SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. – When it comes to American golf, it doesn’t get any more historic than Shinnecock Hills.
Founded in 1891, it’s the oldest incorporated club in the country. Three years later it became one of the five founding members of the USGA. And in 1896 it hosted the second U.S. Open, which was won by James Foulis, by three shots over defending champion Horace Rawlins. That same year it also hosted the second U.S. Amateur, which saw H.J. Whigham beat J.G. Thorp in the final match, 8 and 7.
It would take nine decades for the national championship to return. But it certainly was memorable. In 1986, there were nine players tied for the lead at one point in the final round. Ray Floyd wasn’t among them. But he was the guy who wound up lifting the trophy. It was his fourth and final major win (to go with two PGAs and a Masters), 17 years after he got his first.
In 1995 Corey Pavin won his only major, by two over Greg Norman. He started on Sunday three off the lead, playing in the next-to-last group. By the time he reached the 18th he was one in front. And his 228-yard approach, with a 4-wood, just cleared the rough in front of the green and rolled to within 5 feet of the hole. Even though he didn’t make the birdie putt, it was enough. And his shot will forever remain of the more indelible in Open lore.
In 2004, Retief Goosen finished first for the second time in four years, holding off Phil Mickelson by two. Goosen needed just 11 putts over the closing nine holes. He led by two entering the last round. But Lefty, who had just won his first major at Augusta two months earlier, had tied things up going to the 17th. But Phil three-putted the par-3 for a double bogey, which proved to be the difference.
So Shinnecock, on the eastern end of Long Island, has produced some worthy snapshots. And it will try to do so once again when another Open is held there starting on June 14.
“Shinnecock Hills is indeed one of the most important places in all of golf in the United States,” said Mike Davis, the USGA’s Chief Executive Officer, at the recent media day. “It’s magnificent. Its influence on golf is certainly almost unparalleled. It’s a national treasure here.
“We love the place so much we’ve already announced we’re coming back for another U.S. Open (in 2026). It has the oldest golf clubhouse. It’s been welcoming, and accessible, really, from day one … The architecture is just marvelous. I dare say that in terms of where elite golf is played, I can’t think of a better golf course in the world. There’s just so many things that are great about it. And it keeps evolving.”
There is no water. Ditto the trees. It’s a par 70, playing at just over 7,400 yards. The previous three modern Opens were in the 6,900 range. Bunkers come into play, both off the tee and into the greens. The rough doesn’t seem too penal, at least in many places. But it is an Open, so that’s always a relative term. The wind will be a factor, just because everything is so open and you’re near the ocean. And the fairways aren’t nearly as narrow in the current setup. It almost reminds you of something you would find on the other side of the Atlantic. Nothing wrong with that. Just different is all. Remember when our Opens meant footlong rough right off the fairway. Well you don’t see that anymore. Same for around the greens. Doesn’t mean it’s any less difficult.
The USGA will tell you that par doesn’t matter. Don’t believe them. If that were true, why would they change par-5s to 4s? Just saying. They can’t do that here, since there are only two 5s. Nonetheless, expect something around par to get it done. Last year, of course, that wasn’t the case at Erin Hills, where Brooks Koepka led the assault on the longest course ever to host this Open. Why ask why. It was almost like watching a PGA. And if we’ve learned anything over the years, it’s that when the USGA gets “embarrassed,” the next year somebody pays for it.
Hey, Johnny Miller shot 63 in the last round at Oakmont in 1973, and the next year you had the so-called massacre at Winged Foot. There are other examples. And that’s OK. I just wish the USGA would come out and say one time that they want their Open to be the hardest tournament to win all year. Which obviously it is. Instead they’ll only maintain that they’re trying to identify the best golfer, which every other major is trying to do too. Anyway, people look exhausted by Wednesday. It’s the longest week in the game. But the survivor won’t care. He’ll spend the rest of his life being introduced as a U.S. Open champion. Has a nice ring to it, don’t you think?
In 2004, there was one problem. On Sunday the green at the par-3 seventh wouldn’t hold any shots. So the USGA opted to hose them down between groups, which kind of boggled the mind. It wasn’t a good look, and it cost some people their jobs. That, not shockingly, was one of the first things Davis chose to address when it was his turn to speak.
“We had a situation where you were watching well executed shots not being rewarded,” he explained. “In fact, you saw some actually being penalized. I can assure you that is not what the USGA wanted. I would just say that it was 14 years ago. It was a different time, it was different people, and we as an organization have learned from it.
“When you set up a U.S. Open it is golf’s ultimate test. It’s probably set up closer to the edge than any other event in golf, and I think that the difference then versus now is we have a lot more technology, a lot more data in our hands. And frankly, what really happened then was just a lack of moisture. There just wasn’t enough water put in and essentially the grass itself kind of went dormant. There wasn’t enough friction on the greens.
“Nowadays we have got everything from firmness meters … (to) moisture meters. Obviously we can tell how fast a green is running. The meteorology is better. So we not only know where the winds are coming from but the velocities. And frankly there’s better communication between the USGA and the grounds staff.”
