Revisted: 2020 US Open

The 2020 U.S. Open at Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck, New York, was anything but ordinary. Held from September 17-20, the tournament took place during a year when the world was still reeling from the COVID-19 pandemic. Normally played in June, with a traditional Father’s Day finish, the event was postponed, making it the second of three men's majors to be delayed that season.

But this U.S. Open wasn’t just unusual for its timing—it was also eerily quiet. No fans were allowed on the grounds, leaving the expansive course to the players, caddies, officials, and a handful of media. For a championship that feeds off crowd energy, especially with the famously rowdy New York fans, the silence was striking.

Winged Foot: A Brutal Test of Skill

Winged Foot has long been known as one of the toughest venues in golf. Originally designed by A.W. Tillinghast in 1923 and restored by Gil Hanse in 2017, the course demands precision and patience. It has played host to five previous U.S. Opens, a PGA Championship, and two U.S. Amateurs, building a reputation as one of the game’s sternest tests.

The numbers speak for themselves—Geoff Ogilvy won here in 2006 with a score of +5, and Hale Irwin claimed victory in 1974 at +7. The 2020 edition wasn’t expected to be any kinder. Stretching 7,477 yards as a par 70, the West Course featured narrow fairways, six-inch rough, and notoriously fast, complex greens. While Hanse’s redesign enlarged the greens by nearly 24%, offering more pin positions, the subtleties of the slopes made them treacherous as ever. For the first time, players were also permitted to use green-reading books, a rare concession at a U.S. Open—yet even that wasn’t enough to make scoring easy.

A Different Kind of U.S. Open

Typically, the U.S. Open lives up to its name by being a “true open,” giving anyone—pros and amateurs alike—a chance to qualify through local and sectional tournaments. But the pandemic forced the USGA to cancel those qualifiers, meaning the 144-player field consisted entirely of exempt golfers. To maintain some amateur representation, the USGA invited the top seven players from the World Amateur Golf Rankings, alongside six others who had earned spots through past USGA events.

Despite the unique setup, some key names were missing—most notably Brooks Koepka, who had dominated recent U.S. Opens, winning in 2017 and 2018 and finishing runner-up in 2019. His absence added another layer of intrigue, leaving the door open for new contenders to step up.

The Favorites and Storylines to Watch

Heading into the tournament, the excitement around Winged Foot’s challenge and the revamped course was palpable. Dustin Johnson arrived in peak form, having won twice in his last four starts and finishing second in the other two. Jon Rahm, who had edged out Johnson in a playoff at the BMW Championship weeks earlier, was also considered a strong contender. Justin Thomas and Rory McIlroy were in the conversation as well, while Tiger Woods—despite being far from his best—remained the focus of fans watching from home.

With no crowds to influence the atmosphere, the 2020 U.S. Open felt unlike any major in recent memory. The stakes were high, the course was unforgiving, and the players knew that one bad decision could derail their hopes. There were plenty of unknowns going in—would the softened September conditions make Winged Foot less punishing? Could someone rise to the occasion and seize their first major victory? Or would one of golf’s established stars add to their legacy?

As the tournament teed off, it was clear that this U.S. Open would carve out its own place in history—quiet, unpredictable, and unforgettable.

Round 1

The opening round at Winged Foot quickly proved that this U.S. Open would break from tradition. Played in mid-September instead of its usual June date, the course wasn’t as fast or firm as we’ve come to expect from past U.S. Opens. That difference was reflected in the scoring—players averaged 72.56, the second-lowest first-round average in U.S. Open history, just behind the 1993 championship at Baltusrol.

Winged Foot’s greens are notoriously some of the toughest in golf. With Gil Hanse’s 2017 restoration, the greens were expanded by nearly 24%, creating new pin placements to challenge the field even further. While the course still presented the typical U.S. Open test—tight fairways, thick rough, and 7,477 yards of brutal length—the greens were perhaps the greatest obstacle. For the first time in a U.S. Open at Winged Foot, players were allowed to use green-reading books, offering them visual aids to better read the undulating surfaces. Even so, the softened conditions made the course more forgiving, and that showed on the leaderboard.

