Golf in Pennsylvania

Golf in Pennsylvania in 2026 Highlights Legacy of Legendary Championships

By Pete Kowalski

In our nation’s 250th anniversary year, the esteemed list of golf courses in the Commonwealth celebrated with big events, but that’s been going on since the first days of the Pennsylvania Golf Association in 1909.

In May of 2026, Aaron Rai won the PGA Championship at Aronimink G.C. in Newton Square, then the State Amateur was played at Oakmont C.C., followed by a pair of USGA championships, the U.S. Junior Amateur at Saucon Valley C.C. in July and the nation’s oldest event, the U.S. Amateur at Merion G.C. in August. In addition, the State Open was played at Laurel Valley G.C. in Ligonier, and the Jefferson Classic of the PGA Tour Champions will be conducted at Lehigh C.C. in Allentown in October.

“In this special year in U.S. history, golf fans in Pennsylvania had the chance to see great players vie for titles on the courses that are likely the cream of the crop, not just in our state, but nationwide,” Pennsylvania Golf Association Executive Director Jason Barkley said. “This year just adds another thread to the historic tapestry of golf in Pennsylvania.”

Since 1907, 28 men’s majors have been played in Pennsylvania, which includes 17 U.S. Opens and 11 PGAs. The U.S. Open was first played in Pennsylvania in 1907 at the St. Martin’s Course of Philadelphia Cricket Club.

The list of major champions includes the likes of Ben Hogan, Byron Nelson, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Lee Trevino, Gene Sarazen and Sam Snead on the men’s side and Joanne Carner, Paula Creamer, Patty Sheehan, Louise Suggs and Mickey Wright in the women’s championships.

The thread of prominent golf course architects in Pennsylvania is noteworthy. A.W. Tillinghast’s first course was Shawnee in 1911, which was the site of Paul Runyan’s PGA win in 1938. Donald Ross designs at Aronimink, the Kahkwa Club, and Gulph Mills and William Flynn’s courses at Philadelphia C.C., Rolling Green and Lancaster C.C. have also been sites of high-level competitions. Hugh Wilson’s Merion East and H.C. Fownes’ Oakmont cannot miss mention.

“When you consider Oakmont C.C. (Henry & W.C. Fownes), Merion G.C. (Hugh Wilson), Lancaster C.C. and Philadelphia C.C. (both William Flynn), Fox Chapel G.C. (Seth Raynor) and more, it is a list of what are really the "grand masters," the greatest golf course architects who have ever lived, that have created some of the best playing fields in the entire world of golf,” said the USGA Chief Competitions Officer John Bodenhamer. “The state of Pennsylvania is very blessed to have so many iconic venues within its borders.”

Four U.S. Senior Opens (three at Saucon Valley and one at Laurel Valley) and one U.S. Senior Women’s Open at Fox Chapel G.C. have also been played in “Penn’s Woods.”

“Most noteworthy, the state of Pennsylvania has many excellent world-class golf courses capable of hosting USGA National Championships, including Oakmont C.C., Merion G.C., Lancaster C.C, Saucon Valley C.C., Fox Chapel G.C., and many more” Bodenhamer added. “Further, the members at these venues are very golf savvy and embrace hosting our nation's biggest and most important championships. They understand the history of what has transpired in previous years, and they welcome partnering with the USGA to make more history. Also, the state of Pennsylvania has hosted the world's biggest sporting events and is very supportive of the USGA with our public safety, transportation, and infrastructure needs. Finally, Pennsylvania has wonderful golf fans that appreciate the traditions of the game and its greatest men's and women's players. We have many more National Championships on the calendar to be played in Pennsylvania over the next two decades and we can hardly wait to see them unfold.”

The Majors of women’s golf have also gravitated toward Pennsylvania with 10 U.S. Women’s Opens and one KPMG Women’s PGA.

On the amateur side of the game, national championships of the USGA came calling to Pennsylvania regularly with the U.S. Amateur visiting 14 times and the U.S. Women’s Amateur ten times.

Don’t forget that six more U.S. Opens and four more U.S. Women’s Opens will be played in the Keystone State between now and 2050 with the next being the 2030 U.S. Open at Merion and the U.S. Women’s Open at Oakmont in 2028.

The men’s professional tours have also leaned toward Pennsylvania as the PGA Tour’s Philadelphia/IVB Classic made its home at Whitemarsh Valley C.C. in Lafayette Hills for 18 consecutive years (1963–1980) as well as the 84 Lumber Classic and Pennsylvania Classic.

The LGPA Tour’s Lady Keystone Open with most of its run at Hershey C.C. and the Betsy King Classic at Berkleigh C.C. in Kutztown were also staples of Pennsylvania.

In a trivia twist, Pennsylvania has hosted more USGA championships than any other state in the nation with 97, surpassing California with 96. A total of 31 different clubs or courses have been hosts with Merion leading the list with 20 followed by Oakmont with 18 and Saucon Valley with eight.

The Pennsylvania Golf Association’s slate of championships have crisscrossed the Commonwealth since 1909

and its legacy is defined by its championship venues.

“We are fortunate to have a large number of outstanding courses on which to play our championships,’ Barkley said. “The first State Amateur was at Huntingdon Valley in 1909 and in 2026, we had championships at Oakmont, Laurel Valley, Gulph Mills and the Country Club of Scranton. Our competitors get a best-in-state experience every year thanks to the wide variety of fantastic tests of golf from the Poconos to the Alleghenies and the unfailing cooperation of clubs throughout our state.”

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Pete Kowalski worked more than two decades as a department director in communications at the USGA and confides that his friendships in the game are more numerous that his greens-in-regulation.