The U.S. Open: The 10 Best Players From Each Decade
By Bill Felber
The U.S. Open: 1990-1999
Three players each won a pair of U.S. Opens during the decade of the 1990s, and they rank 1-2-3 on the decade dominance list.
The math gives the overall advantage to Payne Stewart, winner at Hazeltine in 1991 and again at Pinehurst in 1999. He edges out Ernie Els, winner at Oakmont in 1994 and Congressional in 1997, with Lee Janzen, the 1993 and 1998 champion, third.
Stewart holds the top spot because he backed up those two wins with runner-up finishes to Janzen in both 1993 and 1998.
Aside from his two victories, Els’ best showing was a tie for fifth in 1996. Janzen had the decade’s two statistically most dominant victories but managed nothing better than a 10th when he didn’t win.
Top 10 players of the 1990 to 1999 Era
1. Payne Stewart, -1.29
2. Ernie Els, -1.22
3. Lee Janzen, -1.15
4. Colin Montgomerie, -1.14
5. Tom Lehman, -1.08
6. Jeff Sluman, -0.97
7. Scott Hoch, -0.93
8. Nick Price, -0.90
9. Jim Furyk, -0.83
10. Corey Pavin, -0.71
The first question you are probably asking concerns Tiger Woods. Woods teed it up as an amateur in the 1995 U.S. Open, but withdrew.
That left him with only four full tournaments between 1996 and 1999, one fewer than required to meet the 50 percent standard for consideration.
Could one expand the decade by one year, 1990 to 2000, to give Woods a fifth full tournament…and his first victory? No. That would create a period of 11 Opens, half of which would have been six …and Woods still would lack one start of being eligible.