US Open venue hailed as 'piece of Scotland washed ashore on Long Island'

The USGA major is being held at one of the oldest clubs in the US for the sixth time and, according to one of the game’s top analysts, Bob MacIntyre is going to feel at home as he bids to go one better after finishing runner-up to J.J. Spaun at Oakmont 12 months ago.

“I think Shinnecock is the closest thing that America has to links golf,” declared Brandel Chamblee, speaking on a media conference call ahead of the season’s third major. “It almost feels like a piece of Scotland just washed ashore on Long Island.”

Scot John Foulis won the first US Open at Shinnecock Hills in 1896, with the event not returning to the venue until 1977, when Raymond Flloyd landed the title. Subsequent winners have been Corey Pavin (1995), Retief Goosen (2004) and Brooks Koepka (2018).

“When you compare it to other US Open venues, I would say that it’s not like Oakmont’s bunkers or Winged Foot’s rough. It’s not what you find at Merion. It's the perfect balance of exposure,” added Chamblee. “It’s biggest hazard is the sky. Firm turf, crowned greens, timeless architecture and Mother Nature. That’s the No 1 defence of a links golf course.

“When you combine that with US Open pressure, it is no wonder that the winners have mostly scrambled their way to the top of the leaderboard. You think about Ray Floyd holing a bunker shot on Saturday at the 13th hole and, of course,Corey Pavin only hit 35 greens in regulation. I mean, nobody has ever won the US Open hitting less than half of the greens.

“Then topped only by the scrambling of Retief Goosen on the Sunday. And, of course, Brooks Koepka made one of the greatest bogeys in the history of the US Open on the 11th hole on that Sunday off the back of the green in no man’s land. He smartly hit it in the front bunker and got it up and down. It is just perfect US Open golf, it really is the ultimate test.”

In those previous editions at Shinnecock Hills, only three players have finished at level par or better. Goosen won on four under, with runner-up Phil Mickelson two shots behind, while Floyd’s triumphant total was one under.

“Shinnecock may not be the only expression of golf in America, but it is probably the ultimate expression of golf in this country,” observed Rich Lerner, who will anchor the USA Sports/Golf Channel coverage of next week’s event. “Its place in history, the origins of the game in the United States, as close to Scotland as you can get.

‘It’s hard to look good at Shinnecock’

“The quality of the land obviously, where it sits and its proximity to wealth and power. Its commitment to upholding the traditions of the game. That said, we know it is hard to look good at a Shinnecock US Open. There have been four playing of the event here in the modern era and only three guys have broken par - Floyd, Goosen and Mickelson, who ran second to Goosen in 2004.

“And that goes, too, for the United States Golf Association. I think everyone knows what happened in ‘04 and again in 2018. So there’s considerable pressure not only on the players here, I think, but the USGA as well and I think they have learned their lessons.

“There’s a different group in place and I don’t think they will be tempted to go over the edge. I think they are coming off an exceptional US Women’s Open at Riviera (where world No 1 Nelly Korda triumphed last Sunday) in every way, so I wouldn’t expect that we will get anything but a great championship at Shinnecock with a dominant storyline that relates to the players.”