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It seems like it was just yesterday that Phil Mickelson hit his moving golf ball at the 2018 U.S. Open to prove a point that the United States Golf Association's major championship setups were grossly unfair.
Who's the villain now?
The USGA has done wonders rehabbing its reputation among players and fans in recent years. This year was especially memorable for the non-profit organization from Far Hills, N.J. It seemed to make all the right moves this summer, leading to a run of memorable championships and news highlights. The stereotype that the USGA is out of touch with the game and only caters to the country's elite private clubs just didn't prove to be true in 2022.
“I think about how contentious the relationship was between the players and the USGA, so much so that in 2013 there was massive talk of a player boycott at Merion, and it’s done a complete 180,” Rory McIlroy told GolfChannel.com in August.
The USGA's victories were both big and small:
* The inaugural U.S. Adaptive Open at Pinehurst Resort closed the circle of inclusivity in the game. The USGA now hosts a championship for every type of golfer - young, old, male, female and those with disabilities. The 96 players, all of whom are overcoming some sort of disability, were treated like this was their U.S. Open. It symbolized the true spirit of the game and left a profound impact on our Tim Gavrich, who took in part of the event.
* The USGA's return to Chambers Bay for the U.S. Women's Amateur was a triumphant one. The tournament introduced one of the world's next female stars, Japan's Saki Baba, who steamrolled the field. With new greens, and the way it presented on TV, Chambers Bay just might have convinced enough of the right people that it's time for its second chance at a U.S. Open.
* Thinking outside the box, the USGA took its first championship to Alaska, the U.S. Senior Women's Amateur. The 132 players who competed in Anchorage probably did a little sight-seeing before or after the championship. No doubt, it was the trip of a lifetime for everybody who made the trek.
* There are dozens of courses with a connection to past USGA Championships that too often get overlooked because of the lack of length or infrastructure for hosting today's tournaments. The U.S. Senior Women's Open, a relatively new event in its fourth year, allowed the venerable NCR Country Club in Ohio to rejoin the fold for its sixth USGA championship (its first since 2005). NCR's still got it, long after hosting the 1969 PGA Championship, where a young Raymond Floyd beat Gary Player; the 1986 U.S. Women's Open and the 2005 U.S. Senior Open. Jill McGill became just the sixth golfer to win three different USGA championships, overcoming legends Laura Davies and Annika Sorenstam, who were tied for the lead early in the final round.
* I personally loved seeing The Country Club - one of American golf's founding clubs - back in the limelight. It was Justin Leonard's putt at the 1999 Ryder Cup that sparked my love of the game. Maybe Matt Fitzpatrick's incredible shot from a fairway bunker on No. 18 to win the 2022 U.S. Open will do the same, inspiring the next generation of young fans.
* And not to be forgotten, the USGA's 2020 announcement to set up a second headquarters at Pinehurst was followed by this summer's news that Florida's struggling World Golf Hall of Fame will move into the USGA's new Golf House Pinehurst, which should open in time for the 2024 U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2. It will be the first of five U.S. Opens already scheduled at Pinehurst as an 'anchor' site.
I could go on and on about other highlights - a dominant American team at the Curtis Cup at Merion, a heart-warming U.S. Mid Amateur final between two Irishmen at Erin Hills; and the 2022 U.S. Junior Am at Bandon Dunes, the first of 13 USGA amateur championships to be held at America's most popular resort in the next two-plus decades, the result of a partnership launched last year.
The key is keeping the positive mojo rolling. Next year, that should be easy given the venues of the USGA's two most important championships: the U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club and the U.S. Women's Open at Pebble Beach Golf Links for the first time. LACC's North course, modernized by Gil Hanse, will be new to most golfers, providing genuine curiosity. Plus, having both majors on TV in primetime should lead to a spike in viewership.
The harder part will be sustaining the good vibes long term. There are some hot-button issues that the USGA will need to tackle with political savvy and critical thinking on the horizon:
* Handling the players who have moved onto the LIV Golf Series but still want to play in the U.S. Open and, as they age, the U.S. Senior Open. This will be the next big hurdle for the USGA and the other three organizations that host the majors: the PGA of America, The Masters and R&A. Who knows how it is going to play out. Fans are somewhat split, and a move either way will continue to fracture the game.
* Continuing to simplify the rules of golf with the R&A. This initiative - which made strides in 2021 with new amateur status guidelines - should continue to be emphasized. Will some of the most controversial rules ever be changed? For example, should a golfer ever be allowed to move the ball out of a fairway divot?
* Is rolling back the ball and reining in distance the proper path to a more sustainable future for the game? The USGA and R&A released the latest findings of its distance report in March. I'm not a fan of bifurcation - a set of separate rules for the pros and amateur golfers - but this decision will be a doozy whatever way it goes.
* Picking proper championship venues that resonate with competitive golfers and fans alike and, at the same time, are spread throughout the country. Some people are skeptical of the USGA's move to designated 'anchor sites' and naming U.S. Open sites so far in advance. It's great for Pebble Beach, Pinehurst, Oakmont, Merion and potentially other courses that land the prestigious honor, but this consolidation means some past U.S. Open sites might only land a major once every two decades, if at all.
It's also interesting, if not a bit disappointing, that of the 50 courses already awarded future USGA Championships, only 10 of them are open to the public: Spyglass Hill, Pebble Beach, SentryWorld, Pinehurst, Kiawah Island, The Home Course, Erin Hills, The Broadmoor and Bandon Dunes in America and St. Andrews in Scotland (The 2023 Walker Cup). It would be nice to have a few municipal courses or true public courses added to that list as more tournament sites are chosen. Only then can the USGA truly stay connected and feel relatable to any and every golfer.
Has your opinion of the USGA changed for better or worse in recent years? Let us know in the comments below.
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