The First Tournament
The first U.S. Open Men's Championship was played on October 4, 1895. It was played on a nine-hole course in Newport, Rhode Island. The event comprised a 36-hole competition that was completed with a single day. There were 11 competitors - ten professionals and one amateur. The winner was Horace Rawlins, a 21-year-old Englishman. Rawlins received $150 cash (out of a total prize fund of $335), plus a $50 gold medal. This compares to the current prizes - the purse in 2006 was $6,800,000, while the winner's share was $1,225,000.