DID TIGER WOODS COST COG HILL A US OPEN, did Woods third round nine under
par 62, during last Septembers BMW Championship really take Cog Hill off the radar
screen of the United States Golf Association (USGA).

Here's hoping it didn't, but the answer should be a big fat NO. The reasoning is not
just because I'm from the Chicago area, and of course a bit partial towards Cog Hills
number four "Dubsdread " course.

I'm pulling for the Jemseks who own Cog Hill, then again who isn't. Anyone who knows
them, knows they should be on the ballot for the first team of America's greatest golf
families. The USGA knows that too.

Come the weekend of February 6th, Frank Jemsek will head to the famed Pinehurst Golf
Resort in Pinehurst North Carolina. He wants to be present again this year when the
USGA holds it's annual meetings.

Jemsek promises to be present so that when Mike Davis the USGA Senior Director for
Rules and Competitions is visible, Jemsek hopes to plead his case and try to sell him
the benefits of an US Open at Cog Hill in Lemont Illinois.

Competition to hold the Men's US Open gets tougher every year, more and more courses
are sticking their tee into the ground hoping to land the big prize. The old traditional courses
and the new modern ones are all pleading their case. When the USGA meets at Pinehurst
on the weekend of February 6th, they will probably not announce who gets the next available
Men's US Open, but they could reach a decision. The next men's open date to fill is the year
2017. A year that is wide open in Chicago, now that the threat of the 2016 summer olympic
games has passed.

The announcement of who gets that open will probably happen at this years US Open at
Pebble Beach in June. One course will be happy, the other contenders not so much.

What challenges is Jemsek facing in trying to land a men's open, what are the ways to try
and land one. Representatives of several properties, private and public had their ideas
on what a courses game plan should be when pitching them selfs to the USGA.

The USGA loves Merion G.C. in Ardmore PA. outside of Philadelphia. Merion hosted it's 18th
USGA Championship in September of 2009 when the club hosted the Walker Cup. USGA
Championship number 19 will come in 2013 when Merion hosts the Men's US Open for a
fifth time. Merion has hosted more USGA championships than any other club in America.

What makes Merion so successful and so popular with the USGA. It's a variety of reasons
when you ask the members of the club. One member said simply," you have to have a
membership that is supportive of championship golf, and the desire to have it's club tested
by the best players in the world." But it doesn't stop there, the membership as a group has
to go above and beyond the call to make the event happen.

At Merion, several members all spoke about other members and what those other members
did to make last years Walker Cup successful. Not one member said, "well I did this or that".
It was all about somebody else's effort. Including the member who was not on a committee
or in charge of anything, but showed up everyday for ten straight days at 4:30 AM just to help
make sure everything at his club was just right for that day.

One member said a strong board and club management team must be in place. At Merion
General Manager Christine Pooler keeps the club running. "Christine is a great GM and
the club is lucky to have her," said one member who added. "Pooler is the type of person
who could call a club member in the afternoon and say, good news-bad news, bad news
is the club house burned down last night, the good news is that it is back up and rebuilt
already (on the same day). She is that efficient."

The USGA loves the state of Pennsylvania, which has hosted more USGA tournaments
(77) than any other state in the union . Oakmont Country Club just outside of Pittsburgh has
hosted 14 USGA championships including eight US Opens, and will host it's second Women's
US Open this July.

"First off you must have a course that provides a total test of golf," says Oakmont General
Manager Tom Wallace. "These days other things, like ample gallery space, room for corporate
tents, plenty of hotel rooms and other issues are important. But bottom line if you don't have the
golf course the USGA is not coming."

Oakmont which is one of the toughest courses in America plays to a rating of 77.5 from the tips
(7,255 yards), and a Slope of 147. Oakmont's greens might be the fastest anywhere, average
speed on the stimpmeter is around 14. Which is like putting down your driveway.

" Our members love watching the best players in the world test their game here," Wallace said.
"Recently (2007 Open) we saw the men, now we are anxious to see the women on the same
stage have their shot too." Wallace also agreed that once you have hosted a US Open and it's
gone well, it's a little easier to get another one in the future.

Another Pennsylvania club that will host a US Open is Lancaster in 2015. Lancaster C.C. which
is a William S. Flynn classic design golf course, will host the Women's Open. Steve Buterbaugh
was one of the clubs members that started the movement to land a US Open.

"We started small and decided to inform the USGA, that we would like to help host qualifiers for
bigger championships," Buterbaugh said. "It was a great way for our club and the USGA to get
acquainted, and let them see how our course would hold up for a bigger championship."

Buterbaugh and a group of Lancaster members then reached out to Mike Davis, inviting him to
come speak at the club in a town hall type format. Davis was gracious enough to accept the clubs
invitation and tell club members, what would be expected of them should they try to host a US Open.

"I think it helps to be in a bigger size market for a men's open," Buterbaugh said. "Lancaster is not
that big of a city so we knew from the start, we were looking at a Women's or Senior Open."

Once the members at Lancaster had finished grilling Davis, where the floor was open to ask anything
that was a concern, the club went to a vote. Over 80 percent of the clubs membership approved,
then the club contacted the USGA again saying that they would be happy to host. Lancaster PA. will
see it's local economy benefit in the millions, come that week in July of 2015 when the ladies come
to town. The club and city of Lancaster can't wait.

The famed and historic resort of Pinehurst in Pinehurst North Carolina, is attempting to do something
in the year 2014 that no other golf property has ever done. That is host both the men's and women's
US Open in the same year, and in back to back weeks. How did Pinehurst pull that off. There are
several reasons why claims Don Sweeting Pinehurst's Executive Vice President of Golf and Club
Operations.

