Golfers competing in this week’s US Open have been presented with an exclusive gift to commemorate the 125th edition of the tournament. Tiger Woods has also been included despite the 49-year-old not being on the entry list at Oakmont Country Club. He is still recovering from a surgical procedure he underwent in March to repair a torn Achilles tendon.
The likes of Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy and others travelled to the course on Monday to settle in ahead of Thursday’s opening round. Upon their arrival, players were handed their own unique duffle bags which were decked out in a blue and green tartan-like pattern. Each bag had the year 1895 engraved in the middle, a nod to the very first edition of the US Open.
One-time PGA Tour winner Michael Kim took to X (formerly Twitter) to show off his bag, describing it as ‘cool’. It also came with a note from tournament chiefs, which confirmed that past champions would be given their own bags.
The note read: “Congratulations on earning the opportunity to compete for the US Open title! We’ve fabricated a unique ‘player-only’ logo within your gift to commemorate your spot in the championship field.
“The logo incorporates elements from the Jack Nicklaus Medal as well as the championship’s inaugural year. It is exclusively available to players competing in the championship and former US Open champions.”
Woods has won the US Open three times, lifting his first title in 2000 before repeating the feat in 2002 and 2008. Therefore, as a former champion, he is entitled to receive his own commemorative bag.
It remains to be seen who will come out on top at Oakmont this week, with Scheffler the early favourite after winning the PGA Championship by five strokes last month.
It is a notoriously difficult course, with its five-inch roughs and lightning-quick greens earning it the nickname of The Beast. Xander Schauffele is under no illusion that golf fans are desperate to see players ‘suffer’ in the tricky conditions.
“I don’t think people turn the TV on to watch some of the guys just hit like a 200-yard shot on the green,” he said. “I think they turn on the US Open to see a guy shooting eight-over and suffer.
“That’s part of the enjoyment of playing in the US Open for viewers. If you’re a true fan of golf, it’s more about what happens after the hack-out.”