It is up to Olympia Fields Country Club to determine whether Chicago remains a U.S. Open town.
If Olympia Fields falls short in its first Open since 1928, the tournament might not make another appearance in Chicago for two decades, maybe more. With Medinah committed to the 2006 PGA Championship and 2012 Ryder Cup, and Cog Hill seemingly out of favor with the U.S. Golf Association, Olympia Fields is the area’s best bet to get into the informal Open rotation.
“It’s very important for us to get the Open to Chicago every now and then,” said Tom Meeks, an Illinois native and the USGA’s director of championships.
Unlike other Open venues such as Pebble Beach and Shinnecock Hills, Olympia Fields isn’t a “wow” course. The club has signature holes, such as the par-4 third and 14th, which will be played as Nos. 12 and 5 for the Open.
The straightforward nature of the layout probably accounts for Olympia Fields ranking only 75th in Golf magazine’s list of top 100 courses. Only Congressional at 77 and Hazeltine at 90 had lower ratings among Open venues since 1990.
Rocco Mediate came away impressed. As for any possible critics, he doesn’t think Olympia Fields needs to be defended.
“It’s not anybody’s business how Olympia Fields got [the Open],” Mediate said. “The USGA isn’t holding a lottery. They pick a course because they think it is good.”
As part of serving as host of the Open, the club agreed to
$2 million in renovations that included stretching the layout to 7,190 yards and redoing several greens.
“If it is a record-shattering Open, it’s gone, it won’t come back,” said Ron Whitten, architecture critic for Golf Digest, who thinks the course will play “surprisingly tough.”
