Hale Irwin
Summary
Wins
- 1974 U.S. Open Winged Foot G.C. · 287 (+7) · by 2 strokes from Forrest Fezler
- 1979 U.S. Open Inverness Club · 284 (E) · by 2 strokes from Jerry Pate and Gary Player
- 1990 U.S. Open Medinah C.C. · 280 (-8) · won a playoff against Mike Donald
Near misses
Ryder Cup
5 Cups, 20 matches: 13 won, 5 lost, 2 halved, 14 points. Foursomes 6-1-0, four-ball 4-3-0, singles 3-1-2.
- 1975 Laurel Valley Golf Club USA · USA won 21–11 · 4-0-1, 4.5 points
- 1977 Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club USA · USA won 12.5–7.5 · 2-1-0, 2 points
- 1979 The Greenbrier (Greenbrier Course) USA · USA won 17–11 · 3-1-0, 3 points · automatic
- 1981 Walton Heath Golf Club USA · USA won 18.5–9.5 · 2-2-0, 2 points · automatic
- 1991 The Ocean Course, Kiawah Island Golf Resort USA · USA won 14.5–13.5 · 2-1-1, 2.5 points · automatic
Rivals
Beat him
Beaten in finals and playoffs
Ryder Cup partners
Ryder Cup opponents
Next in the chain: Tom Watson's rivals →
Results by championship
Best day
1979 U.S. Open
Inverness Club, Toledo, OH · 284 (E) · by 2 strokes from Jerry Pate and Gary Player
Chosen by rule: his widest winning margin in a major. Year page: 1979.
Career line, 1974–1991
11 results. Hover or tap a mark; click it for the year.
- Major win
- Runner-up
- Top 10
- Ryder Cup, USA
Hale Irwin was born on June 3, 1945, in Joplin, Missouri, USA. Irwin won 3 major championships: 3 U.S. Opens (1974, 1979, 1990). Irwin played in 5 Ryder Cups for USA (1975, 1977, 1979, 1981, 1991), winning 13, losing 5 and halving 2 of 20 matches for 14 points.
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The record
Wins in the majors (3)
- 1974 U.S. Open Winged Foot G.C., Mamaroneck, NY · 287 (+7) · by 2 strokes from Forrest Fezler
- 1979 U.S. Open Inverness Club, Toledo, OH · 284 (E) · by 2 strokes from Jerry Pate and Gary Player
- 1990 U.S. Open Medinah C.C., Medinah, IL · 280 (-8) · won a playoff against Mike Donald (18 holes + sudden death (91st hole))
Near misses
Top-10 finishes are listed for The Open, the one championship with a full top 10 every year.
- 1975 The Open Carnoustie Golf Links (Championship Course) · finished 9 · 283 (-5)
- 1979 The Open Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club · finished 6 · 289 (+5)
- 1983 The Open Royal Birkdale Golf Club · runner-up to Tom Watson · 276
U.S. Open top-10 finishes in his career: 7 (GNN U.S. Open room data).
Ryder Cup
Irwin played 5 Ryder Cups for USA: 20 matches, 13 won, 5 lost, 2 halved, 14 points (70.0% of those available). By format: foursomes 6-1-0, four-ball 4-3-0, singles 3-1-2 (won-lost-halved).
- 1975 Laurel Valley Golf Club USA · USA won 21–11 · 4-0-1, 4.5 points
- 1977 Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club USA · USA won 12.5–7.5 · 2-1-0, 2 points
- 1979 The Greenbrier (Greenbrier Course) USA · USA won 17–11 · 3-1-0, 3 points · automatic
- 1981 Walton Heath Golf Club USA · USA won 18.5–9.5 · 2-2-0, 2 points · automatic
- 1991 The Ocean Course, Kiawah Island Golf Resort USA · USA won 14.5–13.5 · 2-1-1, 2.5 points · automatic
Partners, with matches played together: Lanny Wadkins (3), Raymond Floyd (3), Tom Kite (2), Gene Littler (1), Lee Trevino (1), Billy Casper (1), Lou Graham (1), John Mahaffey (1), Paul Azinger (1).
Sources
Every fact on this page comes from Golf Network News data sets compiled in October 2026 (Masters, PGA Championship, The Open, U.S. Women's Open, Ryder Cup, PGA Tour 2024–2026, major host sites, Champions Dinner menus, and the U.S. Open and state rooms). These are the sources those rows cite.