Southern Hills Country Club

Perry Maxwell's Tulsa course, built during the Depression, has hosted three U.S. Opens and a record five PGA Championships, most recently in 2022.

Perry Maxwell's course opened in Tulsa in October 1936, during the Depression. Its record is hard to match: U.S. Opens in 1958, 1977 and 2001, and PGA Championships in 1970, 1982, 1994, 2007 and 2022, making it the only venue to host the PGA five times. Tiger Woods won there in 2007, Retief Goosen took the 2001 U.S. Open and Justin Thomas won in 2022.

Maxwell's routing is the strength. Holes change direction constantly so the Oklahoma wind never settles, four greens sit on the clubhouse ridge and the layout uses gullies and creeks instead of forced carries. Fairway contour works as a hazard. Gil Hanse and Jim Wagner's 2019 project widened corridors, rebuilt bunkers and restored green surrounds to Maxwell's intent while keeping championship conditioning. The par 4s, especially the 12th that Ben Hogan admired, drive the ranking.

Holes to know

12

Par 4 · 461 yd

Ben Hogan rated it among the best holes in America, and it remains the hole most associated with the course.

18

Par 4 · 491 yd

An uphill finish to a green below the clubhouse, with a choice of lines off the tee.

1

Par 4 · 472 yd

A long, strong opener often cited among the best first holes in golf.

Championships

• U.S. Open 1958, 1977, 2001
• PGA Championship 1970, 1982, 1994, 2007, 2022
• U.S. Amateur 1965, 2009
• U.S. Women's Amateur 1946, 2024
• Tour Championship 1995, 1996
• Senior PGA Championship 2021

Design history

• 2018–19: Gil Hanse and Jim Wagner restoration of bunkers, greens and fairway widths