Olympia Fields Lands 2015 U.S. Am; Confirms USGA Has A Very Short Memory

Bradley Klein delivers the news of a USGA return to a place thought to be off the radar for a major event. I doubt this is a setup for a return U.S. Open, despite the widespread and frankly, relentless clamoring for a 2023 Open return to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Jim Furyk's unforgettable triumph over the North Course.

This is probably more of a gift to an executive committee member for time well-served, not that there's anything wrong with that:

 The 2015 Amateur will be contested on both the North Course and the South Course, with both courses sharing responsibilities for the 36-hole stroke play qualifier. It has yet to be determined which of the 18-hole layouts will be home to the match play segment of the championship.

Olympia Fields, founded in 1913, at one point included four courses, but gradually sold off some of its land. Its North Course, designed by Willie Park Jr. in 1922, has been home to the Western Open (1933, 1968, 1971), the PGA Championship (1925, 1961), the U.S. Open (1928, 2003), and the U.S. Senior Open (1997).

The South Course evolved into its current configuration from a 1916 design by Tom Bendelow and was the subject of a major overall and partial re-routing by architect Steve Smyers in 2007-08. Smyers has been a member of the USGA Executive Committee since 2006 – the only professional course architect ever to have served in that capacity.