Your Guide To All Things U.S. Open

The United States Golf Association U.S. Open is in full swing, and after the first round of play, there’s an unexpected frontrunner.
Following yesterday’s matchup, Kevin Streelman, 29, holds the top spot with a score of 68, putting him 3 under par in his U.S. Open debut. Meanwhile, expected leaders Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson failed to crack the top 10.

The tournament continues today, with the final round slated for Sunday, Father’s Day. While golf-loving fathers will probably revel in a day glued to the TV, their offspring might be as enthusiastic. If you want to bond with dad over Woods’ return to the tour or the last chip shot out of the sand trap, here are a few facts that may even impress the most savvy golf enthusiast (or at least keep you on par with the conversation):

Golf Terms to Know:
Ace- Also known as a hole-in-one, refers to a tee shot that results in a score of 1.
Par- The standard number of strokes expected to complete a hole or course.
Eagle- A score of two under par for a hole.
Birdie- A score of one under par for a hole.
Bogey- A score of one over par for a hole.
Double Bogey- A score of two over par for a hole.
Slice- A wildly curving shot from left to right for a right-handed player.

History of U.S. Open:
The U.S. Open began in 1895 on the nine-hole course at the Newport Golf and Country Club in Rhode Island. Horace Rawlins won the competition, along with $150 in prize money, a gold medal and custody of the Open Championship Cup.

The tournament quickly grew in popularity with both American golfers as well as international players. John J. McDermott became the first native-born American winner in 1911 and repeated as champion in 1912.

The event’s now played at one of numerous qualifying courses, characterized by their high cut rough, hilly greens, pinched fairways, and longer than normal distances.

Currently, the purse at the tournament is $7 million, with $1.2 million going to the winner. In addition, the winner gets several privileges that most golfers only dream of: U.S. Open champions are automatically invited to play in the other three majors (the Masters, the Open Championship, and the PGA Championship) for the next five years. And, they are exempt from qualifying for the U.S. Open for the next 10 years.

Torrey Pines Facts and Stats:
This year’s U.S. Open is held at the Torrey Pines Golf Club in San Diego, Calif. But, the land overlooking the Pacific Ocean wasn’t always home to a beautiful golf course. In 1941, the U.S. Army leased 750 acres of Torrey Pines Mesa from the City of San Diego to use as an anti-aircraft artillery replacement training center.

In 1956, 100 acres of Camp Callan were set aside for the construction of a public golf course, and rest of the land went to the State of California. And so Torrey Pines came to be. In addition to be the home of this year’s Open, the par 71 course which measures 7,643 yards in length, also hosts the PGA Tour Buick Invitational (GM) each year.

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