who has victories on nine different tours, won the 2007 U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club and the 2009 Masters Tournament.
List of First-Time U.S. Senior Open Competitors (43): Steve Allan, a-Thomas Ansbro, a-Thomas Arlia, Arjun Atwal, John Bushka, Angel Cabrera, Stewart Cink, Robert Coles, Burke Cromer, Rod Curl Jr., a-Chris Devlin, Boomer Erick, Darin Fisher, Stephen Gallacher, a-Ryan Gioffre, Thomas Gogele, Jason Gore, a-Tom Greller, Simon Griffiths, Scott Hend, J.J. Henry, Scott Hunter, Armando Manuel Inman, Freddie Jacobson, a-Joe Jaspers, Brendan Jones, a-Marcus Jones, a-Bradley Kay, Soren Kjeldsen, Mark Knowles, Andrew Marshall, Len Mattiace, a-Terrence Miskell, Tim O’Neal, a-Darin Overson, Greg Owen, Perry Parker, Van Phillips, Ted Purdy, a-Peter Samborsky II, Kevin Shields, Rob Shields, a-Daniel Sullivan
LOCAL KNOWLEDGE I – Matt Schalk, 54, of Erie, Colo., has been PGA General Manager at Colorado National Golf Club, a public golf facility, since 2017. Schalk, who advanced through both stages of qualifying, was the medalist (68) in the Colorado Springs, Colo., final qualifier on June 10. Schalk, who played in first U.S. Senior Open last year, won the 2023 Senior PGA Professional Championship. He was chosen 2023 Colorado Golf Hall of Fame Person of the Year. His daughter, Hailey, played at the University of Colorado and qualified for the 2021 U.S. Women’s Amateur.
LOCAL KNOWLEDGE II – Brandt Jobe is a member of the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame after winning the 1985 State Amateur and 1992 State Open. As a high school student at Kent Denver, he also won the CGA Junior Stroke Play. Jobe has played in four U.S. Senior Opens, including a third-place finish in 2017 when he fired a third-round 62 at Salem Country Club. He tied for fifth the following year at The Broadmoor’s East Course. The 59-year-old has been victorious on four professional tours, including PGA Tour Champions. His son, Jackson, is a starting pitcher for Major League Baseball’s Detroit Tigers.
LOCAL KNOWLEDGE III – Shane Bertsch, a Colorado native who was born in Denver and resides in Parker, will play in his third U.S. Senior Open. He recorded three victories on the Web.com Tour (now Korn Ferry Tour) and won the 1998 Colorado Open at Saddlebrook Golf Course, in Aurora. A top tennis player on the junior level in his home state, he once battled with future No. 1-ranked player and International Tennis Hall of Fame member Andre Agassi.
LOOKING BACK – Bernhard Langer is one of four players in the U.S. Senior Open field who competed in the same championship at The Broadmoor in 2008 and 2018, tying for ninth and 16th, respectively. Langer became the oldest player to win the U.S. Senior Open in 2023 at 65 years, 10 months and 6 days. He broke a mark previously held by Allen Doyle, who was 58 when he successfully defended his title in 2006. Langer, a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame, won his second U.S. Senior Open 13 years after earning his first title in 2010.
THREESOME OF CHAMPIONS – There have been 23 players in the history of the U.S. Open to claim the championship more than once. Three who have accomplished the feat are in this year’s U.S. Senior Open at The Broadmoor. Ernie Els won the U.S. Open in 1994 and 1997 and owns a pair of Open Championship wins (2002, 2012). Els has combined to win 47 times on the PGA Tour and DP World Tour. Lee Janzen captured the U.S. Open in 1993 and 1998. Retief Goosen, who was runner-up along with Mike Weir in the 2021 U.S. Senior Open, won the U.S. Open in 2001 and 2004.
THE COACHES – Andrew Sapp guided Purdue University to an NCAA Tournament berth in his first year as head coach in 2024-25. He previously was a Boilermaker assistant for two years and was a head coach at East Carolina, North Carolina and Michigan. Sapp was the medalist (67) in the Mesa, Ariz., final qualifier on June 2 and will make his second U.S. Senior Open start. Darin Fisher coaches both the men’s and women’s teams at William Penn University, in Oskaloosa, Iowa. In his first year, Fisher helped the women win the Heartland of America Athletic Conference title and make an NAIA Championship appearance. He was also a medalist in final qualifying with a 3-under-par 69 at Shadow Ridge Country Club, in Omaha, Neb., on May 27. Eric Rolland is the men’s and women’s coach at Augsburg University, a NCAA Division III school located in Minneapolis, Minn.
AN AMATEUR’S ASSIST – Chris Devlin, a two-stage qualifier for this year’s U.S. Senior Open, may be better known for introducing 2010 U.S. Open champion Graeme McDowell to the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). Devlin, who was born in Northern Ireland and is now a healthcare executive, gave up some of his scholarship money so McDowell could attend. Devlin was also a decorated UAB player and a three-time conference player of the year. He dealt with a neuromuscular disease throughout his career and had open heart surgery in 2006 that forced him to leave the game for more than a year. He returned to qualify for the 2008 U.S. Open through both stages. He competed in Nationwide (now Korn Ferry) Tour and European Tour events before regaining his amateur status in 2019.
