Section 4: Players & Officials
Field and Eligibility
The field size and eligibility criteria are championship-specific:
- U.S. Open: 156 players, including past champions, top-ranked players from the Official World Golf Ranking, exempt categories, and qualifiers from local and sectional qualifying rounds
- U.S. Women's Open: 156 players, similar exemption structure adapted to women's golf
- U.S. Senior Open: 156 players, professional and amateur seniors
- U.S. Amateur: 312 players in stroke-play qualifying, top 64 advancing to match play
- Each championship's specific Notice to Players elaborates on field composition and exempt categories
Caddies
- Each player must use a single caddie during the stipulated round; additional caddies are not permitted
- Caddies wear a tournament-supplied bib displaying the player's name and number
- The caddie is bound by the conduct expectations set forth in the Notice to Players; serious caddie misconduct can result in the player being penalized
Officials
- USGA Championship Committee on site for each championship; rules officials on each hole during play
- Referees may be assigned to specific groups for rules questions during play
- The USGA Rules Officials provide pre-round ruling, on-course rulings, and post-round score verification
- Television/video review is operative for certain situations (ball at rest, lost ball, embedded ball) per the USGA's video-review policy
Player Identification
Each player must visibly display a hole-by-hole scorecard during the round; players are responsible for verifying their own scorecard before submission. Scorecard submission is subject to a strict signing-and-attestation requirement; a player who signs an incorrect scorecard is disqualified per Rule 3.3b.