At Pinehurst, every day is someone's U.S. Open

By Lariel Green

Payne Stewart. Michael Campbell. Martin Kaymer. Bryson DeChambeau. 

Four U.S. Open champions. Four names written in the history of Pinehurst. 

Each of them walked these same fairways and met the challenge of one of golf’s most demanding courses. Their victories became part of Pinehurst’s history, drawing golfers from around the world to experience the course where some of the game’s greatest moments unfolded. 

The U.S. Open only returns to Pinehurst every so often. 

The feeling it creates never leaves. 

Every day, golfers arrive carrying clubs, cameras and years of anticipation. A father checks off a lifelong bucket list. Friends reunite for an annual trip. Someone celebrates a birthday. Someone plays the course they have dreamed about for years. 

As one of the first people guests meet when they arrive, bag drop attendant Harrison Kuehl sees that excitement every day. 

“I treat everybody like they’re here for a bucket list experience,” Kuehl said. 

Whether guests are playing the famed No. 2 course, another championship course at Pinehurst, or spending the day on The Cradle, Kuehl believes every visitor deserves to feel like they’re part of something special from the moment they arrive. 

That anticipation follows golfers from the bag drop to the first tee. 

Starter Ranger Roger Parramore has welcomed guests to No. 2. While their hometowns and stories differ, he notices one thing. 

“Most of the people are nervous,” Parramore said. “I hear them say when they go to the tee, ‘I’m pretty nervous about this first shot here.” 

It isn’t because thousands of spectators line the fairways or a trophy awaits them at the end of the day. It’s because this round carries meaning. As golfers step onto the first tee at Pinehurst No. 2, they feel the same anticipation and respect for the moment that has surrounded the U.S. Open for generations. 

Some arrive early to warm up on the range, others spend time on the putting green. Friends gather, conversations slow down, and golfers take in the moment before starting one of the most memorable rounds of their lives. 

For many, the day follows a familiar routine. 

A quick stop for food before the round. A few practice swings. Then the walk toward the first tee. 

The preparation may look different from a professional golfer preparing for the U.S. Open, but the feeling is similar.  

Overlooking the 18th hole of Pinehurst No. 2, The Deuce gives golfers and guests a front-row seat to some of the most memorable moments of the day. People sit on the patio enjoying a meal, sharing conversations and watching groups make their way toward the final hole. 

The energy changes. 

Conversations pause. Heads turn. Cheers begin to fill the patio. A whistle cuts through the air as strangers encourage golfers they’ve never met. 

It does not matter where they’re from or what score they posted. Walking up the 18th hole at Pinehurst No. 2 is an accomplishment worth celebrating. 

For a moment, the scene feels familiar. It carries the same emotion found during a U.S. Open, where every step toward the final green is met with the attention of a crowd. 

The difference is these golfers aren’t competing for a championship title; they’re celebrating their own. 

For those who make a two on No. 2, another tradition awaits. Golfers who accomplish this feat receive a Deuce coin, a keepsake recognizing their achievement on one of golf’s most respected courses. 

The coin represents a memory for the day, the challenge they accepted and the moment they created at Pinehurst. 

Every day, new golfers arrive at Pinehurst No. 2 with their own reasons for being there. Some have waited years for the opportunity. Some are simply grateful for the chance to experience a course they have watched on television and read about for years. 

The first swing becomes a memory. A final walk up the 18th hole becomes a celebration. A Deuce coin becomes a reminder of the challenge they’ve defeated. 

Pinehurst creates championship moments all year long. 

The names written into history may belong to some of the greatest, but every golfer who steps onto these fairways leaves with a story of their own. 

Because at Pinehurst, every day is someone’s U.S. Open.