Agreed. I don't believe Augusta belongs in this thread as it's nothing like its original intent. Unless we are shifting the thread to discuss "Americanized" golf.
Mark
Mark,
Perhaps we are. I think of St. Andrews being the flagship of a collection of great links courses in Europe. Augusta is the flagship (at least in the view of the general golfer) of the US, and based on the influence it has had on American architecture (similar to the affect St. Andrews has had on European architecture and architecture around the world) perhaps Augusta
is the St. Andrews of America.
It all comes down to criteria. Based on Emile's comment that it was referring to championships, Merion or Pebble is probably a closer comparison. Even though Augusta has a major every year, it's not our national championship.