ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The East Course at Oak Hill Country Club, a masterful design that will challenge the top players in the world during the PGA Championship 2023, is a block of clay that has been molded, remolded, and reshaped over a hundred years.
This begs the question, when did this place worthy of major championships become?
This answer is evolving just like the course.
In 1934, the Donald Ross-designed course was first seen by the golfing world at a celebration of Rochester’s centennial and Walter Hagen’s U.S. Open victory at Midlothian Country Club. Hagen invited some of his closest golfing friends.
Hagen played well, even though he was 41 at the time and did not crack the top 10. Leo Diegel won the tournament, a Ryder Cup winner who has won two PGA Championships. Diegel won the tournament with a score of 4 under par.
May 15, 2023, Rochester, New York. Fans walk past the first hole at Oak Hill Country Club during a practice session of the PGA Championship Golf Tournament. Adam Cairns – USA TODAY Sports
Club historian Fred Beltz joked that it was his first time to see Oak Hill East. “This gave Oak Hill members a taste for big-time Golf and big-time Golf a sample of Oak Hill.”
While that first glimpse didn’t catapult Oak Hill to a national stage immediately, it did help build momentum. The Gannett newspaper group, now owned by USA Today, Golfweek, and the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle, put $5,000 up in 1941 to host the Times-Union Open. It was named after the now-defunct morning newspaper. Frank Gannett was a member of Oak Hill and hoped that the tournament would bring attention to the beauty of the course. It could also serve as an entryway for Rochester to host a bigger tournament.
Sam Snead won the tournament in 1941. But Ben Hogan’s record-breaking 64 in his first round in 1942 was the crowning achievement. The record stood for 71 long years. Curtis Strange was the only player to match it in tournament play, as he shot 64 in his opening round on his way winning the U.S. Open 1989.
The tournament had been gaining momentum, but World War II put a halt to any expansion plans for the Times-Union Event, and the event was shut down.
Beltz stated that “the war years really restricted a lot of golf professional.” “But, I think that the year 1949 was when we hosted the U.S. Amateur. Amateur.
It is said that after the war USGA executive director Joe Dey visited Oak Hill. He was awed by the design.
“Dey saw your course and asked, ‘Where were you? Beltz stated that there is nothing like this anywhere else in the country.
Charles Coe won the 1949 Am, and is widely considered one of America’s greatest amateurs. Coe won another U.S. Amateur in 1958, and he finished second in the 1961 Masters to Gary Player.
The course has since won two U.S. In the following two decades, the course hosted the U.S. Open twice, the first in 1956, won by Cary Middlecoff, and the second, the 1968 event, won by Lee Trevino, who was 28 years old.
Beltz claims that the course is susceptible to low scores due to certain circumstances.
Beltz stated that “the course was lined by Dutch Elm trees and it went through an outbreak of Dutch Elm Disease.” The course was much easier to attack, but Trevino deserves credit. He did it.”
In the 1970s when the USGA began to question whether the course was challenging enough to justify major championships, club leaders called on George Fazio to bring in some new twists. The course became more difficult and hosted major events, including the 1995 Ryder Cup which was won by the European team after Irish rookie Philip Walton beat Jay Haas at the 18th hole.
Haas returned to Pittsford in 2008, gaining revenge by winning the Senior PGA Championship. The course has hosted two PGA Championships. One in 2003, won by Shaun Micheel, and another in 2013, when Jason Dufner shot a 63 to win, breaking Hogan and Strange’s course record that had stood for 71 year.
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Jason Dufner with the Wannamaker Trophy, after winning the 95th PGA Championship. Oak Hill Country Club. Mandatory Credit: Allan Henry – USA TODAY Sports
Beltz said, “I’m not trying to belittle Dufner but there was quite a lot of rain on the course, which made it very receptive. There was also a graduated rough.” The course played on the easy side. The older course was shorter, and I would choose the newer equipment and slightly longer course over the older one.
Andrew Green, fearing that the course had lost its roots in 2019, renovated the East Course, attempting to restore it to the original design Ross designed nearly a hundred years ago.
Beltz has spent the last two decades examining the history of the club. The return of the PGA Championship in 2023 will be a turning point for Beltz. He hopes that this year’s tournament will usher in a new era of major events at a venue which has undergone many changes.
Beltz stated that “this is a pivotal time for the sport.” If the players are happy with the renovations, and if the weather is good, we could have major championships here for a very long time.
By: Tim Schmitt
Title: Oak Hill has hosted numerous majors, but the 2023 PGA Championship is 'pivotal' for the course's major future
Sourced From: golfweek.usatoday.com/2023/05/16/oak-hill-pga-championship-2023-r/
Published Date: Tue, 16 May 2023 20:00:36 +0000
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