The weather cooperated with the players on Thursday, with temperatures peaking at 26°C (79°F) under partly cloudy skies—ideal scoring conditions. The receptive greens opened the door for low scores, and Justin Thomas took full advantage. Thomas, coming off a strong season with three wins, including a WGC title, led the way with a 5-under 65. He opened his round with a birdie on the 1st after sticking an approach to three feet, setting the tone for the day. A birdie run on holes 9 through 11 pushed him to the top of the leaderboard. After his round, Thomas was clear-eyed about the road ahead: “It’s not even remotely close to being over. As great as today was, I need to forget it and focus—there are still 54 holes to play.”

Patrick Reed provided the most thrilling moment of the day. Despite a double bogey at the 5th, he recovered with a birdie at the 6th and followed it up with a hole-in-one at the par-3 7th, finishing the day at 4-under 66. In his post-round comments, Reed admitted, “I didn’t expect to see so many guys under par after Round 1.”

Joining Reed at -4 was Belgium’s Thomas Pieters, who leaned on his length off the tee to capitalize on the softer conditions. This was Pieters’ best-ever start at a major and a significant breakthrough after missing the cut in his previous U.S. Open attempts.

Matthew Wolff, making his U.S. Open debut, also thrived. The young phenom, who turned pro just over a year earlier, strung together three straight birdies on holes 11 through 13. Already a PGA Tour winner, Wolff’s strong play proved he could deliver on golf’s biggest stages. He narrowly missed a 20-footer on the 18th that would have tied him with Thomas for the lead, but he tapped in for par to finish at 4-under.

Rory McIlroy put himself in the mix with a solid opening round, finishing at 3-under 67. He excelled on the par-3s, playing them 3-under, though a couple of sloppy three-putts on the back nine cost him an even lower score. After several slow starts at majors in recent years, this was a promising beginning for the Northern Irishman.

Other notables near the top of the leaderboard included Louis Oosthuizen, who carded a 5-under back nine to finish at -3, along with Xander Schauffele at -2 and Lee Westwood at -3. By the end of the day, 26 players had broken par—an unusually high number for a U.S. Open, especially at Winged Foot.

It was clear the USGA hadn’t anticipated such low scores, despite the thick rough and tricky greens. Determined to restore the course’s bite, officials went to work overnight to tighten the setup and make par a more meaningful number heading into the next rounds.

Yet beyond the course itself, there was a noticeable absence that left the tournament feeling off-kilter—the lack of fans. A U.S. Open is typically a raucous event, and nowhere is that more true than in New York, where crowds add to the spectacle. Players had grown accustomed to fanless tournaments earlier in the year, but the silence at a major still felt surreal. As Wolff put it, “It’s strange—at a U.S. Open, you expect those loud roars after big moments. Without them, it feels... almost too quiet.”

Despite the quiet atmosphere, the first round delivered plenty of action, setting the stage for an unpredictable week at one of golf’s most unforgiving venues. As always at Winged Foot, one poor swing could cost players multiple strokes—and with the USGA tightening the screws, the margin for error would only shrink as the tournament wore on.

Round 2

Friday at Winged Foot saw a shift in conditions. With cooler temperatures hovering around 21°C (70°F) and a steady breeze from the north at 10-15 mph, the course toughened considerably. Gone were the low scores from Thursday, as only three players managed to break par, with 68 being the best round of the day. This difficult second round belonged to Bryson DeChambeau.

This was peak "Bulk Bryson"—bigger, stronger, and fully immersed in the science of golf. His unconventional strategy was clear: “If everyone’s going to end up in the rough, I might as well hit it as far as I can to leave myself a wedge instead of a long iron.” And on Friday, that plan paid off. DeChambeau got things rolling with a birdie on the 11th (his second hole) after a monstrous drive, then drained a long putt from off the green on his seventh hole. But the highlight of his round came at the par-5 9th, where he flushed an iron to nine feet and converted the eagle putt.

