Letter from Pinehurst: Pinehurst has come from pipe dream to USGA anchor site

The concept of creating anchor sites – which will not only regularly host U.S. Opens but Women’s Opens (including another back-to-back double in 2029) and amateur championships – was to forge continuous improvement on both infrastructure and the experience.

USGA ANCHOR SITE: 25 years ago in this quaint little village off the beaten path in the sandhills of North Carolina, you can’t comprehend the angst that hovered over the storied resort where Donald Ross spent years of his life perfecting his architectural masterpiece – the No. 2 course at Pinehurst. Pic: Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

Unless you were here 25 years ago in this quaint little village off the beaten path in the sandhills of North Carolina, you can’t comprehend the angst that hovered over the storied resort where Donald Ross spent years of his life perfecting his architectural masterpiece — the No 2 course at Pinehurst.

Well, maybe you can understand if you were in Portrush leading up to the 2019 Open Championship.