Andrew Redington/Getty Images

By Joel Beall
USGA CEO Mike Davis will cede U.S. Open course setup responsibilities, beginning with this year’s tournament at Pebble Beach.

According to a Golf Channel report, Davis is voluntarily stepping aside and handing the reins to John Bodenhamer, the senior managing editor of championships.

“This decision has been in the works for more than two U.S. Opens,” Davis told Golf Channel’s Jaime Diaz. “Whether people want to believe that or not, that’s for them to decide.”

Davis is referring to the controversy at last summer’s U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills. Davis and his team were accused of mismanaging the venerable Long Island links on Saturday, with pins in unreachable spots, their severity amplified by the wind. At the height of the craziness, Phil Mickelson purposely hit his moving ball on the 13th green, creating its own level of hysteria.

The conditions resulted in 19 players firing 78 or higher, with the final two groups finishing a collective 31 over par. The setup was considered by many to be unacceptable, especially given with the errors of the 2004 U.S. Open at Shinnecock still fresh. Players were vocal in their outcry, forcing Davis to offer a public mea culpa.

“We want the U.S. Open to be tough, but this afternoon was too tough,” Davis said that night. “It was a tale of two courses. Their were some aspects of this setup that well-hit shots were not rewarded but penalized.

“Frankly, we just missed it with the wind. The greens got fast. The firmness was OK but the speed was too much.”

Combined with issues from the 2015 U.S. Open at Chambers Bay (green conditions) and 2016 U.S. Open at Oakmont (Dustin Johnson ruling), the mistakes were beginning to pile under Davis’ tenure.

Still, Davis, who will continue to serve as the governing body’s CEO, maintains he would have surrendered this task no matter what happened in 2018.

“Absolutely,” Davis told the Golf Channel. “I told our [executive committee] president and our next president this was happening long before the Open at Shinnecock.”

Davis asserted he will still be part of the setup process, but act as “more of an overseeing consultant” going forward.