Section 6: Scoring
Stroke Play
- The player who completes the stipulated round in the fewest strokes wins
- 72-hole total (4 × 18 holes) determines the championship in stroke-play events
- A cut is applied after 36 holes in U.S. Open / U.S. Women's Open / U.S. Senior Open — typically reducing the field to the top 60 plus ties, or per the specific Notice to Players
- The player with the lowest 72-hole total wins the championship
Stroke-Play Playoff (Two-Hole Aggregate)
From 2018 onward, the U.S. Open playoff format is a two-hole aggregate playoff followed by sudden death:
- If players are tied after 72 holes, a two-hole aggregate playoff is contested over a pre-designated pair of holes
- If still tied after two holes, sudden death continues hole-by-hole until a winner emerges
- Hole assignments for the playoff are published in the Notice to Players
(Note: the prior 18-hole playoff format was used through 2017 at the U.S. Open. Other USGA championships use varied playoff formats per their respective Notices.)
Match Play (U.S. Amateur)
- Holes are won by completing the hole in fewer strokes
- The match is won when a player is ahead by more holes than remain to be played
- If the match is all-square after 18 holes, sudden-death extra holes determine the winner
Scorecard Submission and Attestation
- Each player is responsible for the accuracy of their scorecard
- The scorecard is signed by the player and attested by the marker (the playing partner who keeps the score)
- Submission of a signed scorecard with a hole score lower than the actual score made = disqualification
- Submission of a signed scorecard with a hole score higher than the actual score made = the higher score stands