The US Open returned this week to New York City - well, Long Island to be more specific - for the 2009 edition of the national championship at Bethpage Black.  The Big Apple is a common stop for the US Open.  Bethpage is a relative newcomer to the New York rotation that also consists of Shinnecock Hills and Winged Foot. 

The US Open's Future is Any Which Way But New York

Baltusrol could once be expected to hold a US Open like clockwork, but the PGA of America has usurped reign over that major championship venue and have indicated that they will continue to hold their championship there.

That leaves the USGA with three courses in their New York rotation.  Of those three, all have been the subject of boondoggle Opens in the last several years that might leave critics wondering: Is New York City a major championship city?

First was Shinnecock Hills in 2004.  No one need bring up Shinnecock these days without thinking of hoses on the fairways and greens on Sunday.  Players were admonisihing the USGA for the course conditions that went past the edge of playability.  Sure, Retief Goosen may have managed 11 putts for the final nine holes on his way to his second Open, but the lasting image of that championship has to be the awful course conditions. 

That Open practically ended the career of Tom Meeks - the precursor to Mike Davis - at the USGA.  He may have retired, but Shinnecock did it for him.  As Golf Channel's Rich Lerner agreed with me in a conversation, he said, "That was the low point for the USGA.  That year, the US Open was the worst of the four majors."

Winged Foot last held the Open in 2006.  The Open was fairly successful.  In fact, it was Mike Davis' first.  Despite the rave reviews of Davis' setups since taking over from Tom Meeks, there have only been two players under par in the Davis era.  Hell, Retief Goosen finished at -4 in the 2004 Open at Shinnecock.

No one seemed to want to win it except Geoff Ogilvy.  That was not that big of a problem, though.  The problem is that the membership of Winged Foot did not want to host a US Open after that.  The USGA extended an invitation to the club membership to host the 2015 US Open.  They flatly declined that invitation. 

Between the issues over money - Winged Foot wanted a bigger share than 2006 - and the disruption to the playing season for the course - right people want to play their golf - there was no middle ground for the club at the USGA. 

Despite the lack of common ground, the USGA's Deputy Director Mike Butz seemed optimistic at the time about Winged Foot's future with the USGA.  "The message we heard over and over at the meeting and since the meeting is that even if Winged Foot decided not to issue an invitation for 2015, an invitation to the USGA [would be welcomed] in the future. The relationship between the USGA and Winged Foot is very, very strong."

It had been 22 years since Winged Foot last held the Open prior to 2006.  They seem completely comfortable waiting until 2028 to host it again.

Then, there is Bethpage Black.  Bethpage turned out to be a great US Open venue in 2002, primarily because of the electric atmopshere and who won the championship.  The course was hosting a major championship - the first rotating major championship to be held after 9/11.  Much of the energy centered around the City patrons trying to return to life as normal.  Players donned gear to show support for the city.  Nick Faldo famously wore an "I <3 NY" cap in support.

Tiger Woods won the championship and was the only player to finish under par.  The fans certainly were supportive of Tiger's second US Open title, but they really seemed to be pulling for Phil Mickelson.  Mickelson was serenaded with "Happy Birthday" at the 17th hole and went on to finish second to Woods.

It seemed like the mix of feel goods led the USGA to make a rash decision that very week in announcing that Bethpage would again host the US Open in 2009 - not even before it finished hosting the US Open for the first time.

Fast forward seven years and there is quite a bit of negative chatter surrounding Bethpage Black.  The rainout on Thursday prevented stories from happening on the course, so talk surfaced about the course itself as a US Open venue.

Bethpage is not particularly friendly for fans.  The green complexes require grandstands on almost every hole.  With the elevation changes on so many holes, fans cannot see the results of players' approach shots.  The drainage on some of the holes has not stood up to the rainy conditions. 

Though the USGA has said Opens like these are an aberration, the weather record in the area suggests otherwise.  Long Island averages around 4 inches of rain per year in the month of June.  Over the course of a month, the odds are pretty good that a weather pattern could disrupt play at Bethpage for a week.  It just so happened that it was the week of the US Open.

All told, the three New York City US Open venues are not held in particularly high regard at the moment.  Shinnecock will likely not host an Open for another decade because of the setup.  Winged Foot will not host for a long time to come because of their membership and dollars.  Bethpage may not host again anytime soon because of the logistics.

In other words, New York City could quickly become a majorless town - at least as far as the USGA is concerned.  The USGA has announced Open venues through 2016.  They are Pebble Beach, Congressional in DC, Olympic Club, Merion (for perhaps the last time), Pinehurst #2, Chambers Bay, and now Oakmont in 2016.  Unless a New York City based course gets the Open in 2017, it will be the first time since World War II that the Big Apple has not hosted a US Open within the commonly held seven year rotation.  And that was only because the US Open was not played for four years in the middle of the war.

The argument could be made that the US Open does not need New York much anymore.  Though New York is certainly the United States' most important city, it is not the most important consideration for hosting a US Open anymore.

The USGA appears to have fallen in love with the concept of the west coast Open.  The ratings for the 2008 US Open at Torrey Pines were through the roof.  That number certainly had to do with the epic showdown between Tiger Woods and Rocco Mediate.  But, the fact that the event was held on the west coast afforded the USGA and NBC the opportunity to show a major championship live and in prime time on east coast telelvisions - including in the New York City market.

The USGA was able to reach more homes in New York by beaming the signal from Torrey Pines into their television sets than by bringing people from the four other boroughs onto Long Island for the week.  In fact, the USGA data indicates that 35% of the ticket sales for the 2009 US Open come from outside of the four states close to Bethpage - New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania.

They will be able to do that again at Pebble Beach, Olympic Club, and Chambers Bay.  Who needs a New York course that doesn't see enough sunlight for television to maximize ratings and advertising dollars?

In this current era of golf course proliferation, golf courses are being constructed specifically to host the US Open.  While Bethpage was unearthed as a gem that the USGA could shine with the help of Rees Jones, courses like Chambers Bay, Erin Hills, Bandon Dunes, and others are built with the hope that their luster will catch Far Hills' eye long before any dirt could taint its reputation.

The approach is working.  Chambers lucked out by getting the 2015 US Open that Winged Foot did not want.  Erin Hills has the 2011 US Amateur in what is widely considered a tryout for a future US Open.  Just this week, Bandon Dunes was announced as host of the 2011 US Amateur Public Links for both men and women - the first time that is happening in the history of the championships.  It seems like maybe only a matter of time for Bandon to host the Open.

New York even seemed to be ignored as part of the allure of this US Open.  Name one player that was spotted in the city promoting the event.  Jack Nicklaus lighting the Empire State Building does not count.  Perhaps some players were out in the city, but the media sure were not.  Almost all of the hotels were on Long Island.  It made logistical sense to keep the media within a convenient bus ride of the course, but it really separated the Open experience from the Big Apple experience.  That was a disappointment because urban Opens work best when there is a clear connection to their host city.  For all that was wrong about Olympia Fields as a course in 2003, the Second City was a very pleasurable host.

The USGA will not return to New York for the better part of a decade - if not longer.  The LPGA has been rumored to be courting venues in the metropolitan area to host their LPGA Championship, a tournament currrently without both presenting sponsors and a home.  As far as the USGA may be concerned, the LPGA can have the space.  It appears that the nation's golfing body is looking to achieve its Manifest Destiny and go west.