"First off we are proud of our relationship with the USGA," Sweeting said. "Second both the USGA
and Pinehurst value and respect the tradition and purity of the game of golf. From there it is a team
effort because North Carolina is a state that is big in golf."

Who and what makes up the team at Pinehurst that makes the resort so attractive to the USGA.

"Volunteer base is very important. With Pinehurst having over 30 courses in a small area that
all supply volunteers, that aspect of the tournament is covered, "Sweeting said. " In addition you
need support which we got from local officials, state officials and the governor."

But Sweeting admits it doesn't stop there, with that he started the checklist Pinehurst followed for
the 2005 US Open.

"First off is having the golf course. Our Pinehurst No.2 course was built to host championships and
has withstood the test of time. That is a credit to Donald Ross and what he did over 100 years ago,"
Sweeting said. " On top of that we used over 200 tents, 5,400 volunteers, 22,000 bleacher seats,
between 15 and 1600 phone lines, 300 golf carts equipped with radios. Then a staff that had to
attend some other majors to learn what to do."

Sweeting gave this advice to courses attempting to land a US Open. Don't try and start off with the
men's open, start small and work your way up. Have your staff attend other USGA championships
and learn how the USGA runs it's events and build a relationship with them."

Only a few miles down the road from the Pinehurst Resort in neighboring Southern Pines is the
Pine Needles-Mid Pines Lodge and Resort. Home of Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA)
hall of famer golfer Peggy Kirk Bell. The USGA and Pine Needles have hooked up for three US
Women's Opens in the last 14 years (1996-2001-2007), Bell and her son-in-law Kelly Miller who
serves as resort president have made no secret to the USGA they want them back again.

"We have invited them back and they (USGA) seems to like coming here," Bell said. "I think our
course is easy to walk, it's easy for galleries to get around and we have plenty of parking right here
so nobody has to be bused in from a remote site."

Miller is quick to admit that having an golf icon like Peggy Kirk Bell hasn't hurt their chances in
getting the Women's Open.

"She is my mother in-law so I have to be nice," Miller jokes. " But Peggy Kirk Bell is a legend and
a very nice honest and out going person, she is our trump card. We had already hosted a Women's
Senior Amateur, a Woman's Junior Amateur, when Judy Bell got elected USGA President. Judy and
Peggy call each other sisters even though they are not related. One day Peggy told Judy we have
hosted the amateur senior's and the junior's, now we want some pro's. Judy said okay Peggy you
got them, a few days later some paper work arrived and we were on our way to our first open."

Pine Needles has another trump card, it's the same card used over at the Pinehurst Resort only
a few miles down the road.

"The USGA puts on great championships so it really starts with the golf course," Miller said. "We
have a Donald Ross golf course and I consider him to be the best architect of all time. The USGA
also wants the courses they select to identify great champions."

Pine Needles has had great champions at it's three opens. Karrie Webb when she was number one
in the world, Annika Sorenstam when she was number one, Christie Kerr at a point in time when she
was playing great golf and also rated very high in the world rankings.

Where does all this leave Jemsek as he try's to sell Cog Hill to Mike Davis and the USGA in early
February. To try and answer that let's look at what Frank Jemsek and Cog Hill have and don't have.

Cog Hill does not have members to run committees for years in preparation of a US Open. Cog Hill
does not have a sign that says private club members only. It does not have a history of hosting US
Opens. It does not have a statue of someone famous, who did something important at Cog Hill years
ago.

What Cog Hill has is regulars or permanent tee time holders, who Jemsek feels are just like members
because they treat Cog Hill like it's their own club. It has plenty of volunteers on it's lists from years of
hosting Western Opens and BMW Championships. Cog Hill does have a sign that says public welcome.

Cog Hill has plenty of room for on site parking, corporate tents, a club house recently renovated that's
bigger and better than several others that have been seen at other open venues. The Cog Hill # 4
Dubsdread Course is recently renovated by Rees Jones who is called the "Open Doctor" for a reason.
Cog Hill is located near a large market (Chicago) which would yield big crowds and corporate support. 

Cog Hill has also had tournaments that have identified great champions. Ben Crenshaw, Nick Price,
Steve Stricker, Jim Furyk, and Tiger Woods is a pretty solid list. With Price and Woods both winning
multiple times. Cog Hill has also hosted four USGA events over the years. The 1970 and 1989 Public
Links Championship, the 1987 Women's Public Links Championship. In 1997 Cog Hill hosted the US
Amateur Championship, won by Matt Kuchar who is still playing well on the PGA Tour.

What else might Jemsek have to do to finally land the US Open, his father Joe Jemsek's dream.

Some professionals at the BMW Championship suggested, more open runway type area's leading
into the front of the green. Come up with a hole that can be configured to play as a short par 4. Maybe
change a few greens so that Tiger can't birdie them, okay kidding on the last one. Jemsek has already
said he will bring Jones back to make changes, if it means the US Open. There may also be some
issues with Cook County to work out, after confusion on a few expenses happened at the 2003 US
Open at Olympia Fields. Bottom line is that the list is full of many more positives than negatives.

The USGA does like Illinois, in fact Illinois ranks fourth in the amount of USGA Championships (56) 
it has hosted. Number 57 will be the Mid-Amateur at Conway Farms in 2012. Here's hoping Jemsek
doesn't leave Pinehurst until the USGA understands where number 58 in Illinois should be played,
and which championship that is.