Breathtaking course ready for first US Open
ERIN, Wis. — The roots of the golf course that will host the U.S. Open this year stretch to the Ice Age. Retreating glaciers carved out the rolling terrain on the picturesque property that would become known as Erin Hills.
A tournament thousands of years in the making has finally arrived as Erin Hills makes its major championship debut when the U.S. Open tees off Thursday.
All eyes will focus on how the roughly 7,700yard, par-72 course in Wisconsin will test the world's best golfers in its inaugural major appearance.
"The good thing is that hardly anyone — maybe a handful of guys, maybe less — but everyone's kind of new to the golf course," Jason Day said after playing the Memorial.
The sightlines at Erin Hills are striking. In late afternoon, right about the time when the last groups should be playing the final holes Sunday, the fading light from the setting sun drapes the undulating course and creates breathtaking views.
The architects of the 652-acre public course made it a point to make minimal alterations to the land.
"Inside the golf
corridors, I would say 90 percent of the land is literally exactly the way it existed when we first set foot on the property," said Dana Fry, one of the three architects. "To have a piece of land that is that natural and such a great amphitheater in a setting for golf ... just a tremendous piece of land."
The road to a major is a bit more winding.
Bob Lang, the