What a time for a major championship. Immediately following one of the wilder weeks in the modern history of professional golf, the U.S. Open returns to one of the most historic golf courses in the United States. The Country Club at Brookline has hosted three U.S. Opens, six U.S. Amateurs and a famous Ryder Cup at the turn of the century.
It was also one of the first five charter members of the USGA at the turn of last century, which gives it deep roots with a restoration over the last 15 years bringing the golf course into a new era. It is now prepared to take punches from players who are built more like Brooks Koepka than Francis Ouimet.
The golf course is one of many stories that will make this championship interesting. The splintering of pro golf at the highest level is the headliner, of course, and the tentacles of that story will affect almost every other story that takes place this week. Still, it will be nice to have a major reprieve, where the golf actually matters and the geopolitical and financial concerns can be mostly put aside for the next seven days.