Bryson’s round finished with two birdies, two bogeys, and that eagle—enough to keep him firmly in the hunt heading into the weekend. In his post-round interview, he responded to a question about the public’s fascination with U.S. Open carnage by saying, “It’s relatable.”

Thomas Pieters, who had shared the lead after the first round, looked sharp early on Friday. After a birdie at the 2nd and a clutch 18-foot par save on the 3rd, Pieters briefly tied Justin Thomas at -6. He took sole possession of the lead with another birdie at the 5th and made the turn still in front, thanks to some impressive scrambling. However, his back nine unraveled with bogeys on 10, 11, and 15. Pieters limped home with a 74, erasing the momentum he built on the front and leaving him even par for the day.

Rory McIlroy also started with promise, but his round took a dark turn. After an early birdie, McIlroy made seven bogeys and a double bogey, offset by just one more birdie. He posted a 76, finishing at +3 for the tournament—well outside the top 10 and far from the position he’d hoped for after a solid first round. It was a disappointing day for Rory, especially given his strong track record on parkland-style courses where driver play is crucial.

Justin Thomas struggled as well, failing to back up his opening-round 65. Four bogeys in his first eight holes put him on the back foot early. Though he birdied the 9th to build some momentum, he doubled the 1st (his 10th hole) and managed only two more birdies coming in to shoot a 73. While Thomas remained in the mix at -2 and tied for third, it was a frustrating day that kept him from solidifying his position.

Matthew Wolff’s struggles continued, as the young star posted a 4-over 74. Now sitting at even par, four shots off the lead, Wolff was still in the tournament, but his margin for error was shrinking. At the U.S. Open, the key is survival—staying in the hunt without self-destructing, knowing that one bad round can ruin a championship. The afternoon wave, including McIlroy, Thomas, and Wolff, also faced trickier winds, making scoring even more challenging.

One player who managed to keep himself in contention was Patrick Reed. Although his round was erratic—featuring five birdies and five bogeys—Reed’s ability to grind out an even-par 70 was impressive. Sitting at -4, Reed held a one-shot lead heading into the weekend. Afterward, he admitted, “It was a scrappy round.

I hit some loose shots, but I’m happy to walk away even and excited for what’s to come.” Reed was also looking forward to Saturday’s final pairing with DeChambeau, joking, “He hits it over the trees, and I hit it under them.”

The final group of Bryson DeChambeau and Patrick Reed felt almost comical given their reputations—and the polarizing attention they often attract on social media. But no matter how you framed it, both players had proven they could compete at the highest level, and with the course tightening up, the weekend promised to be a grind.

Meanwhile, several big names failed to make the cut. Tiger Woods, Collin Morikawa, Gary Woodland, Jordan Spieth, and Phil Mickelson were among the notables who bowed out early. At Winged Foot, there would be no easy victories. Whoever lifted the trophy on Sunday would have to earn it—and survive every brutal challenge the course could throw their way.

Round 3

Moving day at the U.S. Open is always pivotal, setting the stage for Sunday’s drama with the potential for a Saturday surge. As the tournament wore on, the temperature continued to drop, reaching a high of just 18°C. Winged Foot was playing so tough that few players managed any significant movement up the leaderboard. Louis Oosthuizen fired a 68 early in the day to reach red numbers at -1, while Rory McIlroy rebounded from his disastrous 76 on Friday with a 68 of his own, clawing back to +1 and giving fans a glimmer of hope for a Sunday charge. Justin Thomas, however, saw his chances slip away after a 76, effectively playing himself out of contention. Hideki Matsuyama also had it going at one point, reaching -3, but cooled off and finished the day even for the tournament.

