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USA Today
a day ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Past winners of U.S. Opens at Oakmont include several of golf's biggest names
Past winners of U.S. Opens at Oakmont include several of golf's biggest names Oakmont Country Club near Pittsburgh will host its 10th U.S. Open on June 12-15, and it has produced several big-name winners in past tournaments including Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus and Dustin Johnson. Originally designed by Henry Fownes and opened in 1903, the private Oakmont has seen numerous renovations over the decades, most recently by Gil Hanse and Jim Wagner in 2023. Oakmont was rated in 2024 by Golfweek's Best as No. 6 among all classic courses in the United States. It is widely considered to be among the most difficult golf courses in the world, with green speeds that sometimes have to be slowed down for a U.S. Open. The total par at Oakmont has changed over the years, and that is reflected in the winning scores in the previous nine U.S. Opens there. Never a pushover, it's still one of the few courses in the world where a winning score can be over par, especially when the course plays firm and fast. Besides the U.S. Open, Oakmont also hosted three PGA Championships (1922 won by Gene Sarazen, 1951 won by Sam Snead and 1978 won by John Mahaffey). It hosted the U.S. Women's Open twice (1992 won by Patty Sheehan and 2010 won by Paula Creamer) as well as six U.S. Amateurs. Keep scrolling to see each of the winners of previous U.S. Opens at Oakmont. U.S. Open 1927 winner Tommy Armour Winning score: 78-71-76-76–301 (+13) Second place: Harry Cooper 301 (+13) 18-hole playoff: Armour 76, Cooper 79 Winner's prize: $500 Of note: Armour made a 10-foot birdie putt on the final hole of regulation to force a playoff, then birdied the first hole of a playoff that was fought tooth and nail for 15 holes until Cooper made double-bogey on the par-3 16th to give Armour a two-shot lead that he wouldn't relinquish. U.S. Open 1935 winner Sam Parks Jr. Winning score: 77-73-73-76–299 (+11) Second place: Jimmy Thomson 301 (+13) Winner's prize: $1,000 Of note: Parks was a 25-year-old club pro at nearby South Hills Country Club with no prior professional wins. Parks played a practice round at Oakmont every day for a month in preparation. Parks led after three rounds and tied for the lowest round of the final day among the top contenders. U.S. Open 1953 winner Ben Hogan Winning score: 67-72-73-71–283 (-5) Second place: Sam Snead 289 (+1) Winner's prize: $5,000 Of note: Hogan led by three shots after the opening round and maintained the lead after both the second and third rounds. Hogan led Snead by a shot entering the final round, but Snead couldn't keep pace and closed in 76. It was Hogan's fourth and final U.S. Open title. Hogan had won the Masters earlier that year, and he added the British Open later that summer to become the only man to have won all three titles in one year. Hogan skipped the PGA Championship that year because it conflicted with the British Open on the calendar, preventing Hogan an opportunity at the modern professional Grand Slam. U.S. Open 1962 winner Jack Nicklaus Winning score: 72-70-72-69–283 (-1) Second place: Arnold Palmer 283 (-1) 18-hole playoff: Nicklaus 71, Palmer 74 Winner's prize: $17,500 Of note: This Open marked a seismic shift in the game, with a young titan unseating the King. The 22-year-old Nicklaus was the underdog, and the Pennsylvania-born Palmer had a strong local following. Palmer bogeyed the first in the 18-hole playoff and couldn't keep pace on the front nine, falling three shots behind at the turn and unable to mount a charge on the back nine. U.S. Open 1973 winner Johnny Miller Winning score: 71-69-76-63–279 (-5) Second place: John Schlee 280 (-4) Winner's prize: $35,000 Of note: Miller started the final round six shots back of a four-way tie for first that included Arnold Palmer, Julius Boros, Schlee and Jerry Heard. Also in front of him was Tom Weiskopf, Lee Trevino, Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus, among others. Miller's closing 63 set a tournament scoring record that was matched half a dozen times but not surpassed until Rickie Fowler shot a 62 at Los Angeles Country Club in 2023 that was matched later that same day by Xander Schauffele. U.S. Open 1983 winner Larry Nelson Winning score: 75-73-65-67–280 (-4) Second place: Tom Watson 281 (-3) Winner's prize: $72,000 Of note: Nelson charged into contention in the third round, playing his final 14 holes Saturday in 7 under par to get within a shot of co-leaders Watson and