- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 461,799
- Reaction score
- 44
TOWN OF ERIN – Standing outside the Erin Hills clubhouse overlooking the putting green and first tee box of the golf course, wind whipped over the shoulders of United States Golf Association chief executive officer Mike Whan and across the face of USGA staff member Tiffany Joh. That in and of itself is not new for the links styled golf course, but the direction was, as was blowing in from the east.
The famous fescue off the fairways of the course is not the wispy, golden color golfers or fans thinking back to the 2017 U.S. Open won by Brooks Koepka might remember. Rather, it’s green, lush and thick.
Those were no-so-small examples of how Erin Hills will look and play differently as the host of the U.S. Women’s Open from May 29 through June 1.
The USGA was at the course on May 5, on what would have been the opening day of the public course about 40 miles northwest of Milwaukee, to advance the women’s national championship.
“The major factor, the X-factor, is gonna be the wind,” said Shannon Rouillard, the senior director of championships for the USGA, who oversees setting up the course for the competition.
“The prevailing wind in the spring comes out of the east. Comes out of the west for the summer. Technically, we’re gonna be playing this championship in the (spring), but I’m anticipating the wind to come from all sorts of different directions, and what is that direction going to be, what’s that velocity going to be, and how is that going to affect the overall setup plan? We need to be able to pull on those levers accordingly.”
The course has been closed to the public since October to prepare for the championship, which will bring in the top women golfers in the world.
The championship will make Erin Hills the 16th golf course to host a U.S. Open and U.S. Women’s Open.
More: The Making of Erin Hills: The complete story
“I do remember when I played it, it played pretty firm, pretty fast,” recalled Joh, who is now a USGA staff member and won the first national championship held at the course in 2008.
“It’s a good test. It’s fair, but it’s tough. I was telling someone earlier that I think that’s what you get with his challenge of a U.S. Open. It’s almost like an enjoyable pain, enjoyable suffering, right? You’re out there and it’s really tough and you’re getting beat up by this golf course but then you’re also just so overwhelmed by the beauty of a place. That’s pretty much what I feel like I’ve gotten delivered to me in every U.S. Open that I’ve played.”
The last time the U.S. Women’s Open was in Wisconsin was for the 2012 championship at Blackwolf Run, won by Na Yeon Choi. The 1998 U.S. Women’s Open was also at the course in Kohler, an event that changed the women’s game forever when South Korea’s Se Ri Pak won the event.
Pak won the tournament in a Monday playoff over amateur Jenny Chuasiriporn, a victory widely credited with the game’s explosion in popularity among South Korean players.
Erin Hills was famously awarded the 2008 U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links, won by Joh, before the course officially opened for play. The 2011 U.S. Amateur and 2017 U.S. Open quickly followed and it also hosted the 2022 U.S. Mid-Amateur prior to the upcoming U.S. Women’s Open.
Looking ahead, Wisconsin has become a hub for the USGA’s amateur and junior events.
The Sand Valley resort in Nekoosa will host the 2026 U.S. Mid-Amateur, 2029 U.S. Junior Amateur, 2030 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur and 2034 U.S. Girls’ Junior.
After a decades long partnership with the PGA of America, Whistling Straits once again partnered up with the USGA for the 2028 U.S. Amateur, the 2033 U.S. Junior Amateur and 2037 U.S. Girls’ Junior.
Erin Hills will host five more USGA championships, the 2027 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball, 2030 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball, 2033 U.S. Women’s Amateur, 2035 U.S. Amateur and 2039 U.S. Junior Amateur.
“We start with venues, places that players want to aspire to reach and that when they get there we can separate the best of the best,” Whan said of why Wisconsin has become a popular site for championships.
“It takes a certain kind of venue for all the best to play on it and still feel some separation. It’s great land. There’s really committed people in this area in terms of building things, just like Andy (Ziegler, the course owner) here, who really committed to building something truly special.
“And these are aspirational get-to’s. We want young people to say ‘I want to make it to Whistling Straits, I want to make it to Erin Hills, I want to make it to Sand Valley.’ And when they get there they’re going to be tested. When you put those three things together, that makes this region really an easy one for us.”
But when it comes to the premier USGA championships – the U.S. Open and U.S. Women’s Open – the state has been left out of the organization’s future. It was once thought Erin Hills would become an “anchor” site for the USGA for its two most prestigious professional tournaments the organization instead largely pivoted to the coasts for its signature events.
There is not an open date for the U.S. Open until 2043, with 2045, 2046 and 2048 open beyond that.
There is not an open date for the U.S. Women’s Open until 2037, with 2039, 2041, 2043, 2044 and 2047 open beyond that.
The U.S. Senior Open, which was held at Whistling Straits in 2007 and SentryWorld in Stevens Point in 2023, is slightly less booked out. It does not have an open date until 2031, followed by openings from 2035-37 and 2039-41.
Whan noted that the organization is bringing championships to Chicago Golf Club in Wheaton, Illinois, in the future and once again emphasized, “We like this region. We like this region in terms of people pilgriming to get here, the golf it creates. I don’t want to stick my foot in my mouth, but we’re definitely making plenty of trips to the area ourselves to look at other courses.”