The main storyline centered around three players: Matthew Wolff, Bryson DeChambeau, and Patrick Reed. Wolff wasn’t in the final group, but he put on a show Saturday. He birdied five times on the front nine alone, an impressive feat given how firm and challenging the course had become.

Though the breeze stayed manageable, only seven players broke par that day. Wolff’s round was far from flawless—he hit just 2 of 14 fairways, showcasing how his distance and clubhead speed allowed him to score despite playing from the rough. He missed several birdie looks from 8-10 feet, suggesting his score could’ve been even better. A bogey on 16 slowed him down, but he recovered on 18 with a clutch 10-foot birdie putt to post -5 for the tournament.

When asked about his aggressive play off the tee, Wolff said, “I like to go out there and do what I’m comfortable with and rip dog,” leaning into his strategy of prioritizing distance over accuracy.

DeChambeau’s day was a grind. After opening with back-to-back bogeys, he clawed his way back with a downhill birdie on the 7th and another birdie on the 16th. On 17, he found thick rough off the tee but muscled out a wedge that used the green’s contours perfectly, setting up a 5-foot birdie putt. However, a messy drive on 18 led to a bogey, and he closed with an even-par 70 to sit two shots back at -3. Bryson described the round as a battle, citing his struggles off the tee and constant need to scramble. Still, he credited his unique preparation—bulking up and focusing on hitting it farther—as validation for his approach to the game.

Patrick Reed’s Saturday was a disaster. He began steadily, getting up and down from the fairway on the first hole and birdieing the second to reach -5, briefly holding a three-shot lead over Wolff. But things unraveled on the back nine. After making the turn tied with Wolff, Reed collapsed, playing the back nine in 8-over and tumbling down the leaderboard to 11th place. His inability to find fairways proved costly, as the rough had grown thicker over the week and became nearly impossible to predict. In his post-round interview, Reed admitted the challenge ahead was steep but said that, just as things went downhill quickly for him, fortunes can shift just as fast. Reflecting on his earlier comments about Winged Foot requiring smart, aggressive play, Reed acknowledged that perhaps his own strategy backfired.

What remained heading into Sunday was an extraordinary showdown between DeChambeau and Wolff, two players hungry for their first major title. Wolff, at just 21 years old, became the youngest 54-hole leader at the U.S. Open since Jim Simons in 1971—a position that, in hindsight, might not get enough credit for how impressive it truly was. DeChambeau, meanwhile, was eager to cement his place in the game with a major win. Both players had defied convention in different ways, setting up a final round that would demand not just talent but toughness. Survival of the fittest awaited on Sunday at Winged Foot.

Round 4

The final round of the 2020 U.S. Open at Winged Foot had all the ingredients for history. Typically held in June on Father’s Day, this edition found its way to September due to the pandemic, creating a unique backdrop for golf’s toughest test. Sunday brought the worst conditions of the week, with temperatures peaking at just 17°C and a biting northeast wind blowing at 16-20 mph, shaking the trees and rattling nerves. The field struggled mightily, with the average score for the day ballooning to 75.5, a punishing 5.5 strokes over par. Two players—Bryson DeChambeau and Matthew Wolff—were set for a duel that would define the day. One was a young star, the other an even younger one, both vying for their first major victory on a course notorious for breaking hearts. Wolff aimed to become the first player since Francis Ouimet in 1913 to win the U.S. Open in his debut, fittingly enough, in the only other edition held in September.

A few groups ahead of the final pair, Harris English and Xander Schauffele faced an odd situation emblematic of the strange times. English’s opening tee shot disappeared into the thick rough, and without a crowd to help locate it, he and his caddie searched in vain. Forced to return to the tee, English found the right rough on his second attempt, punched out, and eventually made a gutsy double bogey save from the greenside bunker. The golf gods quickly balanced the scales when English holed a bunker shot for birdie on the second hole. But the day had already shown how brutal it would be—Rory McIlroy, Alex Noren, and Hideki Matsuyama also made double bogey on the treacherous first hole.

