[Michael George]

1.  My point about the distance between Chicago and Erin Hills is that Erin Hills is close enough for the USGA to sell hospitality to Chicago companies.  The USGA can sell their $200,000 and $300,000 tents to Chicago companies and on the Erin Hills property, they can accomodate as many tents as they can sell.  While Milwaukee might be able to support an occasional major championship once in a while (ala Ocean Course for Charleston and Savannah), it's proxiity to Chicago is what is driving 2 PGA's and a Ryder Cup to Whistling Straits in such a short time.  I applaud the USGA bringing the Open to as many regions as possible, but they need to be within "hospitality" distance to a major city to sell their tents.  Otherwise, I would be looking forward to watching an Open at Bandon Dunes some day - which would be incredible.  

2.  Paul - I think the reports about the USGA's concern with Olympia Fields are documented enough.  Further, not being in the picture in 2017 seems to indicate that the USGA had problems with it.   I did not mean to diminish Congressional as a golf course.  However, it is hosting the AT&T for the foreseable future, which I think greatly reduces its chances of hosting another Open anytime soon.

 

[Phil McDade]

I think Cook County governance and the USGA's dealings with them ( ) had something to do w/ their willingness to go back to OFields.

[Phil McDade]

1.   While Milwaukee might be able to support an occasional major championship once in a while (ala Ocean Course for Charleston and Savannah), it's proxiity to Chicago is what is driving 2 PGA's and a Ryder Cup to Whistling Straits in such a short time.  

Michael:

Two PGAs and the Ryder Cup are coming to WStraits because of one guy (well, two, if you include Pete Dye), and that's Herb Kohler. Kohler was the guy who figured out/gambled that a high-end course(s) would work in greater Sheboygan, of all places. There are big shots in golf, and then there are BIG SHOTS. Herb's one of the latter; when he wants something, the folks at the PGA listen.

[Ted Cahill]

To be frank, I'm not that excited to see the U.S. Open go to Erin Hills. The course is O.K.- but it's hard not to view it as Lang's folly.  I love Wisconsin, but does this area deserve two PGA's, a US Open, an Amateur, a senior Open, a Womens open and a Ryder Cup in the span of 15 years?  The announcement to bring the '17 Open to EH left me with the impression that the USGA had projected so much hope on EH, they couldn't walk away, despite the doubts about EH.  That open should have gone to Rivera.  

Ted:

Most of that (the two PGAs, the Women's Open, the Ryder Cup) are Herb Kohler's doing with his Kohler-area courses. He was known to have squeezed and lobbied both the PGA and USGA for majors, and really wanted a US Open at WStraits, but the PGA offered two PGAs and the Ryder Cup, and Kohler said he couldn't turn that down. The Women's Open drew record crowds when it was hosted at Blackwolf Run in 1998; I think the USGA simply wanted to reward Kohler for a job well done the first time and bring it back.

The saga of Erin Hills, as has been detailed here and elsewhere, is quite involved and interesting, with both the course and those in this area with strong and long ties to the USGA playing a role. But I do think the USGA and Davis are very deliberately looking 20-30 years out for potential sites to host the men's Open on a somewhat semi-rota basis, and Erin Hills strikes me as a decent choice, given what else is out there and the challenges faced in asking the big-name private clubs to host it. The US Am is basically the dry run for the big one, to work out logistics, and see how certain holes play in case they need to make adjustments for the US Open.

Phil- I'm rooting for Erin Hills and I love that the PGA has set up shop at WS.  I am bored to tears with the classic, tree lined, can't tell one from the other, old money club courses that most events in the midwest are held at.  Nonetheless, color me skeptical about the future of EH and Chamber Bay as repeat Open sites.  I fear that these courses are the poster children of the past decades' hubris in golf course building. Driven by a desire to host US Opens while still on the drawing boards- I wonder if it created a myopia about the challenges of operating a sustainable buisness operation?  I hope my skepticism is proven wrong.   

[Howard Riefs]

To be frank, I'm not that excited to see the U.S. Open go to Erin Hills. The course is O.K.- but it's hard not to view it as Lang's folly.  I love Wisconsin, but does this area deserve two PGA's, a US Open, an Amateur, a senior Open, a Womens open and a Ryder Cup in the span of 15 years?  The announcement to bring the '17 Open to EH left me with the impression that the USGA had projected so much hope on EH, they couldn't walk away, despite the doubts about EH.  That open should have gone to Rivera.  

Semantics... but Whistling Straits landed three PGAs: 2004, 2010, 2015.

[Phil McDade]

Ted:

It's a good observation. I think we're moving from a model of "private club hosts USGA major as part of its obligation to the game" (and club members who like rubbing elbows with USGA folks) to"public-access course strives to host USGA majors to earn cache of major-championship course" to drive daily fee revenue.

[Kevin Pallier]

Put me down as a fan who likes to see the US Open from afar at a mix of private and public facilities (esp: Bethpage / Pebble).

[Tags:]

Tags:

[Tags:]

Tags:

Call to undefined function theme_linktree()