07will congressional get another u.s. open?
after every u.s. open speculation turns to a possible return
date to the host site. in the case of congressional the answer
is clear: not any time soon. “we will get back,” said usga
executive director mike davis, citing proximity to the nation’s
capital and the lure of the mid-atlantic region. however, davis
also said congressional’s status as a pga tour stop hosting
the at&t national is a huge drawback that impacted early-week attendance and, unlike at california venues hosting the
tour, presents the same golf course conditions at the national
championship as the July stop experiences. congressional is
locked into the at&t national for three years and sources tell
Golf World the membership is looking to get out of that deal
because the event is too much of a disruption in their prime
golf season. freeing themselves of the at&t would also make
the club more attractive for a return u.s. open. but even if
congressional can wrangle its way out of the at&t contract, it
still must overcome the new perception that the rees Jones-renovated course does not present a stern enough challenge.
with almost guaranteed soft conditions in muggy maryland,
the firm-and-fast obsessed modern-day usga does not get
to present the course the way they will at nearly all of the u.s.
open venues lined up through 2019. —Geoff Shackelford
david cannon/getty images
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