Seve Ballesteros. Ballesteros faltered midway through the final round, playing the closing 12 holes in 5 over. Watson held a three-shot lead at -6 at the turn in the final round, but he played the back nine in 3 over while Nelson came home in 1 under par on the back nine to grab the title. U.S. Open 1994 winner Ernie Els Winner's score: 69-71-66-73–279 (-5) Second place: Colin Montgomerie, Loren Roberts 279 (-5) Winner's prize: $320,000 Playoff: Els 74, Roberts 74, Montgomerie 78 Of note: In sudden death – just the second sudden death playoff in U.S. Open history – Els and Roberts both parred the first hole (No. 10), then Els parred the second (No. 11) and Roberts made bogey from a greenside bunker. Els was just 24 years old for this victory, his first of four in major championships and also his first of 19 victories on the PGA Tour. U.S. Open 2007 winner Angel Cabrera Winning score: 69-71-76-69–285 (+5) Second place: Jim Furyk, Tiger Woods +6 286 Winner's prize: $1,260,000 Of note: Tied with Woods for the lead halfway through the final round, Cabrera shot even par on the back nine with two birdies against two bogeys to hold off Woods and Furyk. Woods, in particular, ran a bit cold in the final round, making just one birdie in shooting a 2-over 72. U.S. Open 2016 winner Dustin Johnson Winning score: 67-69-71-69–276 (-4) Second place: Jim Furyk, Shane Lowry, Scott Piercy 279 (-1) Winner's prize: $1,800,000 Of note: Johnson entered the final round four shots behind Lowry, but Lowry made seven bogeys in the final round and Johnson passed him midway through the back nine. After several close calls in major championships, this was Johnson's first victory on one of the game's biggest stages. The victory wasn't without some controversy, however, as Johnson was the recipient of a favorable ruling on No. 5 in the final round – he had approached his ball to putt and the ball moved, but Johnson told the rules official he had not addressed the shot and was allowed to continue without penalty.
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Grayscale Wants in on Quantum Computing ETFs
Who says a crypto asset manager has to focus on crypto asset management? There's a world of possibilities out there, and one of the big crypto ETF issuers appears to be branching out. Grayscale filed on Thursday with the Securities and Exchange Commission for the Quantum Computing ETF. The Stamford, Connecticut-based firm started in the US ETF business in 2022 — and, thanks to the move of assets from its Bitcoin Trust to the spot bitcoin ETF it launched in 2024, temporarily had the biggest bitcoin ETF by assets. By August 2024, the significantly cheaper iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF surpassed it. Since then, Grayscale has been building out a line of ETFs with four focused solely on digital assets, two focused on income, two with equities exposure, one dedicated to bitcoin mining companies, and one to adopters of the digital asset. READ ALSO: BlackRock's 'Widow Maker' ETF Is Suddenly in High Demand and Nasdaq Wants to Wrap This $11.5B Altcoin in an ETF The proposed ETF, which is pending SEC approval but could launch by mid August, would be passively managed, tracking an index of companies 'producing proof-of-concept or commercialized quantum computing technologies' and makers of components enabling the technology, according to the prospectus. There is a lot of hype around quantum computing, which benefits from using both the wave and particle natures of matter, though the technology has not been developed in a mainstream capacity yet. It could improve upon the power of classical computers exponentially and make extraordinarily complex calculations in very short times. The technology could even pose a threat to crypto, as it could be used to break the security and gain access to wallets — something BlackRock recently warned investors about. Stop Being Disruptive: There are a handful of tech and artificial-intelligence-focused ETFs with exposure to quantum computing technology. But at least one ETF is already dedicated to the area: the $1.3 billion Defiance Quantum ETF, which launched in 2018. That fund has seen average annualized returns of 21% since inception, per Morningstar. 