Whistling Straits seeks Ryder Cup return: 'We certainly would love to see that back'

USA Today

06-05-2025

Whistling Straits seeks Ryder Cup return: 'We certainly would love to see that back'
Whistling Straits is hosting the PGA Works Collegiate Championship this week for the first time, but the Wisconsin resort has grander ambitions.
Kohler Co., whose company owns Whistling Straits, already has hosted three PGA Championships in 2004, 2010 and '15. But the move of that event from August to May beginning in 2019, may make conditions less suitable for a return.
'That's less optimal, given our growing season here and where we are from a timing standpoint,' Kohler chairman and CEO David Kohler told Front Office Sports.
But the Ryder Cup, which was played at Whistling Straits the last time the biennial competition was hosted on U.S. soil, in 2021, would be right up Kohler's alley.
'I think definitely the Ryder Cup in the future,' Kohler told Front Office Sports. 'We think we deserve, and have proved the right, to be considered for that again. The 2021 event at Whistling Straits will go down as one of the greatest Ryder Cups in history—the venue, the drama, the U.S. win. I think we earned the right to be considered in the future; we certainly would love to see that back.'
The first open Ryder Cup date available is 2041, while the PGA Championship has an opening in 2032. Whistling Straits will host the 2028 U.S. Amateur Championship, in addition to other future USGA events.
'We're in conversations with the PGA of America and USGA, as well as other organizations, regarding unique events that we might create. We have great championship venues, including Blackwolf Run, which hosted two U.S. Women's Opens in 2012 and 1998. They were purpose — built for majors and significant events — things like not having any housing anywhere on the course, the infrastructure that's been built around them, and the reputation for delivering great championships in a state that turns up. We have a lot of assets at our disposal, and hospitality resources we've built here in Kohler that can provide leading-edge accommodations. We have all the elements to host, so we want to continue to be selective and do special events.'
Expect there to be plenty of competition for a future Ryder Cup but don't put it past Kohler to pull out all the stops to ensure a Ryder Cup return in the not-too distant future.