The U.S. Open golf tournament has ended with a playoff 33 times in its history. Each of those playoff years is listed below, along with the results of each playoff.
2008
• Winner: Tiger Woods
Tiger Woods, 71
Rocco Mediate, 71
Woods won on the 19th hole - the first hole of sudden death - with a par to Mediate's bogey. Woods forced the playoff with a birdie on the 72nd hole of regulation, then tied Mediate on the 18th hole of the playoff with another birdie.
2001
• Winner: Retief Goosen
Retief Goosen, 70
Mark Brooks, 72
1994
• Winner: Ernie Els
Ernie Els, 74
Loren Roberts, 74
Colin Montgomerie, 78
Montgomerie was eliminated after 18 holes; Els and Roberts, still tied, went into sudden death. Both players made 4 on the 19th hole, then Els won it on the 20th with a 4 to Roberts' 5.
1991
• Winner: Payne Stewart
Payne Stewart, 75
Scott Simpson, 77
Simpson was trying to win his second U.S. Open title; instead, it was Stewart winning his first.
1990
• Winner: Hale Irwin
Hale Irwin, 74
Mike Donald, 74
The players continued to sudden death, where Irwin won with a birdie on the 19th hole. This is the U.S. Open in which Irwin made his famous run around the 18th green, slapping hands with spectators, after sinking a 45-foot putt to get into the playoff.
1988
• Winner: Curtis Strange
Curtis Strange, 71
Nick Faldo, 75
The first of Strange's two straight U.S. Open wins. Faldo never won this tournament.
1984
• Winner: Fuzzy Zoeller
Fuzzy Zoeller, 67
Greg Norman, 75
The image most people have of this U.S. Open is Fuzzy Zoeller waving the white towel in mock surrender to Greg Norman, playing a hole ahead late in the fourth round. But Zoeller tied Norman, then trounced him in the playoff.
1975
• Winner: Lou Graham
Lou Graham, 71
John Mahaffey, 73
1971
• Winner: Lee Trevino
Lee Trevino, 68
Jack Nicklaus, 71
This playoff is best-remembered for Trevino's pulling a rubber snake out of his golf bag on the first tee.
1966
• Winner: Billy Casper
Billy Casper, 69
Arnold Palmer, 73
Arnie blew a 7-stroke lead in the final round as Casper blitzed the back nine with a 32. Palmer led early in the playoff, too, before Casper came back to win by four.
1965
• Winner: Gary Player
Gary Player, 71
Kel Nagle, 74
1963
• Winner: Julius Boros
Julius Boros, 70
Jacky Cupit, 73
Arnold Palmer, 76
The second of Palmer's three playoff losses in U.S. Opens, and second straight.
1962
• Winner: Jack Nicklaus
Jack Nicklaus, 71
Arnold Palmer, 74
Nicklaus' first career PGA Tour victory. Palmer would later say that if he had beaten Nicklaus this day, he might have been able to "hold him off" for a few more years. But Jack was off and running after this.
1957
• Winner: Dick Mayer
Dick Mayer, 72
Cary Middlecoff, 79
Middlecoff was an extremely slow player, and Mayer showed up for the playoff with a camping stool on which he could sit while waiting for Middlecoff to play.
1955
• Winner: Jack Fleck
Jack Fleck, 69
Ben Hogan, 72
Considered one of the biggest upsets in golf history.
1950
• Winner: Ben Hogan
Ben Hogan, 69
Lloyd Mangrum, 73
George Fazio, 75
Fazio went on to found the Fazio dynasty of golf course designers (Tom Fazio being the most prominent).
1947
• Winner: Lew Worsham
Lew Worsham, 69
Sam Snead, 72
Snead never won the U.S. Open.
1946
• Winner: Lloyd Mangrum
Lloyd Mangrum, 72-72--144
Vic Ghezzi, 72-73--145
Byron Nelson, 72-73--145
After all three tied at 72 following the first 18, they played another 18.
