Merion named the USGA's fourth U.S. Open anchor site

Merion Golf Club is now the USGA’s fourth U.S. Open anchor site. The governing body announced on Thursday 8 October that the club outside Philadelphia joins Pebble Beach, Pinehurst and Oakmont in the small group of venues it will return to regularly.

The announcement follows a record U.S. Amateur. The 126th championship at Merion this summer drew an estimated 20,000-plus spectators, the biggest crowd in its history, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.

The championship dates are not new. The USGA had already awarded Merion the U.S. Open in 2030, 2040 and 2050, and the U.S. Women’s Open in 2034 and 2046. The 2034 championship will be the first U.S. Women’s Open at the club.

The USGA introduced the anchor-site model in 2020 to build long-term partnerships with a handful of clubs and the areas around them. The Inquirer reports that the USGA expects the arrangement to let both sides plan further ahead, invest in infrastructure and improve the experience for players, spectators and volunteers. Neither side has published financial terms or named specific projects.

John Bodenhamer, the USGA’s chief championships officer, called Merion “one of the defining venues in championship golf”.

Merion has staged 20 USGA championships, more than any other club. Its East Course, designed by Hugh Wilson, opened in 1912. Bobby Jones completed his Grand Slam at the 1930 U.S. Amateur, Ben Hogan hit his famous 1-iron into the 18th green on the way to the 1950 U.S. Open, and Lee Trevino beat Jack Nicklaus in a play-off for the 1971 U.S. Open.

The USGA’s film of Hogan’s 1950 victory is on its YouTube channel.

Merion has hosted the U.S. Open only once in the past 44 years, in 2013, when Justin Rose won his only major and nobody in the field finished level par or better.

We think anchor status matters more than the dates, because a standing partnership makes long-term investment at the club easier to justify.

Merion’s next U.S. Open, in 2030, will come 17 years after Rose’s win.

Sources

• Golf Channel: Merion Golf Club becomes the fourth anchor site for USGA
• The Philadelphia Inquirer: Merion joins Pebble Beach and others as the USGA’s fourth U.S. Open anchor site
• Field Level Media: Merion named fourth U.S. Open anchor site
• Golfweek via Yahoo Sports: Merion Golf Club becomes USGA anchor site
• USGA on YouTube: 1950 U.S. Open, Hogan wins at Merion