The US Open, the second of the year's four major championships, was first held at Newport Golf Club in 1895.

However it was overshadowed by the inaugural US Amateur which was played on the same course that year during the same week.

The Open fully established itself in 1913 when 20-year-old American amateur Francis Ouimet stunned the golfing world by beating renowned English professionals Harry Vardon and Ted Ray in a playoff at The Country Club.

By the end of World War Two, the US Open was an important world championship and it gained a significant surge in popularity when Georgia amateur Bobby Jones dominated the event with four victories between 1923 and 1930.

Spectator tickets were sold for the first time in 1922 and, following a boom in entries, the United States Golf Association (USGA) - the tournament's organising body - introduced sectional qualifying in 1924.

For American players, the championship has since become the most important of the four majors to win, as well as the most difficult over its traditionally tight layouts flanked by punishing rough.