It’s been since 2001 that the U.S. Open golf tournament was held at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, and it appears it will be a long time before it ever returns. In fact, Tulsa may never host the U.S. Open again but watching it on television brings back great memories.

This past weekend, the U.S. Open was played at Oakmont Country Club outside of Pittsburgh, Pa. The tournament was hampered by rain throughout the weekend, especially during Sunday’s final round action. J.J. Spaun sank a 64-foot putt on the 18th hole on Sunday to win his first major title.

Last year, the U.S. Open was held at Pinehurst Country Club near Charlotte, N.C. Oakmont and Pinehurst along with a handful of others have become anchor venues for the U.S. Open; a switch in venue selection philosophy that occurred within the USGA several years ago.

The other courses that are in the rotation include Shinnecock Hills (N.Y.), Pebble Beach (Calif.), Merion Golf Club (Pa.), and Oakland Hills (Mich.). There are a few one-offs along the way, however, Southern Hills isn’t on the list between now and 2042. There is a chance that Southern Hills could be put on the schedule in 2043, 2045 or 2046. Those are the only three years for which a venue has not been announced yet, between now and 2051.

Why am I interested in this subject? Well, there are a few reasons.

First, I was watching the U.S. Open this past weekend and wondered if it might ever return to Tulsa. It reminded me of how much fun and an awesome experience it was to cover the tournament the last time it was here. In that 2001 tournament, Retief Goosen won the first of his two U.S. Open titles in an 18-hole Monday playoff, two strokes ahead of runner-up Mark Brooks.

Prior to 2001, Southern Hills hosted the tournament two other times: 1958 and 1977. I would certainly like an opportunity to cover the event again in my lifetime.

Secondly, with the U.S. Open being held at Oakmont, it brought back memories of my dear friend Jim Riggs, who died in 2016. Riggs was the sports editor of my hometown newspaper, the Jamestown Post-Journal. He was a big sports fan, of course, but an avid golfer. He was a member of the private Chautauqua Golf Club and invited me to play golf with him there many times.

A graduate of Point Park College in Pittsburgh, he was a big fan of the Pittsburgh Pirates and Penguins, and it was a no-brainer that he would cover the 1983 U.S. Open at Oakmont. Riggs was such a thoughtful and generous person that when he returned from that golf tournament, he presented me with an Oakmont U.S. Open visor, which I still have.

It’s because of his influence and mentorship that I wanted to become a sportswriter, if not as a full-time job, at least as an avocation, and I did.

Finally, my friend Tim Giambra “volunteered” at the U.S. Open last year and again this year. I put volunteered in parenthesis because like with any professional golf tournament, the volunteers actually pay to work at the U.S. Open. They commit to a certain number of shifts, and in exchange for their fee, they receive clothing to wear while working, meal tickets and a gate pass for the week. Giambra lives in North Carolina, so it was convenient for him to work the tournament in Pinehurst, and this year, he hauled his trailer to a campground outside of Pittsburgh to work at the tournament in Oakmont.

Speaking with him on the phone on Saturday, Giambra said he had a fun job for a couple days. He assisted photographer Martin Miller who took the official 2025 U.S. Open photo that the USGA made into the poster being sold at the tournament. Miller sat in the merchandise tent autographing the posters that people purchased. This is the second year that Giambra was able to assist Miller in this endeavor, and they’ve built a friendship.

Who knows if the U.S. Open will ever return to Tulsa, I hope it does, but if not, it sure has provided some great memories over the years.

TULSA BEACON RADIO

Tune in to “Tulsa Beacon Weekend” radio show every week, featuring interviews with local and national guests, talking about everything from politics to family issues. This week my guest will be longtime Tulsa Drillers broadcaster Dennis Higgins. The show airs on Saturday at 12:00 p.m. CST on 970am KCFO.