"The message I've passed along to our staff and committee is that if you want to go to Cog Hill for an Open, it is easily good enough as a test of golf"

A couple of interesting Cog Hill related stories have been posted on the eve of its reopening post-Reestoration (and boy does it look like a restored Dick Wilson Rees Jones course now.)

An unbylined Ed Sherman feature on Frank Jemsek and his quest for a Cog Hill hosted U.S. Open features some photos of the course (hmmm...sure those aren't Bethpage photos?). Also buried was this hurdle:

Mike Davis, the New Jersey-based USGA's senior director of rules and competition, came away impressed after a visit last summer. Previously, he was concerned whether drainage issues would allow the course to play fast enough for an Open. He now believes Cog Hill is up to speed.

"The message I've passed along to our staff and committee is that if you want to go to Cog Hill for an Open, it is easily good enough as a test of golf," Mr. Davis says.

His assessment is significant, but Cog Hill faces a long process to land an Open. Mr. Davis says the USGA usually shies away from placing an Open on a course that hosts a regular PGA Tour event.

The USGA also had an unpleasant experience dealing with Cook County during the Open at Olympia Fields; the association said it didn't receive financial concessions that it typically gets from other municipalities. He says issues with the county would need to be resolved before another Open is awarded here.

While most seem to think Erin Hills is already signed for 2017, Phil Kosin raises these points in Cog's favor:

There has been plenty of hypeabout Wisconsin’s Erin Hills GC being the next U.S. Open host in the region, but insiders say the USGA is waiting to see how Dubs holds up to Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and the PGA Tour’s best in September. Both are terrific golf courses. But Cog Hill has an built-in advantage over Erin Hills because it has better infrastructure for a major, has more hotel rooms in the immediate vicinity, and would attract more corporate hospitality dollars than Erin Hills, which is 35 miles and almost a one-hour drive from Downtown Milwaukee.