U.S. Open Will Return to Olympic ‘at Drop of Hat’

SOME GOOD TIDBITS FROM RON KROICHICK of the San Francisco Chronicle regarding the most recent U.S. Open at the Olympic Club. Apparently, a sixth U.S. Open Championship at the Lake Course is a virtual lock.

Kroichick reported:

USGA executive director Mike Davis said June 17 that he wanted to return to Olympic, and he repeated the desire in a conversation this week with Stephen Meeker, the club’s general chairman for the Open.

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.”

With the U.S. Open scheduled through 2019, the earliest likely return to Olympic is 2022. (The championship will be played at Pebble Beach in 2019, and the USGA and Davis will want a reasonable gap between the next two Opens in Northern California.)

Furyk Followup

Kroichick filed another item about the man who saw his U.S. Open chances snap hook into the rough at the par-5 16th hole on Sunday. Jim Furyk. Back home in and around Jacksonville, Florida, a lot of golf fans are commiserating with Furyk. The grinding tour veteran has been running into them at the grocery store, in restaurants and elsewhere.

Furyk related an anecdote involving PGA Tour commish Tim Finchem, who was questioned by the local dry cleaner about Furyk’s ill-fated drive at the 16th.

“Why did he hit that shot?” Finchem was asked.

Well, he didn’t mean to, Finchem answered. But he shouldn’t have done it, came the reply.

Then Finchem with my quote of the week: “Yeah, no (kidding). I guess that’s why you shouldn’t break the buttons on my shirts, but it happens once in a while.”

(Visor tip: Geoff Shackelford)