STEVENS POINT, Wisconsin — The final tee shot has been struck, the last putt has dropped, and the Francis D. Ouimet Memorial Trophy has been raised.
Bernhard Langer’s record-setting victory in the 43rd U.S. Senior Open Championship on Sunday at SentryWorld was a fitting end to a week that was by almost every measure a resounding success.
The United States Golf Association doesn’t announce official attendance numbers, but spectators were out in full force, especially on the weekend with Wisconsin favorites Steve Stricker and Jerry Kelly in contention.
And the course — which few of the players had seen prior to the first practice round Tuesday — received rave reviews as a challenging but fair test, with only eight players finishing under par.
“SentryWorld, you guys have had a nice secret here in Wisconsin. Unfortunately, we just let the world know about it. This is a true American gem,” USGA CEO Mike Whan said during the trophy presentation.
As the teardown and cleanup commences after a historic week in central Wisconsin and the course gets ready to reopen for public play, what’s next for SentryWorld?
“I would honestly say I don’t know,” Sentry CEO Pete McPartland said. “We don’t have specific ambitions within the game of golf, (but) it’s to maximize every opportunity we have. Anywhere reasonably that this takes us, we’ll go. I know the game of golf’s not going anywhere as far as the role it plays within Sentry. We’re going to keep trying to double down in whatever way we can, but I don’t know what all those things may be.”
Hank Thompson, senior director of the U.S. Senior Open, said Sentry and the golf course checked every box in the two-year lead-up to the tournament and withstood every test during championship week.
“They’re clearly in the hospitality business, but I think that’s part of the DNA in Wisconsin to be quite frank with you,” Thompson said. “At every turn, they’ve wanted to do what’s right for this championship.”
Bernhard Langer poses with the Francis D. Ouimet Memorial Trophy after winning the 2023 U.S. Senior Open Championship at SentryWorld in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. (Photo: Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
The question is did the USGA, which also brought the U.S. Girls Junior Championship in 2019 and the U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links in 1986 to SentryWorld, see enough to bring back the Senior Open?
If the answer is yes, there are plenty of open dates on the calendar.
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