UNIVERSITY PLACE, Wash. — It’s officially been a decade since Chambers Bay Golf Course hosted the U.S. Open. In honor of the occasion, KIRO 7 is taking a look back at some of the most memorable moments.
The event marked a number of firsts for the tournament.
It was the first time a course in the Pacific Northwest hosted a U.S. Open.
It was the first time that the tournament was played on a course with fine fescue greens—creating quite a challenge for even the world’s best golfers.
It was also the first time a hole was played as a par-4 one day and a par-5 the next.
Oh, no! Vertigo
Australian golfer Jason Day had fans worried when he suddenly fell to the ground on the ninth hole of the course.
It happened during Friday’s round.
Many initially thought he’d slipped, but it turns out he was later diagnosed with vertigo.
He returned to the course the next day and finished out the tournament in a tie for ninth place.
A major miss
Those hoping to see legend Tiger Woods didn’t get much of a shot.
He missed the cut after shooting rounds of 80 and 76 on the course.
He didn’t return to the PGA for the rest of the season, and he didn’t play another U.S. Open for three years after his blunder at Chambers Bay.
Criticism on the course
Chambers Bay might be a fan favorite for locals, but the feeling wasn’t exactly mutual.
Former U.S. Open Champion Gary Player said in an interview that it was “the worst golf course I might’ve ever seen in the 63 years as a professional golfer.”
Swedish golfer Henrik Stenson likened his experience to that of vegetables. He told interviewers that the greens were like “putting on broccoli.”
Northern Irishman and 2025 Masters tournament winner Rory McIlroy didn’t quite agree, poking fun at the brownish color of the fescue greens.
“I don’t think they’re as green as broccoli,” McIlroy said. “I think they’re more like cauliflower.”
What a win
2015 was a big year for Jordan Spieth, who won the tournament at just 21 years old.
In April, he won the Masters at Augusta National, making him the second-youngest Masters champion behind Tiger Woods.
Then, in June, he clinched the U.S. Open, making him the youngest U.S. Open champion since Bobby Jones in 1923.
His win at Chambers Bay made him the sixth player to win the U.S. Open and the Masters in the same year.
What’s next?
The U.S. Open won’t be making a return to Chambers Bay anytime soon, if ever.
While the USGA hasn’t said ‘never,’ they’ve got a running list of venues posted through 2051, and the University Place course is nowhere to be seen.
The course will, however, be hosting a U.S. Junior Amateur Championship in 2027 and a U.S. Amateur in 2033.
There’s also a chance the course could see some action from the Saudi-backed LIV tour.
Don Anderson, executive counsel to Pierce County Executive Bruce Dammeier, told the Tacoma News Tribune in 2024 that a representative from the LIV Golf’s marketing agency had reached out to them to set up a discussion.
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