Dave Faries here, thinking back to Wednesday. If you remember, Nov. 11 was a glorious sunny day—the calm before the forecast storms. It was also the first outward sign of the upcoming men’s U.S. Open golf tournament, which will play out on Pebble Beach Golf Links June 17-20, 2027.
Yes, that seems like a long way off. But Pebble Beach Company Vice President John Sawin tells me that his team began planning for 2027 as the 2019 U.S. Open—the most recent held on the famed course—got underway. “We were taking notes,” he says. “We documented the lessons learned.”
The U.S. Open is a big deal, so the USGA also got a jump on preparations. In 2022, the organization established an “anchor site” at Pebble Beach, moving six employees to Monterey County on a permanent basis.
“In a 10-year span we will have three U.S. Opens at Pebble Beach,” says Danny Sink, senior director for USGA’s open championships and director of the anchor site. “That necessitates a lot of planning.”
He’s referring to 2027, 2032 and 2037. The U.S. Open is also slated for Pebble Beach in 2044. In addition, Spyglass Hill hosts both the men’s and women’s U.S. Senior Opens in 2030. And the U.S. Women’s Open returns in 2035 and 2040. With Pebble Beach courses also hosting the U.S. Amateur, the U.S. Girls Junior, the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur, the Walker Cup and other tournaments over the years, it’s apparent that the USGA likes the area.
Why plan so far ahead? The course has to be beefed up to challenge the world’s top golfers. Already four greens have been returned to their original configurations. But directors say that’s the easy part. In June, some 220,000 fans, 4,100 volunteers, 800 reporters, a television network, vendors, sponsors, USGA staff (175 of them) and more will arrive.
“It’s a completely different set up than the Pro-Am,” Sawin says.
The AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am takes place Feb. 4-7, 2027. It’s coming up quickly.
That event is part of the PGA Tour, so the USGA can’t begin final work on the course in earnest until the conclusion of the Pro-Am. But, Sink says, “As soon as the last putt drops at AT&T, we start our build.”
Back to Nov. 11. The USGA hosted a “content capture” day for international media. Outlets were on hand to record drone videos and course scenery, as well as getting shots of the U.S. Open trophy, all for use in future previews of the event. Monterey County will look good.
“We’re 215 days from U.S. Open Monday,” Sink observes. “This gives an opportunity to see the course before the winter season starts, before El Niño.”
Ah, yes. But as we all remember, Wednesday was postcard weather. It is unlikely the skies will look the same in June—or today. The USGA cut it pretty close. And media members came away with a nice image of the trophy.
Daily ticket packages for the 2027 U.S. Open went on sale yesterday, Nov. 12.