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The US Open Golf Championship

15 – 18 June 2006

The US Open Golf Championship

The US Open Championship, organised by the United States Golf Association, is one of the four major championships in the golfing calendar, the others being the Masters, the British Open and the PGA Championship. Structured to be extremely challenging, with emphasis on first class driving, the US Open Championship is held at a variety of courses and is on the schedule of the PGA Tour and the PGA European Tour.

In 2006 the 106^th US Open Golf Championship will be held from 15th to 18th June at the Winged Foot Golf Club, north of New York City, the venue of four previous US Opens.

All the great names in golf have taken part, and victory at the US Open - possibly more than in any other golf championship - depends on the need for superb driving, and requires players to deal with an unusual degree of mental pressure. Not surprisingly this is one of the most popular events in the golfing calendar, attracting enormous coverage and a favourite for those who enjoy betting.

You can find out about how the US Open Championship has developed over the years on our History of the US Open page.

Qualifying for the US Open Championship

There is a field of 156 players and any professional, or amateur with a USGA Handicap Index not exceeding 1.4 is eligible. Players qualify either because they are fully exempt, which accounts for about half the field, or by competing successfully in the Qualifying process.

There are seventeen full exemption categories, which include winners of the US Open in the last ten years, winners of the other three major championships for the last five years, the top 30 players from the previous year's PGA Tour money list, the top fifteen from the previous year's European Tour money list, and the top 50 in the Official World Golf Rankings two weeks before the tournament.

There are two stages to the Qualifying process. Local Qualifying is played over 18 holes at over 100 U.S. courses. The players exempt from the first stage go directly to the Sectional Qualifying stage, played over 36 holes at a number of U.S. courses, and one each in Europe and Japan.

Format of the US Open Championship

Since 1965 the format has been four 18-hole daily rounds. Thefield is reduced, after two rounds, to the best 60 players and ties, plus anyone within ten strokes of the leader.

Previous Winners of the US Open Championship

Although English and Scottish players won most of the early US Opens, US golfers have dominated the US Open Golf Championship for many years. In 1981 victory went to the Australian David Graham. The next non-US champion was Ernie Els, another South African, who captured the prize in 1994 and 1997.

However, American golfers have lost out three times in the past five years, suggesting that things are starting to change. South African Retief Goosen won the Championship in 2001 and 2004 and in 2005 Michael Campbell, the New Zealander - as he put it - ‘snuck in there without anyone noticing'.

The winners of the last five US Open Golf Championships were:

2005 Michael Campbell New Zealand Pinehurst Resort, North Carolina

2004 Retief Goosen South Africa Shinnecock Hills GC, NY

2003 Jim Furyk United States Olympia Fields, Illinois

2002 Tiger Woods United States Bethpage State Park, NY

2001 Retief Goosen South Africa Southern Hills Country Club, Ill

Betting on the US Open Championship

The recent victories of non-US players add excitement and broader opportunities for betting on the 2006 US Open Golf Championship. It's worth checking the odds to see which golfers are considered to be in line for success. A good performance last year does not automatically put a player at the top end of the favourite's list, and, most importantly, you should look at contenders' recent form in other tournaments.

Apart from win or place bets there is a whole range of betting opportunities. Different bookmakers offer different choices – and odds. Two Ball Bets allow you to select a player to outscore another player over one round, Three Ball Bets to select a player to outscore two nominated players.

In Group Betting, the bookmaker selects a group of players and gives each of them odds for beating the others in the group.

Group Bets give you the opportunity to combine one or more of the above bets. You have to win all the bets in your group, but if you do, the payout is based on the individual odds multiplied together. If, say, your two bets came in at 5 to 1 and 7 to 1, your payout would be at 35 to 1.

You can find out more about the different types of bet you can place on the US Open on our Types of Golf Bet page.

The US Open Championship is one of the top events in the golfing year and provides a range of opportunities for experienced and novice gamblers alike.

For the latest odds from a range of bookmakers and betting exchanges, visit our Latest Odds section.

The US Open is only one of many events in the golfing calendar. Check out other golf events!

If you are new to betting and want to bet on the US Open Championship, be sure to check out our Golf – How to Bet section for some betting hints and tips.

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