'It's performed very well,' said Bryan Armour, director of ETF and passive strategies research for North America. Even so, 'investors are pushing to get in early by virtue of the shift in first-mover advantage of new technologies … It's never as smooth as investors would think.' Armour cited examples of other high-flying technology investments that later sputtered, including: The internet (back when it was spelled with a capital 'I') and the dotcom bubble that led to the famous bust. One of the most disruptive technologies over the past century, commercial aviation, has long struggled with profitability, despite its popularity. Spot On: Grayscale is still primarily focused on digital assets. It, along with other firms, is waiting for decisions from the SEC on spot-price Solana and XRP ETFs that it has requested, for example. Whether the company intends to branch out in other ways is a question, but the firm didn't respond to a request for comment. 'Obviously crypto is its core competency, and it made most of its money by offering a private trust,' Armour said. Quantum computing, on the other hand, 'is not a core competency.' This post first appeared on The Daily Upside. To receive exclusive news and analysis of the rapidly evolving ETF landscape, built for advisors and capital allocators, subscribe to our free ETF Upside newsletter. Error while retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Grayscale Wants in on Quantum Computing ETFs
Who says a crypto asset manager has to focus on crypto asset management? There's a world of possibilities out there, and one of the big crypto ETF issuers appears to be branching out. Grayscale filed on Thursday with the Securities and Exchange Commission for the Quantum Computing ETF. The Stamford, Connecticut-based firm started in the US ETF business in 2022 — and, thanks to the move of assets from its Bitcoin Trust to the spot bitcoin ETF it launched in 2024, temporarily had the biggest bitcoin ETF by assets. By August 2024, the significantly cheaper iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF surpassed it. Since then, Grayscale has been building out a line of ETFs with four focused solely on digital assets, two focused on income, two with equities exposure, one dedicated to bitcoin mining companies, and one to adopters of the digital asset. READ ALSO: BlackRock's 'Widow Maker' ETF Is Suddenly in High Demand and Nasdaq Wants to Wrap This $11.5B Altcoin in an ETF The proposed ETF, which is pending SEC approval but could launch by mid August, would be passively managed, tracking an index of companies 'producing proof-of-concept or commercialized quantum computing technologies' and makers of components enabling the technology, according to the prospectus. There is a lot of hype around quantum computing, which benefits from using both the wave and particle natures of matter, though the technology has not been developed in a mainstream capacity yet. It could improve upon the power of classical computers exponentially and make extraordinarily complex calculations in very short times. The technology could even pose a threat to crypto, as it could be used to break the security and gain access to wallets — something BlackRock recently warned investors about. Stop Being Disruptive: There are a handful of tech and artificial-intelligence-focused ETFs with exposure to quantum computing technology. But at least one ETF is already dedicated to the area: the $1.3 billion Defiance Quantum ETF, which launched in 2018. That fund has seen average annualized returns of 21% since inception, per Morningstar. 'It's performed very well,' said Bryan Armour, director of ETF and passive strategies research for North America. Even so, 'investors are pushing to get in early by virtue of the shift in first-mover advantage of new technologies … It's never as smooth as investors would think.' Armour cited examples of other high-flying technology investments that later sputtered, including: The internet (back when it was spelled with a capital 'I') and the dotcom bubble that led to the famous bust. One of the most disruptive technologies over the past century, commercial aviation, has long struggled with profitability, despite its popularity. Spot On: Grayscale is still primarily focused on digital assets. It, along with other firms, is waiting for decisions from the SEC on spot-price Solana and XRP ETFs that it has requested, for example. Whether the company intends to branch out in other ways is a question, but the firm didn't respond to a request for comment. 'Obviously crypto is its core competency, and it made most of its money by offering a private trust,' Armour said. Quantum computing, on the other hand, 'is not a core competency.' This post first appeared on The Daily Upside. To receive exclusive news and analysis of the rapidly evolving ETF landscape, built for advisors and capital allocators, subscribe to our free ETF Upside newsletter. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
ETFs Unfazed by Market Volatility
