That's a sensitive subject. Some members of The Country Club regarded the 2013 Open as a foregone conclusion, a birthright. I like The Country Club, but I think the composite course is the most overrated of America's great courses, if that makes any sense. I love the members' course, and I think the drive up to the clubhouse is one of the most charming in the world, but I didn't--and don't--see it as a good U.S. Open site. My views were formed during the 1988 Open and the 1999 Ryder Cup. I thought there were too many weak and indifferent holes on the course and too many spectator bottlenecks.
“Maybe someday The Country Club will come up with a new composite layout. I hope so, because it would be fun for the Open to return to New England. Remember this: When it comes to selecting US Open sites, the importance of having a prominent USGA insider as a strong advocate can’t be overstated. It can be the staff leader, or it can be a volunteer member of the executive committee.
“But the advocates have to be persuasive and committed. The Country Club had no strong USGA insiders as advocates at decision time in 2006. If there had been, I believe the Open would be in Brookline this year.”
There were no representatives from New England on the USGA’s 15-person executive committee in 2006, much less from The Country Club.