Continue playing the free 2012 Virtual U.S. Open on WGT with this 9-shot, closest-to-the-hole
challenge on the back nine holes of The Olympic Club, available now!
Enter the free Back 9 Challenge tournament now for a chance to win some great prizes -- and new this year, both the top score AND a random sweepstakes player will each win a $500 gift card to the USGA Shop.
Play "virtually" the
same 2012 U.S. Open course at The Olympic Club, and experience the same
thrills, frustrations and challenges as your favorite professional
golfers. The live U.S. Open is June 11-17, but you can play WGT's Virtual U.S. Open now!
The Olympic Club Lake Course, which opened in 1924 and was redesigned in 1927 due to damage, is considered one of the top 100 golf courses in the world. The Olympic Club is almost entirely within the borders of San Francisco with no water hazards, though it borders Lake Merced, and has hosted the US Open in 1955, 1966, 1987, 1998 and 2012.
The USGA hosted the first U.S. Open Championship on October 4, 1895 on the nine-hole course of Newport (Rhode Island) Golf and Country Club. The first players to compete included 10 professionals and one amateur in the 36-hole competition -- composed of four trips around the Newport course in a single day. Horace Rawlins, 21, is the first tournament winner, finishing with a score of 91-82-173 and taking home the $150 first prize, of the $335 total prize money.
Last year Rory McIlroy became the youngest U.S. Open champion since Bobby Jones in 1923 with a record score of 16 under par, and will be returning this year to defend his title.
*See tournament rules for details