WHAT’S IN A NAME – Canada’s Dave Bunker, who will play in his third U.S. Senior Open but first since 2016, is well-schooled when it comes to his last name and playing golf. He is a retired middle school teacher and boys’ and girls’ basketball coach in Ridgeway, Ontario. A member of the Ontario Golf Hall of Fame, he has put together a solid amateur career. Bunker has won Canadian Mid-Amateur titles, and the 2021 Florida Senior Amateur. Last year, he advanced to the quarterfinals in the U.S. Senior Amateur. The 60-year-old has also raised twin daughters, Kristine and Sandra, who went on to be collegiate swimmers.
MANY FIRSTS – Tim O’Neal, of Savannah, Ga., is playing in his first U.S. Senior Open. He was exempt from qualifying after winning his first PGA Tour Champions event last October, a two-stroke victory in the Dominion Energy Charity Classic. O’Neal has been victorious on six professional tours, including the Advocates Professional Golf Association. He played in the first APGA tournament in 2010 and has won nine events during his career. O’Neal, who played in his first and lone U.S. Open in 2015 at Chambers Bay, was sponsored for two years early in his career by Academy Award-winning actor Will Smith.
A QUALIFYING SUCCESS – Olin Browne became the first U.S. Senior Open champion to have to qualify for the championship as the exemption categories have changed with the two-stage process in its first year. Browne, who won the 2011 Senior Open at Inverness Club, in Toledo, Ohio, was one of eight players to advance from the Jupiter, Fla., final qualifier on June 12. He is playing in his 14th Senior Open. Browne also famously fired a 59 in the second round of a 36-hole qualifier to earn a spot in the 2005 U.S. Open field. He had shot 73 in the morning at Woodmont Country Club, in Rockville, Md. Browne would share the lead during the first two rounds at Pinehurst No. 2 before tying for 23rd.
TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALLPARK – Burke Cromer, the head professional at Mid Carolina Golf Club, was selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 1988 Major League Baseball Amateur Draft. He spent two years in the minors with the Atlanta Braves organization until a should injury sent him on a path to golf. The 55-year-old from Irmo, S.C., joined the U.S. Senior Open field when Jay Haas withdrew, getting a spot as the first alternate from the Wallace, N.C., final qualifier. Cromer, who earned all-conference honors as an infielder at the University of South Carolina, from 1989-92, has won four consecutive South Carolina Senior Opens. His brothers, Tripp and D.T., have each played with MLB teams. Tripp was an infielder with St. Louis, Los Angeles Dodgers and Houston, while D.T. was a Cincinnati first baseman.
BROADCAST TEAM – Thomas Levet and Notah Begay III worked as television commentators and analysts at this year’s U.S. Open, held at Oakmont (Pa.) Country Club. Levet, who is competing in his third U.S. Senior Open, was on the French Canal+ broadcast team. The 56-year-old has won six times on the European Tour (now DP World Tour) and claimed three European Senior (now Legends Tour) titles. Begay, 52, of Albuquerque, N.M., served as broadcaster for NBC/Golf Channel. He will also play in his third U.S. Senior Open. A member of the 1995 USA Walker Cup Team, Begay has registered four PGA Tour victories.
HONORARY CHAIR – Colorado native Hale Irwin, a World Golf Hall of Famer and five-time USGA champion, is serving as honorary chair of the 45th U.S. Senior Open. Irwin, the 1998 and 2000 U.S. Senior Open champion, produced 20 PGA Tour victories and set a record by winning 45 Champions events that was broken by Bernhard Langer when he claimed the 2023 U.S. Senior Open at SentryWorld. Irwin is best known for his U.S. Open victories in 1974, 1979 and 1990, and is one of just six players to win the championship three or more times. He was a three-sport athlete at Boulder High School and went on to star at the University of Colorado where he twice was selected first-team All-Big Eight Conference as a defensive back in football and won the 1967 NCAA individual golf championship.
LATE TO THE FIELD – Matt Gogel, the first alternate from the Omaha, Neb., final qualifying site., was added to the field when Fred Couples, the 2010 U.S. Senior Open runner-up, withdrew. Gogel, a 54-year-old professional from Mission Hills, Kan., is playing in his third U.S. Senior Open. He shot 72 at Shadow Ridge Country Club and was involved in a 3-for-1 playoff for one of four available spots in the qualifier. Gogel has competed in 13 USGA championships, including seven U.S. Opens. His best finish was a tie for 12th in 2001 at Southern Hills Country Club, in Tulsa, Okla. Gogel, who was born in Denver, Colo., recorded his lone PGA Tour victory in 2002 at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.
Ron Philo, the first alternate from the Jupiter, Fla., final qualifying site, was added to the field when Robert Allenby withdrew. A 59-year-old professional from Scotia, N.Y., who won the 2006 PGA Professional Championship, Philo is competing in his second U.S. Senior Open. He just completed his first year as the head coach at Palm Beach State College in Florida. His wife, Susan Bond-Philo, is Palm Beach State women’s coach and played in last year’s U.S. Senior Women’s Open. His sister, Laura Diaz, made 15 U.S. Women’s Open starts and won twice on the LPGA Tour.
ON TOUR – In 2025, Miguel Angel Jimenez has won four PGA Tour Champions events, including the Kaulig Companies Championship on Sunday, while Angel Cabrera has been victorious in three tournaments. Cabrera, the 2007 U.S. Open champion, captured two senior majors - the Regions Tradition and Senior PGA Championship - in consecutive weeks. Jimenez, a runner-up in both the U.S. Open and U.S. Senior Open during his career, has won 21 European Tour (now DP World Tour) and 17 PGA Tour Champions tournaments.
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