If this week’s US Open avoids the pratfalls that befell the 2004 and 2018 editions at Shinnecock Hills – when baked-out greens created unplayable hole locations that impacted the integrity of the championship – it will be because of a decision Bodenhamer and the rest of the championship committee made last Friday when faced with a weather forecast they hoped would never come.
Shinnecock Hills has produced some of the US Open’s greatest moments — and most controversial collapses. Ahead of 2026, questions remain about whether the iconic Long Island course can be set up fairly without tipping into chaos again.
After the controversies of 2004 and 2018, USGA chief championships officer John Bodenhamer reveals how the governing body plans to tackle Shinnecock Hills at the 2026 US Open and why this historic venue deserves to shine.
During its annual meeting last weekend, the governing body solidified that Pine Valley will host the prestigious amateur match pitting the United States against Great Britain & Ireland in 2044.
The United States Golf Association is the first governing body to provide players from the LIV Golf League a direct pathway into a men’s major championship.
This will mark the seventh time Winged Foot will have hosted the USGA’s signature event, tied with Baltusrol for the second most behind only Oakmont Country Club, which will host for the 10th time in 2025.
The US Open has fused its DNA to presenting a challenge more exhaustive than its counterparts, where pars matter and “good bogey” isn’t said in jest. When that challenge appears watered down, it calls for a larger discussion.
The cumulative points leader from the 2022 Korn Ferry Tour season will earn an invite to the USGA’s flagship event, beginning at the 2023 US Open at Los Angeles Country Club.
In addition to giving Oakmont seven future championships, the USGA designated the course as the second US Open “anchor” site, along with Pinehurst Resort.
The agreement, which begins with next year’s US Junior Amateur, includes bringing the 2029 Walker Cup and 2038 Curtis Cup to Bandon, along with both the US Amateur and US Women’s Amateur.
There are murmurs on the grounds among players and caddies that because of the rough, dampness, wind gusts that could reach 20 miles per hour, and general ferociousness of the layout, any red number in a single round will be hard to come by.
Australian Golf Digest
