Wisconsin is certainly no stranger to major championship golf what with Whistling Straits bringing PGA championships and the Ryder Cup, Erin Hills hosting a US Open but the next big tournament is almost upon us and it’s taking place for the first time in the heart of the state. The 43rd US Open Senior Championship is six weeks away at SentryWorld in Stevens Point.
The USGA and the folks at Sentry Insurance hosted a media day on Monday to show off the course and describe the final preparations underway for the biggest prize in senior golf, the Francis D. Ouitmet Memorial Trophy.
Opened in 1982, SentryWorld was designed by Robert Trent Jones and has undergone two major renovations since. The first took place in 2013 and the most recent one commenced in 2020 when the USGA announced it would be conducting it’s most prestigious Senior event at the 200 acre property. Sparing no expense, SentryWorld completely redesigned the course, installing SubAir systems on all 18 greens with updated irrigation and modifying several fairways while adding new tee boxes that can stretch the course out to 7,320 yards. To ensure premium playing conditions for the competitors, the public course has been closed for all but a limited number of rounds over the past two years, a huge sacrifice they hope will pay off.
I had the opportunity to play a round with Mike James, the General Manager of SentryWorld and got a first hand account of the monumental task his team and the central Wisconsin community surrounding Stevens Point has done to get ready for the event. James knows the finish line is in sight.
Ben Kimball, the USGA Senior Director of Championships says SentryWorld will play to a par of 71 for the seniors over 7,210 yards. The 9th hole, normally a par five at 501 yards from the championship tees, will be a challenging par four. Kimball is charged with setting the yardage, teeing area and pin placements over the course of the tournament.
Over 2000 volunteers will begin their training in the next week with final transportation, security and hospitality details wrapped up.
It’s all leading up to welcoming the best 156 golfers above the age of 50 in the world. 13 champions will be in the field including the defending champion, Padraig Harrington. Steve Stricker, fresh off his 5th major title at last weekend’s Regions Tradition, winner of the 2019 US Senior Open will be playing, along with fellow Wisconsin native Jerry Kelly, a two time runner-up. Others in the field include Bernhard Langer, Colin Montgomerie, Fred Funk, Jim Furyk and Kenny Perry. Global favorites like Ernie Els and Miguel Angel Jiminez will also be playing.
As for the course, it’s a beautiful and challenging layout, well bunkered with inviting water hazards throughout. The scenery is breathtaking, especially at the par 3 16th hole, the Flower Hole, which Jones described as his “Mona Lisa”. 33,000 handplanted perennials encircle the hole, bursting with color. The plants are still in the Coloma, Wisconsin greenhouse. Usually laid by Memorial Day, SentryWorld will wait until mid June to dress up one of the most picturesque holes in golf anywhere.
The 43rd US Senior Open takes place June 27 through July 2. Tickets are still available for purchase at sentryworld.com/usso2023/tickets. This will be a major worth checking out.
