D'Amato: Will the U.S. Open return to Erin Hills? Bet on it

The U.S. Open is scheduled out through 2026, so a return visit to Erin Hills won’t happen for at least 10 years.

But there’s no way the United States Golf Association isn’t coming back.

Not after a week in which players universally praised Erin Hills as a championship venue, the course was in immaculate condition, the spectator experience was exceptional and the whole thing worked well from an operations standpoint.

When I reached USGA Executive Director Mike Davis by phone Monday, he summed up the week in one word: “Superb.”

Davis said he couldn’t be more pleased with his organization’s partnership with Erin Hills, which bent over backward to accommodate the U.S. Open. The vast 652-acre footprint gave the USGA room it doesn’t have at other venues.

SECTION: More coverage of the U.S. Open at Erin Hills

RELATED: Golfers give Erin Hills a thumbs up as a first-time U.S. Open venue

RELATED: Gary D'Amato's seven-part series, "The Making of Erin Hills"

“Operationally, I would say I can speak for our ops guys that it was a huge success,” Davis said. “Parking and traffic went well. It is such a great site, and one of the beauties is it really is built on well-draining soil. Most places would be just mud after all the rain we got last week.

“So from a spectator standpoint, it was a very good experience. I actually had people who have been to multiple U.S. Opens tell me it was one of the best they’ve attended. Also, I think Milwaukee and Wisconsin were great hosts. It was a very welcoming atmosphere. So I think we’re very pleased.”

The most important consideration, though, is the golf course. It has to challenge the best players in the world, reward their good shots and punish their bad ones — a fine line that is hard to get exactly right, especially at a first-time venue.

So what about all those low scores? Brooks Koepka won with a 16-under-par 272 total, Justin Thomas fired a record-tying 63 in the third round and 31 players finished under par for the championship.

An unusual week of weather, with some rain falling nearly every day and little wind until Sunday, conspired to take the teeth out of Erin Hills. Give the best players in the world soft fairways, perfect greens and calm conditions and there’s no stopping them from breaking par.

“As much as people want to measure the winning score as a metric of success, our metric of success is, are we testing the players? Is each hole delivering the way we want it to deliver?” Davis said. “If everybody takes away from Erin Hills looking at only (scores), they’re looking at it myopically.”

Erin Hills owner Andy Ziegler pointed out that the course was the first par-72 U.S. Open venue since 1992. So although Koepka won with a record-tying 16-under score, his 272 total was only four shots lower than Dustin Johnson’s 276 at Oakmont in 2016 and one shot higher than Martin Kaymer’s 271 total in 2014 at Pinehurst.

“We had a little slower golf course than we would have liked,” Ziegler said. “But a lot of players found it very difficult. Rory (McIlroy), Dustin (Johnson), Jason (Day) — those guys went home (after missing the cut), so I don’t think any of those guys found it too easy.”

Players are never afraid to voice their opinions about golf courses and have panned several U.S. Open setups in recent years. Most of them loved Erin Hills.

“I didn’t really understand the beef it was getting for low scores,” Thomas said. “That’s not low for the best players in the world in a major championship. I think there’s no reason why it couldn’t host another U.S. Open.”

Ziegler finally was able to catch his breath Monday and reflect on the first-ever U.S. Open in Wisconsin.

“My overwhelming sense as I look back on it today is a sense of appreciation for what all of the people involved did,” he said. “Our team at Erin Hills, if you think about it, this is a small group of people that run a small daily fee golf business and the U.S. Open is such an enormous undertaking. I’m highly appreciative and very proud of our team.

“I really, really appreciate the people of Wisconsin. The volunteers did a wonderful job. We exceeded our attendance and merchandise goals. The fans in Wisconsin are the best in the world. It was a great week.”

Ziegler said the USGA had an open invitation to bring any of its national championships to his course, up to and including the U.S. Open.

It’s far too early for the USGA to commit to another Open to Erin Hills. There’s a process that begins with a nomination from the championships committee, which is considering multiple courses for 2027 and beyond.

But Davis gave every indication that the U.S. Open will return.

“We never come in one of these thinking it’s going to be a one and done,” he said. “If we bring one, we’re going to bring multiple.”