2017 US Open: Who Has Played Erin Hills Before?

Who has played Erin Hills before?
Jordan Spieth reached the quarter-finals of the 2011 US Amateur
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Nick Bonfield looks at the seven players in the US Open field who have previous played Erin Hills in an official competition

Ahead of the 2017 US Open, a number of players made the trip to Erin Hills in Wisconsin to play some practice rounds and get to know a course they hadn’t seen before.

But, as we all know, there’s a big difference between playing a course in practice mode and competing during a serious tournament.

The USGA has a habit of taking the US Amateur to new courses a couple of years before US Opens head there, as it did with Chambers Bay in 2015.

The same thing happened with Erin Hills, which staged the 2011 US Amateur.

Then, Kelly Kraft defeated number-one-ranked amateur Patrick Cantlay 2up in the 36-hole final. Kraft won’t be at Erin Hills to compete in the 2017 US Open, but number of other competitors from the 2011 US Amateur will be. But who are they?

The two players in the US Open field who enjoyed the most success back in 2011 were Peter Uihlein and Jordan Spieth, who both reached the quarter-final stage.

Spieth lost 3&2 to Englishman Jack Senior, while Uihlein suffered a 19th-hole defeat to Texan Jordan Russell.

The other five players competing in the year’s second Major who took part in the 2011 US Amateur were all knocked out in the second round: Justin Thomas, Bryson DeChambeau, Stephan Jaeger, Harris English and Russell Henley, who won his first match 3&1 before running into a rampant Cantlay.

So, which of these players do I think will make the biggest impression at Erin Hills this time around?

Related: Jordan Spieth swing sequence

The obvious answer in Spieth, the 2015 US Open champion. His putting isn’t statistically anywhere near as strong as it was then, but we all know how capable he is on the greens. Plus, he currently ranks 1st on the PGA Tour in Strokes Gained: Approach-The-Green.

I also like Thomas’ chances. The World No. 13 has won three times this season and his game should suit Erin Hills. So far this season, he ranks 4th on the PGA Tour in Strokes Gained: Approach-The-Green, 6th in Strokes Gained: Total and 9th in Strokes Gained: Tee-To-Green.

In you’re looking for a US Open outsider to back, I’d suggest taking a look at Henley. He’s solid from tee to green, he’s a quality putter, he’s won on the PGA Tour already this season and he finished 11th at The Masters.

Nick Bonfield
Content Editor

Nick Bonfield joined Golf Monthly in 2012 after graduating from Exeter University and earning an NCTJ-accredited journalism diploma from News Associates in Wimbledon. He is responsible for managing production of the magazine, sub-editing, commissioning and feature writing. Most of his online work is opinion-based and typically centres around the Majors and significant events in the global golfing calendar. Nick has been an avid golf fan since the age of ten and became obsessed with the professional game after watching Mike Weir and Shaun Micheel win The Masters and PGA Championship respectively in 2003. In his time with Golf Monthly, he's interviewed the likes of Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose, Jose Maria Olazabal, Henrik Stenson, Padraig Harrington, Lee Westwood and Billy Horschel and has ghost-written columns for Westwood, Wayne Riley, Matthew Southgate, Chris Wood and Eddie Pepperell. Nick is a 12-handicap golfer and his favourite courses include Old Head, Sunningdale New, Penha Longha, Valderrama and Bearwood Lakes. If you have a feature pitch for Nick, please email nick.bonfield@futurenet.com with 'Pitch' in the subject line. Nick is currently playing: Driver: TaylorMade M1 Fairway wood: TaylorMade RBZ Stage 2 Hybrid: Ping Crossover Irons (4-9): Nike Vapor Speed Wedges: Cleveland CBX Full Face, 56˚, Titleist Vokey SM4, 60˚ Putter: testing in progress! Ball: TaylorMade TP5x