Volatility may be the defining word from the first half of 2025, but ETF investors just aren't flinching. Despite ongoing economic uncertainty and trade war tensions, ETFs attracted record inflows in the US. So far this year, investors poured $427 billion in new assets into ETFs, far surpassing the $301 billion over the same period last year, according to Morningstar. Much of this has flowed into equity ETFs as investors look to buy the dip, but diversification still remains key for advisors and their clients. 'The appetite for funds has not wavered,' said Bryan Armour, director of ETF & passive strategies research at Morningstar. He said it's also a good time to increase bond exposure with TIPS ETFs, or consider alternatives like gold funds. 'No one knows what's going to happen next, and there's a lot that's up in the air economically right now.' READ ALSO: Want a Crypto 401(k)? The DOL Isn't Standing in the Way Anymore and Why Thrivent Wants to Hire Nearly 600 Advisors this Year With markets recovering from earlier losses and the major indexes flat year-to-date, investors have piled into equity ETFs. Stock-based funds in the most popular ETF segments have taken in nearly $200 billion so far in 2025, according to data platform Trackinsight. While passive funds remain dominant in terms of flows and total assets, active ETFs are moving the needle, accounting for nearly 40% of inflows so far this year. The biggest equity fund winner is the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO), which has seen roughly $65 billion in inflows so far this year. In February, it overtook State Street's SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY) as the largest fund. 'Two years ago, that would've been a single-year record,' Armour told Advisor Upside. 'Even if we stopped in May, it would be the second-largest year of inflows ever for VOO. That's nuts.' In fixed income, investors are playing it safe, favoring ultra-short bonds and T-bill ETFs that offer lower credit and interest rate risk amid ongoing market choppiness, Armour said. Risky Bet? The previous high for ETF inflows by this point in the year was in 2021, at just over $370 billion — followed by a downturn in 2022. Could history repeat? Armour said ETF inflows alone don't pose a systemic risk. 'With the amount of money in bonds, stocks, mutual funds, hedge funds, and private equity, ETF inflows aren't going to tip the scales to the point where assets are overpriced,' he told Advisor Upside. This post first appeared on The Daily Upside. To receive financial advisor news, market insights, and practice management essentials, subscribe to our free Advisor Upside newsletter.
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
REX Financial launches covered call Nvidia ETF hours before earnings release
By Suzanne McGee (Reuters) -REX Financial launched a single-stock exchange-traded fund tied to Nvidia, the powerhouse chipmaker that has dominated stock market returns over the last two years, on Wednesday morning, hours ahead of the release of Nvidia's earnings. The new fund, the REX NVDA Growth & Income ETF is a form of covered call ETF that uses option strategies to generate income while at the same time giving investors exposure to a portion of the upside in Nvidia's stock price, REX said. "We think it will allow people to have their cake and eat it, too," said Scott Acheychek, REX's chief operating officer. "They can stick with the stock that they follow and know and like, but with a risk profile that they're comfortable with and some weekly income" from the sale of options on Nvidia, he said. These single-stock option-based ETFs made their debut in late 2023, and now have about $10 billion in total assets. Overall interest in single-stock ETFs, a broader category that includes 1.5x or 2x leveraged products, continues to grow, said Bryan Armour, ETF analyst at Morningstar. "They're all aimed at self-directed individual investors," Armour said. While an ETF with this kind of structure likely would outperform the underlying stock if that stock is flat to lower, Armour said it makes more sense for investors either to buy individual stocks outright or to turn to options-based ETF strategies that are tied to broader portfolios. "A product like this is not trying to maximize either growth or income." Acheychek said this new approach to covered call single-stock ETFs is aimed at investors who increasingly are looking for alternative income-generating products. Nvidia shares closed at $134.81 a share, down 0.5%, in exchange trading on Wednesday, ahead of the AI chipmaker's earnings announcement. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
