Did you know the US Open trophy is NOT the original? Here’s why
Last updated:
A brief history of the US Open trophy and why the champion is also handed a gold medal…
It is one of the most famous prizes in all of golf, but behind the images of players celebrating on the final green, the history of the US Open trophy is quite fascinating.
For example, did you know the men’s US Open champion does not receive the original trophy? He doesn’t even get to celebrate with the first replica of the original. Here’s the backstory.
For the first US Open back in 1895, the USGA commissioned Gorham Corporation to produce the trophy, which was made of stirling silver and stood around 18 inches tall.
That was awarded to the victor until 1946 when disaster struck. While up in the club of that year’s champion, Lloyd Mangrum, a fire broke out in the clubhouse, destroying the iconic piece of silverware in the process.
Although a slice of golfing history had been lost, an exact replica was made in time for the 1947 edition, which Lew Worsham won after beating Sam Snead in a playoff.
However, that trophy is still not the one we see today. Instead, the first replica was retired in 1986 and put into the USGA Golf Museum in New Jersey.
A third US Open trophy was then created and that is what players are awarded for winning America’s national championship in its current guise. It is what the likes of Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and Brooks Koepka have raised aloft on the 18th greens of some of America’s most prestigious venues.
Winners get to keep that trophy for 12 months before handing it back to the USGA and being given another replica, 90% of the original’s size, which they can keep forever.
A US Open trophy… AND a gold medal?
On top of the money, the champion receives another prize. The eagle-eyed out there might have noticed the medal that hangs around the neck of the victorious player.
It is a tradition that also dates back to 1895, although the medal was only given a name in 2012. To honour arguably golf’s greatest-ever champion, it is now known as the Jack Nicklaus Medal and even features the Golden Bear’s famous swing.
It is awarded every year and is a fitting reward for the golfer who survives what is typically one of the game’s most gruelling tests.
