NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE | Two important announcements were made over the weekend here at the USGA’s annual meeting.
Tiger Woods was named as the recipient of this year’s Bob Jones Award, the USGA’s highest honor, in recognition of his commitment to sportsmanship and respect for golf’s time-honored traditions.
Also, the USGA announced that in 2036, Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, New York, will play host to both the U.S. Open and the U.S. Women’s Open in consecutive weeks.
Woods, a 15-time major champion and nine-time USGA champion, has redefined golf in the modern era, overcoming physical and personal challenges by displaying the characteristics of tenacity, mental strength and perseverance.
"I’m truly humbled to receive the award that bears his name and join the many who have received it before me who continue his legacy."
Tiger Woods, Bob Jones Award recipient
“This award goes beyond playing performance, recognizing the lasting impact of one person’s journey that has forever changed the image and growth of golf,” USGA CEO Mike Whan said. “There are very few who stand alongside Tiger Woods in terms of on-course accomplishments, and he is in a class of his own when it comes to the impact he has made on the game and future generations who will play it.”
Woods said: “Bob Jones was a pillar of our game because of the integrity with which he played it, and I’m truly humbled to receive the award that bears his name and join the many who have received it before me who continue his legacy. It’s especially fitting to receive this honor from the USGA, which has meant so much to my career and the entire game of golf.”
A transcendent talent and one of the most accomplished players in history, Woods is credited with inspiring a generation of golfers to take up the game through his decades of dominance at every level of the sport. His nine USGA titles, matched only by Jones, include three consecutive U.S. Junior Amateurs (1991-93), followed by three straight U.S. Amateurs (1994-96) and an overall USGA match-play record of 42-3. He won three U.S. Open titles, notably a record 15-stroke victory at Pebble Beach in 2000 and his captivating playoff win on a broken leg at Torrey Pines in 2008.
Past recipients of the Bob Jones Award include Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Ben Hogan, Mickey Wright, Francis Ouimet, Byron Nelson, Nancy Lopez, President George H.W. Bush, Patty Berg and Annika Sörenstam.
Woods will be recognized on June 12 on the eve of the U.S. Open at Pinehurst, North Carolina.
Speaking about the Shinnecock Hills announcement, John Bodenhamer, the USGA’s chief championships officer, said: “Few places can match the historic importance of Shinnecock Hills to golf in the United States. As an organization, we felt that this iconic venue would be an ideal stage for both our men’s and women’s premier championships. It will offer the perfect opportunity to bring the game’s best to one course and provide fans the chance to watch them compete for a national championship in back-to-back weeks.”
This will mark the third time that the USGA’s two most significant championships have been held at the same location in consecutive weeks. The first came in 2014 at Pinehurst’s No. 2 course, which is scheduled to conduct back-to-backs again in 2029. This will be the first time that the U.S. Women’s Open visits Shinnecock Hills, which has played host to five U.S. Opens. Most recently, Brooks Koepka won the 2018 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills. The club also will play host to the 2026 U.S. Open.
One of the five founding member clubs of the USGA, Shinnecock Hills is the oldest incorporated golf club in the United States, having been founded in 1891. The Long Island club served as the host site for the second U.S. Amateur and second U.S. Open in 1896. In the latter, John Shippen made history as the first African-American to compete in a major championship, finishing fifth. Not only was Shinnecock Hills the first club in the U.S. to admit women as members from its inception, but it also played host to the sixth U.S. Women’s Amateur, in 1900. The club would later play host to the 1967 U.S. Senior Amateur and 1977 Walker Cup.
Andy North was among five volunteers elected to the USGA’s Executive Committee. North, a two-time U.S. Open champion from Madison, Wisconsin, will join Andrew Biggadike of Ho-Ho-Kus, New Jersey; David Dorton of Atlanta, Georgia; Virginia C. Drosos of Dallas, Texas; and David Leitch of Earlysville, Virginia, on the 15-member panel. Also, Cathy Engelbert of Berkeley Heights, New Jersey, was elected to a second three-year term on the board, which provides strategic and financial oversight of the USGA. READ MORE
Staff and wire reports