So …
“I feel comfortable,” Davis went on. “Looking back, even though there were part of that final day (that didn’t go right), it was a magnificent day coming down to the end. There are parts that I think we learned from. And I think we’re happy that we have a mulligan this time. It was certainly a bogey last time. In fact, maybe even a double bogey. And equitable stroke control perhaps kicked in. But it’s great to be back. We are incredible excited.”
Two of the last three Opens were held at Erin Hills and Chambers Bay, two new public facilities. The reasons were twofold: to take the event to areas that don’t usually get it, like the Pacific Northwest and Wisconsin, and to try to do what they did by going to two other daily-fee places, Bethpage Black and Torrey Pines. But Opens just seem like a better fit when they’re played at traditional venues like Oakmont or Olympic Club, to name just two of the usual suspects. While I’m all for inclusion, maybe that’s just the way this goofy sport was mean to be. At least on the grandest stage.
So by all means enjoy/savor this one, either for those fortunate enough to be going or for the majority of us who’ll be watching on FOX. And in case you hadn’t heard, this will be the first year that a playoff would be decided over two holes (and then sudden death) instead of another full round. I guess nobody wants to stay until Monday. But I always thought it was kind of cool that the USGA was the only one of the four majors that hadn’t gone shorter. Oh well. That’s progress. For the record the Masters is sudden death, the British an aggregate four-hole and the PGA a three-holer.
It happens.
“It’s been a long debated subject,” Davis said. “And we recently came to a conclusion, after really talking to the stakeholders in the U.S. Open. So who are the stakeholders? They’re the players, they’re the fans, and it’s the vendors. It’s really the club itself. And we came to the conclusion that what people wanted, assuming Mother Nature’s cooperative, people wanted the U.S. Open to finish on Sunday. Wouldn’t say it was unanimous. So we started with that premise.
“I would also say there is no right or wrong way to (break) a tie. We felt on balance the stakeholders just wanted us to finish. So we have made that change. We still use a three-hole playoff for the U.S. Women’s Open. So why do it there? It’s pretty hard to answer that question.
“You go way back and we used to have 36-hole playoffs. In fact there was a year in the early 1930s where they were tied after 36 holes. Guess what? They went another 36 holes. We thought that by having two holes, there would be more excitement. It wouldn’t necessarily be one shot (and it’s) over. Think about it. If we have a tie we’re going to play the par-3 17th. Wonderful par-3. And then the great finishing 18. Next year, 17 and 18 at Pebble Beach. How iconic are those holes?”
Next year can wait. The 118th Open will soon be upon us, in all its glory and torturous nature. That’s its identity, and it’s not likely to change any time soon.
By the way, in case you were wondering, there hasn’t been a playoff since 2008, when Tiger Woods beat Rocco Mediate over 91 holes. I was there, and walked much of it. Who can forget Tiger, playing on a knee that would require major surgery not long afterward, coming to the 18th three straight days trailing by one. All he did was make eagle on Saturday to take a 1-shot lead into the final round, putting him into a situation where he’d gone 13-0. On Sunday he had to make a bumpy 15-footer for birdie to force extra holes with Mediate watching from the scorer’s tent. And on Monday he made a two-putt bird to extend the playoff. Great stuff.
Now, it could all be over with one well-struck 4-wood from 228 yards out. All we know for sure is that some kind of history will be made.
“We are blessed here in the United States to have more golf courses and more great golf courses than anywhere in the world,” Davis said. “We’re lucky enough as the governing body to get invited to come to some of these great courses like Shinnecock Hills. So in so many ways what we just try to do is showcase those courses, set it up in such a way that the best players in a given group, whether it’s the U.S. Girls Junior Amateur or whether it’s the U.S. Open, that it really allows them to determine how exciting the championship is.
“To me, (it’s) just get this golf course setup properly and then sit back and watch the 156 best players in the world compete for that silver trophy and that Nicklaus gold medal.”
Have a happy Father’s Day.
TAP-INS: This is the first Open on Long Island since 2009, when rain was the main story at Bethpage Black. It didn’t end until Monday. And it ended with Lucas Glover outlasting Phil Mickelson, who got the fifth of what would become a record six runnerup finishes (he would follow with a second at Merion four years later). The Open will return to the Northeast in 2020 when it goes back to Winged Foot, where of course Phil infamously made a double bogey in 2006 on the 72nd hole to turn a 1-shot lead into a 1-shot loss when he was trying to win his third major in a row.
Other venues in place are Torrey Pines in San Diego in 2021, The Country Club in suburban Boston in 2022 (for the first time since 1988, if you don’t count the unforgettable Ryder Cup in 1999, at least from the American perspective), Los Angeles Country Club (North Course) in 2023, Pinehurst in North Carolina in 2024, Oakmont near Pittsburgh in 2025 and Pebble in 2027. We can only hope that Merion gets another one in 2030, when the club and the USGA will be celebrating the 100th anniversary of Bobby Jones completing the grand slam on No. 11 at the U.S. Am.
Because history never gets old.
By Mike Kern
