The 2019 US Open

For over 50 years, Rolex has been deeply rooted in the golf community. It all began in 1967 when they presented golf legend Arnold Palmer with a gold Oyster Perpetual. Since then, their work has expanded. They now have an official rank of golf ambassadors called the New Guard. Rolex has also served as the Official Timekeeper of the U.S. Open since 1980. Each year, the third major championship takes place on Father’s Day weekend in Pebble Beach, CA. With the tournament and holiday upon us, we wanted to honor some of Rolex’s standout players at the U.S. Open. Over the years, some of golf’s most successful players have sported Rolex watches. Many of them have clenched a win at Pebble Beach. In addition to icons like Arnold Palmer, four-time U.S. Open winner Jack Nicklaus was also a Rolex man. He was often sporting a Day-Date. Here, we reflect on winners from the past several years and their Rolexes.

Webb Simpson

Simpson and His Caddie During Practice

Webb Simpson landed his first major win at the 2012 U.S. Open. Prior to that, he laid the groundwork for his professional career on the Wake Forest University golf team on the Arnold Palmer scholarship. Most recently, he won the 2018 Players Championship and finished fifth at the 2019 Masters. You can find him wearing a Rolex Explorer.

Martin Kaymer

Martin Kaymer is a German golfer who scored his second major win at the U.S. Open in 2014. However, he’d been working with Rolex long before. The brand first approached Kaymer to be an ambassador early in his career back in 2008. Later that year, he was a special guest of Team Europe at the biennial Ryder Cup. There, he received a GMT Master II with the tournament’s official logo on the back. Today, Kaymer’s career and his collection have come a long way. He now boasts thirteen different Rolex models, including two of his personal favorites: the Daytona and the Explorer.

Jordan Spieth

Jordan Spieth of the United States holds the trophy after winning the British Open Golf Championships at Royal Birkdale, Southport, England, Sunday July 23, 2017. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)

Jordan Spieth is without a doubt a powerhouse in the world of golf. He has an impressive three major wins, including one at the U.S. Open in 2015. This year, he’s one of the top contenders at the tournament for a second win. Spieth joined Rolex’s prestigious New Guard in 2017 after becoming the youngest American to win the British Open. Like many of his counterparts, Spieth favors the Daytona as well as the Explorer II.

Brooks Koepka

Brooks Koepka is the player to beat at this year’s U.S. Open. He holds the top spot at the tournament for the past two years, notching wins in both 2017 and 2018. Plus, he’s already scored a major win in 2019 at the PGA Championship. He’s also a member of Rolex’s New Guard. At last year’s U.S. Open award ceremony, Koepka wore a Sky-Dweller. He also has a Daytona and Sea-Dweller in his collection, among others. Be sure to check out his wrist at this year’s tournament to see which model he’s sporting.

Tiger Woods

Tiger Woods is no stranger to the U.S. Open. He won the tournament in 2000, 2002, and again in 2008. Woods has also been a Rolex man for nearly a decade, signing on as a brand ambassador in 2011. The storied player made a major comeback in 2018 at the PGA Tour Championships. There, he took home his first win in five years wearing a unique Deepsea model. Woods has been on fire ever since. Earlier in 2019 he notched another victory. He won his first Masters in fourteen years wearing the same Deepsea D-Blue. We can’t help but wonder if the watch is a good luck charm and if he’ll be wearing it at the upcoming U.S. Open.

2019’s tournament proved to be a nail-biter, just like many other years. On Sunday afternoon Gary Woodland managed to hold off Brett Koepka giving him the win. It was Gary’s first U.S. Open win and helped shut down talk that he couldn’t win a major tournament. It will be interesting to see if he makes the roster of watch brand ambassadors.