The U.S. Open has been going on for a long, long time.
The golf major held its first tournament back in 1895, with over 100 years worth of champions walking away with the glory of winning the U.S. Open. And over that long stretch, there has been an even more exclusive group of golfers to rank among the youngest or oldest winners.
While the youngest victor at the U.S. Open was just 19 (John McDermott in 1911), there have also been some aging veterans to win the major in recent decades. In the 2025 tournament, Adam Scott, who entered Sunday ranking among the leaders, could potentially put himself in those conversations.
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Here are the oldest players to win the U.S. Open, plus the details on Scott’s age and how he could make tournament history.
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Oldest players to win U.S. Open
The oldest player to ever win the U.S. Open is Hale Irwin, who secured the major in 1990 when he was 45 years and 15 days old. That was Irwin’s third time winning the U.S. Open, as he had also been the victor in 1974 and 1979. Those were his only three major wins.
No other player has won the tournament at 45 or 44 years old, but there are a few others who have won the U.S. Open in their 40s. Raymond Floyd was the second -oldest, winning the 1986 U.S. Open at 43 years, nine months, and 11 days old.
Here is the full breakdown of the oldest U.S. Open winners:
| Player | Age | Year |
| Hale Irwin | 45 years, 15 days | 1990 |
| Raymond Floyd | 43 years, nine months, 11 days | 1992 |
| Ted Ray | 43 years, four months, 16 days | 1920 |
| Tom Kite | 42Â years, six months, 12 days | 1986 |
| Payne Stewart | 42 years, four months, 21 days | 1999 |
Adam Scott age
Scott, who entered the final round of the 2025 U.S. Open in the top five on the leaderboard, would become one of the oldest tournament winners if he closes out a win. Born in July 1980, Scott is 44 years, 11 months, and one day old as of June 15, 2025.
That would make him the second-oldest U.S. Open winner ever, trailing only Irwin. While it remains to be seen if the former world No. 1 can close out the 2025 major, he would certainly make some history if he can.
MORE: What to know about Adam Scott’s hometown, college and more
Longest period between major wins
A potential Scott win at the 2025 U.S. Open would break another unique record. Over a decade ago, Scott won his only career major: the 2013 Masters Tournament. He has participated in every single major dating back to 2002, but he’s come out on top just that one time despite having a total of 32 career wins.
By winning this year’s U.S. Open, the distance between Scott’s two major victories would be the longest in history. Currently, the longest period between two major wins is 4,026 days, which happened between Julius Boros’ 1952 and 1963 U.S. Open wins.
If Scott won the 2025 U.S. Open, it would be 4,445 days (over 12 years) between his two major wins.
4,445 days. pic.twitter.com/KoPmHVRIeC
— U.S. Open (@usopengolf) June 15, 2025
MORE: Adam Scott’s full majors history
