USGA Trying To Quash Concerns Over U.S. Women’s Open

Interesting to see Randall Mell’s report on USGA Executive Director Mike Davis heading to March's Founders Cup in March to talk to LPGA players and answer their questions about playing Pinehurst the week after the men.

He’s attending at the request of LPGA Commish Mike Whan, says Whan.

“I have questions and so do some of the players, about practice, when can we practice?” Whan said. “What happens if there’s a playoff and they’re playing on Monday? What about course setup? Are the landing areas into the greens going to be pretty beat up? Is the range going to be OK for us? How much access are we going to get? How comfortable is the USGA going to be with us trying to create more awareness for us in week two during week one? What about accommodations? Is it going to be difficult for us and our players to find accommodations, especially the weekend before?”

It’s fascinating to hear how much pushback the USGA is suddenly getting about the women going second this year, and also to learn of USGA efforts to reach out to those who've been questioning how this will all work. I’ve been on record for years that the idea of back-to-back U.S. Opens was great but a one-off because the women should have gone first to ensure nice galleries and buzz. But agronomic and operational issues have also begun to bother the players as well as administrators.