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: U.S. Women’s Open at Erin Hills may look, play differently in spring
Continue reading...
The famous fescue off the fairways of the course is not the wispy, golden color golfers or fans thinking back to the 2017 U.S. Open won by Brooks Koepka might remember. Rather, it’s green, lush and thick.
Those were no-so-small examples of how Erin Hills will look and play differently as the host of the U.S. Women’s Open from May 29 through June 1.
The USGA was at the course on May 5, on what would have been the opening day of the public course about 40 miles northwest of Milwaukee, to advance the women’s national championship.
You must be registered for see images
“The major factor, the X-factor, is gonna be the wind,” said Shannon Rouillard, the senior director of championships for the USGA, who oversees setting up the course for the competition.
“The prevailing wind in the spring comes out of the east. Comes out of the west for the summer. Technically, we’re gonna be playing this championship in the (spring), but I’m anticipating the wind to come from all sorts of different directions, and what is that direction going to be, what’s that velocity going to be, and how is that going to affect the overall setup plan? We need to be able to pull on those levers accordingly.”
The course has been closed to the public since October to prepare for the championship, which will bring in the top women golfers in the world.
The championship will make Erin Hills the 16th golf course to host a U.S. Open and U.S. Women’s Open.
More: The Making of Erin Hills: The complete story
“I do remember when I played it, it played pretty firm, pretty fast,” recalled Joh, who is now a USGA staff member and won the first national championship held at the course in 2008.
“It’s a good test. It’s fair, but it’s tough. I was telling someone earlier that I think that’s what you get with his challenge of a U.S. Open. It’s almost like an enjoyable pain, enjoyable suffering, right? You’re out there and it’s really tough and you’re getting beat up by this golf course but then you’re also just so overwhelmed by the beauty of a place. That’s pretty much what I feel like I’ve gotten delivered to me in every U.S. Open that I’ve played.”
The last time the U.S. Women’s Open was in Wisconsin was for the 2012 championship at Blackwolf Run, won by Na Yeon Choi. The 1998 U.S. Women’s Open was also at the course in Kohler, an event that changed the women’s game forever when South Korea’s Se Ri Pak won the event.
Pak won the tournament in a Monday playoff over amateur Jenny Chuasiriporn, a victory widely credited with the game’s explosion in popularity among South Korean players.
You must be registered for see images attach
USGA calls Wisconsin home for future championships
Erin Hills was famously awarded the 2008 U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links, won by Joh, before the course officially opened for play. The 2011 U.S. Amateur and 2017 U.S. Open quickly followed and it also hosted the 2022 U.S. Mid-Amateur prior to the upcoming U.S. Women’s Open.
Looking ahead, Wisconsin has become a hub for the USGA’s amateur and junior events.
The Sand Valley resort in Nekoosa will host the 2026 U.S. Mid-Amateur, 2029 U.S. Junior Amateur, 2030 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur and 2034 U.S. Girls’ Junior.
After a decades long partnership with the PGA of America, Whistling Straits once again partnered up with the USGA for the 2028 U.S. Amateur, the 2033 U.S. Junior Amateur and 2037 U.S. Girls’ Junior.
Erin Hills will host five more USGA championships, the 2027 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball, 2030 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball, 2033 U.S. Women’s Amateur, 2035 U.S. Amateur and 2039 U.S. Junior Amateur.
“We start with venues, places that players want to aspire to reach and that when they get there we can separate the best of the best,” Whan said of why Wisconsin has become a popular site for championships.
“It takes a certain kind of venue for all the best to play on it and still feel some separation. It’s great land. There’s really committed people in this area in terms of building things, just like Andy (Ziegler, the course owner) here, who really committed to building something truly special.
“And these are aspirational get-to’s. We want young people to say ‘I want to make it to Whistling Straits, I want to make it to Erin Hills, I want to make it to Sand Valley.’ And when they get there they’re going to be tested. When you put those three things together, that makes this region really an easy one for us.”
You must be registered for see images attach
Will Wisconsin get another U.S. Open?
But when it comes to the premier USGA championships – the U.S. Open and U.S. Women’s Open – the state has been left out of the organization’s future. It was once thought Erin Hills would become an “anchor” site for the USGA for its two most prestigious professional tournaments the organization instead largely pivoted to the coasts for its signature events.
There is not an open date for the U.S. Open until 2043, with 2045, 2046 and 2048 open beyond that.
There is not an open date for the U.S. Women’s Open until 2037, with 2039, 2041, 2043, 2044 and 2047 open beyond that.
The U.S. Senior Open, which was held at Whistling Straits in 2007 and SentryWorld in Stevens Point in 2023, is slightly less booked out. It does not have an open date until 2031, followed by openings from 2035-37 and 2039-41.
Whan noted that the organization is bringing championships to Chicago Golf Club in Wheaton, Illinois, in the future and once again emphasized, “We like this region. We like this region in terms of people pilgriming to get here, the golf it creates. I don’t want to stick my foot in my mouth, but we’re definitely making plenty of trips to the area ourselves to look at other courses.”
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: U.S. Women’s Open at Erin Hills may look, play differently in spring
Continue reading...