The final pairing teed off at 1:30 p.m. local time. DeChambeau unleashed a high draw down the fairway, only for Wolff to outdrive him by 24 yards. Both players missed birdie chances on the first two holes—Wolff with a 12-footer, DeChambeau with a 5-footer—setting up an early sense of tension. The first mistake came on the par-3 third, where Wolff’s tee shot sailed well left. With only seven players finding the green that day, Wolff’s bogey handed DeChambeau the lead by one shot. DeChambeau extended it on the fourth, sinking a 10-foot birdie after

muscling out of the left rough, bringing the match level. It was clear that Winged Foot’s volatility had turned this into a two-horse race.

Wolff stumbled again on the par-4 fifth, where he found the left rough off the tee and missed the green, leading to another bogey. In just four holes, his two-shot lead evaporated, leaving him one back at -3. Still, the championship wasn’t going to be decided this early. Both players bogeyed the eighth, with Wolff finding trouble behind the cart path and DeChambeau missing long. They reached the ninth hole—playing as the easiest on the course—and both capitalized. Wolff hit a beautiful approach to 10 feet, and DeChambeau faced a 39-foot eagle attempt. With the pressure on, Bryson poured in his long eagle putt. Wolff followed suit, draining his shorter attempt to stay just one stroke behind heading into the back nine.

The back nine opened with drama on the par-3 10th. Wolff’s tee shot found thick greenside rough near a bunker, leaving him in an awkward stance gripping halfway down the shaft. His bogey pushed him two behind. DeChambeau, sensing the moment, seized control on the 11th. Nearly driving the green, he set himself up for birdie from just off the putting surface. Wolff, after a solid drive, botched his wedge shot into the rough.

Bryson’s putt from the fringe dropped, extending his lead to three and delivering a gut punch to Wolff, whose hopes now required something special.

Wolff had a chance to close the gap on the par-5 12th but could only manage par, missing a birdie putt that left him three back. Another missed opportunity followed on the 13th, and by the 14th, Wolff’s chances were slipping away. A drive into the left rough and a second shot rolling off the green led to another bogey, and the deficit grew to four with just four holes to play. Winged Foot had claimed another victim. Bryson, meanwhile, continued to play smart, steady golf, riding a streak of pars that kept Wolff at bay.

The 16th was a dagger. DeChambeau crushed a drive down the fairway, while Wolff, perhaps feeling the need for something magical, pulled his 3-wood left into thick rough. From there, disaster struck. Wolff’s second shot flew wildly into the trees, leading to a double bogey that ended any realistic chance of a comeback. DeChambeau cruised from there, closing with tactical pars, including a delicate pitch on 18 that rolled perfectly toward the pin. He tapped in for par, finishing the tournament at -6, the only player to shoot under par on Sunday. His 67 was three shots better than anyone else in the field, a truly remarkable achievement given the conditions.

Bryson’s performance was a statement, not just in victory but in style. He attacked Winged Foot with a bold strategy, trusting his game and preparation despite constant criticism from media and players alike. His win marked the dawn of a new era—one where power, analytics, and science played as much a role as finesse and feel.

As for Wolff, it wasn’t his day, but he displayed incredible promise for a 21-year-old. It seemed only a matter of time before he would break through and claim a major of his own. The COVID-era tournaments, without fans, presented an interesting dynamic for younger players. Collin Morikawa had already capitalized with a win at the PGA Championship, and Wolff’s T-4 finish there and runner-up performance at Winged Foot suggested the absence of crowds allowed these rising stars to thrive without external pressure.

Reflecting on that U.S. Open, it feels underrated in hindsight. COVID and the absence of fans may have muted its impact, but the tournament deserves more recognition.

Winged Foot delivered brutal conditions, high drama, and a performance for the ages. Bryson DeChambeau didn’t just win—he conquered the course on his terms,

ushering in a new way of thinking about the game. It was an event worthy of revisiting, a testament to golf’s adaptability and the enduring allure of the U.S. Open’s unique challenge.