Olympic Club Preparing Another U.S. Open Invite

Ron Kroichick files a U.S. Open follow-up column, sharing the story of a near disaster Sunday morning and the likelihood of a return visit after the club sends an invitation to the USGA. Club GM Tournament General Chairman Stephen Meeker says the feedback from Mike Davis has been positive.

Meeker met with Olympic's board of directors Tuesday night and expects to send a letter to the USGA in the coming weeks.

"I think it will happen soon," Meeker said. "Mike said they'd come back at the drop of a hat. He said it was one of the best Opens they've had in the last 20 years."

It sounds like 2022 is a realistic target for the next Open in San Francisco. The tournament is booked through 2019, when it returns to Pebble Beach. Davis would prefer some separation between stops in Northern California, so '22 is probably the soonest it would happen.

Comments

[Matt]

Awesome. I wonder if the greens will be poa again? I hope they don't have to make the course 7,500 yards to keep up with uranium drivers or something.

[Willie Loman]

They should come back to SoCal (Riviera maybe) instead of giving the dreaded NoCals another U.S. Open.

[digsouth]

Amazing story of the runaway truck. WOW! What if it had nailed a tree, and they left it there! Added hazard.

As much as I thought some of the images of the course with all those fans gathered, I can see Riviera with the same setting, and it is simply a way better golf course.

All those trees, the views, just great. But the golf course just left me flat. I would not care if they ever went back to Oly.

[Geoff]

If Riviera can find about 50 acres of spare room next to the property, it might have a chance. But it's really not a whole lot better than Merion in terms of space for what the modern U.S. Open requires. It would also have to give up the Northern Trust Open, as the USGA is making it quite clear with Torrey Pines that they do not want to visit a course that regularly hosts the tour, unless it's called Pebble Beach.

[Willie Loman]

It seems kind of crazy that there have been only two U.S. Opens in Southern California with the amount of people, weather, media, etc that exists down here.

Then again, if Riviera and Torrey Pines are out, I can't really come up with another U.S. Open type location despite the myriad of great courses down here.

[Phil]

The USGA wants to go back to Olympic because it was a huge cash cow. They sold more hats in 1 week then the last 3 US Opens combined.

For Southern Cal to host a US Open you need a course with another course next door. LACC could do it (they won't) and possibly a combo at Griffith Park if they did a Bethpage type of restoration.

[greg c]

Why couldn't LACC host a US Open?

[rb]

"Griffith Park "


right on bro!

[Matt]

Greg, they just don't want to

[NorCal]

If it goes back to the Olympic Club in '22, does it mean the USGA trashes the Ocean course again ... so it can be redone ... yet again after the US Open? Of course, this assumes the Cliffs course isn't in the physical ocean by then and the Ocean course is technically intact as well...

[Ted Mitchell]

@NorCal, if hosting the Open is so bad for the course/club - why are they in such a rush to invite the USGA back?

[JSS]

Ted:

The reason is simple. $$$

[Willie Loman]

La Costa South Course with a big overhaul perhaps? They just reworked the North Course.

Or move the Torrey Pines Event to La Costa and go back to Torrey Pines South for the Open.

Maybe even let the USGA screw up ... err ... enhance TP North with a redesign/rework to make it US Open friendly (They might have to buy some of the State Park land north of the Course from the State to be able to stretch things. Uncle Jerry could probably use the cash but the enviro-hippies would never allow it. Nevermind. :; )

[Ted Mitchell]

@JSS, if the club has determined that the money gained outweighs the negatives then hosting wasn't "bad", right?

[JSS]

@Ted, what are the negatives? They have wrecked a great classic course so I don't think any amount of money is worth that.

[Ted Mitchell]

Are you a member? The point is whether the members have made an exchange that they are happy with (and the speed with which they are inviting the USGA back) suggests that is the case.