Over the years, the USGA has made several questionable decisions during the U.S. Open weeks. Think about 1998, when the pin location for the 18th hole in round two was so ridiculous that players who missed the green in their first try would watch the ball roll towards or past them. There have been others, too, starting with…

1. Ernie Els, 1994, Oakmont Country Club

In R4 at the 1994 U.S. Open, Ernie Els arrived with a three-shot lead, but on the first hole, he hit a drive into the rough. When he reached his ball, he noticed a camera crane was in his line of play, raising the question: Was it a movable obstruction deserving relief? Walking rules official Dr. Trey Holland ruled that it was, allowing Els to drop his ball out of the crane’s line.

However, later the officials realized that the crane sat on wheels, had been shifted several times that day, and was rolled again roughly 15 minutes after Els’ group moved on. But since the free drop was given on an official order, Els did not incur a penalty. He made a bogey on the hole and eventually went on to win the major in a playoff.

Later, Holland, who went on to become the president of the USGA, confessed, “I made a mistake.”

The result, undoubtedly, would have been different had Els been given the penalty.

2. Lon Hinkle, 1979, Inverness Club

In the opening round of the 1979 U.S. Open, Lon Hinkle spotted a shortcut. By threading a tee shot through a gap in the trees beside the 8th, he could land on the neighboring 17th fairway and lop about 75 yards off the dogleg. Hinkle obliged with a 1-iron that sailed down the 17th, leaving a 2-iron to the green and a tidy birdie. His playing partner, Chi Chi Rodriguez, and several others did the same.

The USGA, however, did not find it charming.

The club was told to procure a tree. So, by the second round’s start, they’d planted a 20‑foot Black Hills spruce to plug the gap leading onto the 17th fairway. As per a report by Golf Digest, at 4:30 AM the following day, the USGA executive director, David Fay, was handed a receipt by Bob Yoder, chairman of Inverness’s greens committee. It was a receipt for $120 “for a tree your people ordered,” Yoder deadpanned.

That morning, Hinkle hit his ball over the tree and again made a birdie. However, in 2020, the tree was partially uprooted by a gust of wind.

The tree eventually came to be known as the “Hinkle Tree.”

3. USGA Apologizes, 2018, Shinnecock Hills

The U.S. Open has a reputation for brutal setups, yet in 2004, the heat and whipping wind left the course particularly baked and unforgiving. Tournament officials then attempted to tighten the screws over the weekend to pull scoring back toward par, and what began as toughening quickly crossed into outright harshness.

At that time, the USGA CEO Mike Davis called it “double bogey” for the association. At the 2017 U.S. Open, when again asked about the 2004, he stated, “That will not happen again. If it does, I’m retiring.”

It happened again in 2018, but this time, the concerns stretched for the 13th and the 15th as well. On the 15th hole on Saturday, for instance, there were just three birdies against 33 bogeys or worse. The pin placement for the hole was too harsh, even by Davis’ judgment, who stated, “The hole location was where you were seeing well-played shots that weren’t rewarded but punished.”

Shinnecock went without watering before Saturday, toughening the course for round three. The officials also misjudged the forecast. With no irrigation before R4, it hardened into something brutal. Not a single competitor broke par in the final round; the day’s scoring average was a staggering 79. The 7th hole deteriorated to near‑unplayable status.

Grounds crews double‑cut and rolled the greens Friday night and reportedly rolled them again the next morning, but conditions only worsened as the weekend wore on. Players found it nearly impossible to keep tee shots, chips, or even putts on the surfaces. In a picture, greenkeepers were seen watering a green while groups played the hole on the final day.

But it wasn’t like only the players were complaining. Davis confessed on Saturday, “We want the U.S. Open to be tough, but this afternoon was too tough… There were some aspects of this set-up that well-hit shots were not rewarded but penalized.”

Phil Mickelson, furious, staged an odd protest. On the 13th in round two, facing an 18‑footer for bogey, Lefty struck his putt too firmly. As the ball rolled away, he chased it down and struck it again while it was still moving. He eventually received a penalty.

Jerry Kelly said, “I think they’re ruining the game. They’re ruining the tournament. This isn’t golf.”

The players would surely hope Michael Whan, the current USGA CEO, won’t have to give similar statements this week.