Written by Bob Harig at ESPN.com
Rural Wisconsin seems the most unlikely of destinations for the U.S. Open, a tournament that is typically played on America’s most historic courses.
Take Oakmont, host of a record nine U.S. Opens and where Dustin Johnson won a year ago, which dates to 1903. Or Shinnecock Hills, which will get its fifth U.S. Open next year and dates to 1891.
Erin Hills, where the 117th U.S. Open begins Thursday and some 45 minutes from Milwaukee, dates all the way back to … 2006, when it was rare for the United States Golf Association to pick a venue that had not already staged the championship, let alone a brand-new one. In the previous 20 years, it had gone to a first-time U.S. Open course just twice — and Pinehurst (1999) and Bethpage Black (2002) were known commodities, courses that had hosted the masses for years.
The USGA typically likes the tried-and-true venues, the ones that have withstood the test of time and have the record books to back it up. Erin Hills, which was awarded this tournament in 2010, is unknown, just like Chambers Bay was two years ago — and the latter didn’t go so well in the eyes of many.
So, understandably, there is a good bit of curiosity and consternation about an Erin Hills layout that is spectacular in its scope and size, spread out over 652 acres — approximately four times more land than a typical American course — and offering the usual concerns about difficulty.
“It’s a very big golf course; it’s incredibly long, if you go to the back tees,” said Adam Scott of a layout that is listed at 7,693 yards. “But there are so many options on every hole with distance.
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