The U.S. Open (Golf) will return to Los Angeles in 2031 thanks to the United States Golf Association. The statement was made on Wednesday, three days after Wyndham Clark won the U.S. Open at Riviera, which is located just over five miles away and over the 405 motorway from Los Angeles Country Club.
The Genesis Invitational has been held on the legendary course off Sunset Boulevard for many years and it has long been a favourite of elite PGA Tour players. In 1948, Riviera hosted the first U.S. Open in California, which Ben Hogan won with a score of 276 to set a new record. In 1947 and 1948, Hogan also won the Los Angeles Open, and Riviera quickly earned the nickname "Hogan's Alley."
The club's profile has increased as a result and in 2026, on Riviera's 100th anniversary, it will host the U.S. Women's Open, and in 2028, the Olympics' golf competition will take place there. Then, 83 years later, it received a new U.S. Open. "We are so grateful that the USGA will return the U.S. Open to our club in 2031," said Megan Watanabe, CEO of Riviera. "Over a six-year period, we will showcase our championship course to the world."
Since returning about 12 years ago, Watanabe, whose family purchased Riviera in 1989 and who grew up taking golf and tennis lessons at the club, has her eyes on the major competition. It was believed that Riviera's presence was too little for the contemporary period because it hadn't hosted a major since the PGA Championship in 1995.
Before the U.S. Open's return in 2039, the U.S. Women's Open will be held at Los Angeles Country Club in 2032. Along with the Olympics, Riviera will now host the Opens in 2026 and 2031. Since Hogan triumphed in 1948, Riviera had only hosted the PGA Championship in 1983, which Hal Sutton won, and the 1995 Open, which Steve Elkington won. At Riviera in 1998, Hale Irwin won the U.S. Senior Open.
