Whistling Straits selected to host three USGA Championships

Posted by Tim Cotroneo
on August 13, 2024

LIBERTY CORNER, N.J. (Aug. 13, 2024) — Whistling Straits, in Kohler, Wis., has been chosen by the USGA as the host site for three future USGA championships, beginning with the 2028 U.S. Amateur. The 2033 U.S. Junior Amateur and 2037 U.S. Girls’ Junior will also be conducted on the iconic links-style Wisconsin courses.

“The USGA is excited to reignite our commitment with Kohler, and look forward to a long and fulfilling relationship,” said Mark Hill, USGA managing director, Championships. “Whistling Straits is renowned for its performance on an international stage, and we know it will challenge and thoroughly impress the world’s best amateur players.”

Whistling Straits is owned and operated by Kohler Co. and is one of two golf facilities, along with Blackwolf Run – host of the 1998 and 2012 U.S. Women’s Opens – associated with the luxury public golf resort in Kohler. Sculpted along the shoreline of Lake Michigan north of Sheboygan County, the Whistling Straits courses are Pete and Alice Dye designs that pay homage to the experience of Irish links golf.

Host to four major championships and one memorable Ryder Cup, Whistling Straits features two courses, the Straits and the Irish. The Straits, the course used for each of those major events, established itself as a premier golf course each time it was featured on the world stage. Champions at Whistling Straits include Vijay Singh (2004 PGA Championship), Brad Bryant (2007 U.S. Senior Open), Martin Kaymer (2010 PGA Championship) and Jason Day (2015 PGA Championship), along with a winning USA Ryder Cup team in 2021.

Whistling Straits was originally the site of a U.S. Army aircraft training facility that housed hundreds of troops in the 1950s. Kohler Co. bought the land in 1995 and opened the course to the public in 1998, hosting the 1999 PGA Club Professional Championship just a year later. The Straits course, which is known for its innumerable bunkers, was designed to resemble Ballybunion Golf Club, located in the southwest portion of Ireland.

“We are pleased to partner with the USGA to bring these prestigious golf championships to Whistling Straits, building on our legacy of hosting memorable and record-breaking events,” said Dirk Willis, vice president – Golf, Landscape & Retail. “Amateur golf is the heart of the game, while junior golf helps fuel the next generation of passionate players, and it’s a great honor to host these elite men and women over the next 10 years. We look forward to showcasing their incredible talent in front of our proud Wisconsin golf fans and providing a world-class golf experiences for all involved.”

There have been 17 USGA championships contested in the state of Wisconsin through the 2024 season, including one U.S. Open (2017, Erin Hills), two U.S. Senior Opens (2007, Whistling Straits; 2023, SentryWorld) and one U.S. Amateur (2011, Erin Hills).

Erin Hills, outside of Milwaukee, will host the 2025 U.S. Women’s Open Presented by Ally. Sand Valley Resort, in Nekoosa, was also recently selected to host four USGA championships over the next decade: the 2026 U.S. Mid-Amateur, 2029 U.S. Junior Amateur, 2030 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur and 2034 U.S. Girls’ Junior.

The U.S. Amateur is open to any amateur with a Handicap Index® not exceeding 0.4. The field of 312 players will compete in two rounds of stroke play, after which the field is reduced to the low 64 scorers for six rounds of match play that includes a 36-hole championship match.

The U.S. Junior Amateur follows the same format with a field of 264. A competitor must have a Handicap Index® not exceeding 2.4 and not reached his 19th birthday by completion of the championship. The U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship follows the same format, with a field of 156. A competitor must have a Handicap Index® not exceeding 5.4 and not reached her 19th birthday by the completion of the championship.

The U.S. Amateur and Junior Amateur champions earn exemptions into the following year’s U.S. Open, and the U.S. Girls’ Junior champion earns an exemption into the next U.S. Women’s Open Presented by Ally.

Upcoming USGA Championships at Whistling Straits