Last player to win the US Open in their debut
24-year-old golfing phenom Ludvig Aberg is making a habit of doing spectacular things in the biggest of events at such a young age. Last year, the Swede made history by becoming the first player selected to a Ryder Cup before making their debut in a major. He would follow an impressive showing for Team Europe in Italy with a sensational performance in April's Masters where he would go on to finish runner-up to winner Scottie Scheffler in his major championship debut. Now, Ludvig Aberg is turning heads at the US Open.
Playing in his first US Open, Aberg finds himself atop the leaderboard at the famed Pinehurst No. 2 after 36 holes of action in the year's third major championship. The Swedish sensation leads the trio of Bryson DeChambeau (-4), Patrick Cantlay (-4), and Thomas Detry (-4) by one going into the weekend following a cool 1-under 69 on a day when the majority of the field was struggling to break par.
While a handful of big names and proven major winners are just a couple shots further adrift and there are still 36 holes more to play at the 124th US Open, Aberg is well-positioned to potentially win the US Open in his first-ever appearance in the major come Sunday evening. He would join an elite and small group of debutante winners should he prevail in just his third showing in a major championship, but who was the last player to win the US Open in their debut?
Last debutante to win the US Open
The last player to win in their US Open debut was Francis Ouimet back in 1913. The amateur golfer shocked the world after defeating multiple major winner Harry Vardon and 1912 Open Champion, Ted Ray, in an 18-hole playoff to become the first amateur to win the US Open. Ouimet's incredible triumph in 1913 came at The Country Club, in Brookline, Massachusetts, right across the street from where the American golfer grew up.
Francis Ouimet became just the fifth player to win the US Open in their debut following in the footsteps of Harry Vardon himself, who won the US Open on his first attempt thirteen years before losing to Ouimet in one of the most remarkable major championships of all time.
Golfers who won the US Open in their debut
Here is a look at all five players, including Francis Ouimet, who won the US Open in their first appearance in the prestigious event and the year they lifted the trophy.
US Open Champion | Year of Win |
---|---|
Horace Rawlins | 1895 |
Fred Herd | 1898 |
Harry Vardon | 1900 |
George Sargent | 1909 |
Francis Ouimet | 1913 |
Incredibly, of the five players who went on to win the US Open in their debut in the major, three of them finished with just one major. Horace Rawlins, Fred Herd, and George Sargent's only major win came in the US Open. Francis Ouimet would go on to also win the US Amateur in 1914 and 1931, which at the time was considered one of golf's majors. Harry Vardon was one of the greatest golfers of all time winning seven major championships in his career, he had already won The Open Championship (British Open) three times before winning his first US Open on his debut in the major.