Oakland Hills to Host 8 USGA Championships, One Every 3-5 Years
By Tom Lang
The USGA has basically set up a part-time shop at Oakland Hills Country Club for the next 29 years.
On March 22 at a ceremony in downtown Detroit, USGA officials finalized naming the historic club in Bloomfield Hills as the host site for two U.S. Women’s Opens, two U.S. Opens and four more high-level amateur tournaments between 2024 and 2051.
Adding to Oakland Hills’ incredible history in the game of golf, both U.S. Opens come on key anniversary years. The 2034 championship will be 110 years since the club hosted its first U.S. Open, in 1924 when Cyril Walker prevailed over defending champion Bob Jones by 3 strokes. Then the 100th anniversary of Ben Hogan’s classic win and subsequent tagline of “taming the Monster” will be the 2051 U.S. Open.
“This is a significant and meaningful day for all of us at Oakland Hills,” said Rick Palmer, club president. “The commitment of two U.S. Opens as well as four top amateur championships is a testament to the fabulous work of everyone at Oakland Hills. With a total of eight USGA championships coming to our club starting in 2024, we can’t wait to add to our storied history.”
The fact that Oakland Hills will host the U.S. Junior Amateur two years from now in 2024 is significant in that a new clubhouse to replace the original building that was destroyed in the dramatic fire on Feb. 17, will not be rebuilt by then. Oakland Hills will have to use some type of temporary structure to host it, but the USGA approved to keep its plans in place even after the recent fire.
Agreements for all 8 events were solidified many months ago before the clubhouse fire took place – erasing a thought that once went through my head that this might be a gesture made on emotions about the fire destroying so much history. Yet discussions between the two organizations on hosting future USGA events began in 2017. All will be played on the iconic South Course, which was shut down in 2020 and early 2021 for Gil Hanse to restore it to the original Donald Ross design of 1918.
“For us the ultimate measure is in really providing a great test is players need to get every club in their bag dirty,” John Bodenhamer, USGA chief championships officer said at the announcement at the Detroit Athletic Club. “They need to hit it high, low, left, right, control it on the ground, mental, physical… so when somebody wins a U.S. Open or U.S. Women's Open, they've done something really special.”
Bodenhamer also said at the announcement that he previously asked Oakland Hills officials if they could still do the U.S. Junior Amateur in 2024, and Palmer told him, yes, not only could they do it, but they need it. Oakland Hills last USGA event was the U.S. Amateur in 2016.
The biggest surprise to me was the fact the USGA tagged on 4 additional tournaments. It was previously announced that Oakland Hills will host the U.S. Women’s Opens in 2031 and 2042. The others include the 2029 U.S. Women’s Amateur and the 2038 U.S. Girls Junior. All 8 of these events between 2024 and 2051 are further confirmation of the state of Michigan’s support of the great game of golf but also will bring significant exposure, and economic impact, to Southeast Michigan and our state in general. Oakland Hills will become the fifth club to have hosted a U.S. Open, U.S. Women’s Open, U.S. Amateur and U.S. Women’s Amateur – a short list indeed.
“USGA championships are both aspirational and inspirational,” Bodenhamer added. “They showcase and celebrate the world's best players and give them the stage for achieving their dreams… we host the National Championships in America, showcasing the nation's very best golf courses, which we like to think are the cathedrals of the game. We love that term. That's a Jason Gore coined term. Today we're furthering a longstanding relationship that does just that. It pairs our best in place National Championships with one of America's greatest championship venues, a true cathedral of the game, that is Oakland Hills Country Club.”
