“The USGA will be a big, big participant, but I honestly cannot begin to tell you what that means."

Alex Miceli reports on the work about to get underway at Chambers Bay to prepare for the 2015 U.S. Open. And because the work is driven by the U.S. Open's needs, the USGA is helping pay for the work, setting an interesting precedent.

Now, Pierce County taxpayers, who own Chambers Bay, are ready to make the changes contractually agreed upon with the USGA.

“The USGA will be a big, big participant, but I honestly cannot begin to tell you what that means,” said Mike Davis, the USGA’s executive director, regarding the financial amount to be committed to bringing Chambers Bay up to Open standards. “We knew we would need certain things done and they would need certain things, and that was truly part of the agreement.”

Miceli goes on to detail the architectural and infrastructure work designed to make certain greens more palatable and to make safe walking an option for spectators.