Recounting the Biggest Margin of Victory in U.S. Open History

Madison Williams | Jun 11, 2024

June 17, 2010; Pebble Beach, CA, USA; Tiger Woods waits for the group playing the fourth hole to clear during the first round of the 110th U.S. Open at Pebble Beach Golf Links. Mandatory Credit: Allan Henry-USA TODAY Sports / Allan Henry-USA TODAY Sports

The world's best golfers will tee it up at the 124th U.S. Open at legendary Pinehurst No. 2 starting on Thursday, June 13.

Whoever reigns victorious on Sunday, their name will be etched in the history books for many years to come. The 123 finishes before this week's U.S. Open all have, but some wins stick out for more iconic reasons.

Some golfers, like Tiger Woods, have won the tournament multiple times. Woods's victory in 2000 was his most notable, though, for one reason in particular.

What is the Biggest Margin of Victory in U.S. Open History?

In 2000, Woods had already made a name for himself after winning the 1997 Masters and 1999 PGA Championship, but he showed his true dominance on the golf course when he walked onto Pebble Beach Golf Links and teed it up in the U.S. Open.

Woods went on to win by 15 strokes. His final score of 12-under was light years ahead of Miguel Ángel Jiménez and Ernie Els, who both finished 3-over. This made Woods the only player in the tournament that year to shoot under par. His final score card came out to 65-69-71-67.

Not only is this the biggest margin of victory in U.S. Open history, but it's also the largest in major championship history.

What are the Other Biggest Margins of Victory in U.S. Open History?

The next biggest margin of victory at the U.S. Open happened over 100 years ago in 1899 as Willie Smith won by 11 strokes.

Jim Barnes won the 1921 U.S. Open by nine strokes, making that the next largest margin of victory in the tournament's history.

The next most notable largest margins of victory at the major came in 2011 when Rory McIlroy won by eight strokes, followed by Martin Kaymer also winning by eight strokes in 2014.