USGA considering a rotation of U.S. Open venues

MAMARONECK, N.Y. – News last week that the USGA would be moving some of its offices to Pinehurst, N.C., and committing to play the U.S. Open on the famed No. 2 course five times through 2047, led some to speculate that the association was transitioning to a formal rotation for the national championship.

The Open Championship has its rota and USGA CEO Mike Davis referred to Pinehurst as an “anchor site” for the U.S. Open.

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“We just believe after talking to a lot of the players who play in U.S. Opens, a lot of our past champions, they communicated a consistent message, saying: ‘We want to go to the best sites, and we want to go there more often,’” Davis said. “That really led the championship committee to make that decision.”

The U.S. Open is scheduled to be played at Pinehurst in 2024, ’29, ’35, ’41 and ’47, a long-term move that could lead the USGA to lock in other iconic venues like Pebble Beach, Oakmont, Bethpage and Shinnecock Hills.

“Let’s let the future play out, but there are some treasured sites,” Davis said when asked about the possibility of creating a U.S. Open rotation. “We have got Nick Price, who was a world No. 1 on our board of directors and sits on our championship committee, and he has said it does matter where you win your U.S. Open. And I think all of us took that to heart. And so that’s what we’re looking at right now. So, as they say, stay tuned.”