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Hale Irwin won the US Open in 1990 after earning an exemption to compete at the Major from the United States Golf Association (USGA).
Hale had received a special exemption from the officials to join the stellar field of the major,. The golfer made the best use of the opportunity and settled in a tie for the top position with Mike Donald after four rounds. The two headed to compete in a playoff, where Irwin won the event.
The USGA holds special power to invite golfers who missed out on qualification to compete in the Major. USGA has recently invited Tiger Woods to compete at the US Open on a special exemption.
Woods, who has won 15 major events in his career, was not qualified to compete at the US Open. He won the Masters in 2019, which allowed him to compete in Majors until 2023. However, this year, he qualified for all three Majors with the exception of the US Open.
Nonetheless, as he earned the exemption, Woods will also compete at the US Open in 2024.
USGA has invited 34 players to compete at the US Open since 1966. Prior to Tiger Woods, the last player to receive such an invitation was Phil Mickelson. The latter competed at the US Open on a special exemption and finished in a tie for T62 place in 2021. That year, he won the PGA Championship and secured his spot in all four Majors for five years.
Legendary golfer Jack Nicklaus had earned the most special exemptions to compete in the US Open. He was invited eight times, including five times in a row.
US Open past winners explored
The US Open is one of the oldest golf events, starting in 1895 with Horace Rawlins winning the inaugural edition of the event. The century-old tournament is one of the four Major events in men's professional golf.
Over the years, several top-ranked golfers in the world have registered victories in the prestigious event. Legendary golfer Jack Nicklaus won it four times, Ben Hogan also won it four times, as did Willie Anderson and Bobby Jones. Hale Irwin and Tiger Woods each won the event three times, while Brooks Koepka won it twice.
Last year, Wyndham Clark registered a one-stroke victory over Rory McIlroy for his maiden major. Prior to him, Matt Fitzpatrick won the event, while Jon Rahm triumphed over Louis Oosthuizen in 2021 by one stroke.
Here is the list of winners of the US Open in the 21st century:
- 2023 - Wyndham Clark
- 2022 - Matt Fitzpatrick
- 2021 - Jon Rahm
- 2020 - Bryson DeChambeau
- 2019 - Gary Woodland
- 2018 - Brooks Koepka
- 2017 - Brooks Koepka
- 2016 - Dustin Johnson
- 2015 - Jordan Spieth
- 2014 - Martin Kaymer
- 2013 - Justin Rose
- 2012 - Webb Simpson
- 2011 - Rory McIlroy
- 2010 - Graeme McDowell
- 2009 - Lucas Glover
- 2008 - Tiger Woods
- 2007 - Ángel Cabrera
- 2006 - Geoff Ogilvy
- 2005 - Michael Campbell
- 2004 - Retief Goosen
- 2003 - Jim Furyk
- 2002 - Tiger Woods
- 2001 - Retief Goosen
- 2000 - Tiger Woods
The 2024 edition of the US Open will take place from June 13 to 16 at Pinehurst No. 2.
