Could the PGA Championship Return to Chicago? Future Venues Through 2035

With the U.S. Open committed to a handful of anchor venues through 2051, the PGA Championship may offer Chicago’s best opportunity to host another men’s major.

The future of major championship golf is increasingly being determined decades in advance. And for Chicago golf fans hoping to see another U.S. Open or PGA Championship in their backyard, the opportunities are becoming more limited.

On October 9, 2026, the United States Golf Association announced that Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, Pennsylvania, has become its fourth official U.S. Open anchor site, joining Pebble Beach Golf Links, Pinehurst No. 2 and Oakmont Country Club.

Merion will host the U.S. Open in 2030, 2040 and 2050, along with the U.S. Women’s Open in 2034 and 2046.

The announcement leaves just two unassigned U.S. Open host years through 2051: 2043 and 2048.

For Chicago, a metropolitan area with a remarkable history of championship golf, the news raises an important question: If the U.S. Open is effectively booked for the next quarter-century, could the PGA Championship offer a more realistic path back to Chicago?

The U.S. Open’s New Scheduling Strategy

The USGA’s anchor-site strategy represents a significant evolution in how major championship venues are selected.

Rather than regularly rotating among a broad collection of prestigious courses, the organization is establishing long-term relationships with a smaller group of historic venues.

The benefits are understandable. Returning to familiar facilities allows the USGA and host clubs to invest in infrastructure, refine championship operations, establish relationships with local communities and create a more predictable experience for spectators and corporate partners.

But the strategy also creates a significant consequence: fewer opportunities for other clubs to host America’s national championship.

Through 2051, the U.S. Open schedule is nearly complete. The four anchor venues—Pebble Beach, Pinehurst, Oakmont and Merion—account for a substantial portion of the future calendar, with other established championship venues filling most remaining dates.

Chicago’s last U.S. Open was held at Olympia Fields Country Club in 2003, when Jim Furyk captured his first major championship.

With only 2043 and 2048 currently unassigned, a return to the Chicago area appears increasingly difficult in the foreseeable future.

Olympia Fields Country Club

The PGA Championship Takes a Different Approach

While the USGA has committed to venues decades into the future, the PGA of America has announced PGA Championship locations only through 2035.

That creates a striking difference between the two organizations.

Here is the confirmed PGA Championship schedule:

The PGA of America is also embracing repeat venues, particularly PGA Frisco, which will host the championship in both 2027 and 2034.

However, unlike the USGA, the organization has not committed its flagship men’s championship to a publicly announced schedule extending multiple decades into the future.

Every PGA Championship beginning in 2036 remains unassigned publicly.

That flexibility could create opportunities for traditional championship venues that have been absent from the major championship rotation.

And Chicago has several compelling candidates.

Medinah Country Club: A Proven Major Championship Venue

Few Chicago-area clubs possess a major championship résumé comparable to Medinah Country Club.

The club’s historic Course No. 3 has hosted three U.S. Opens, two PGA Championships and the 2012 Ryder Cup.

Its most recent PGA Championship came in 2006, when Tiger Woods captured his third Wanamaker Trophy.

Medinah also hosted the 1999 PGA Championship, another Woods victory, which featured his memorable Sunday battle with Sergio Garcia.

More recently, Medinah welcomed the world’s best players for the 2026 Presidents Cup, demonstrating its continued relevance as an international championship venue.

The club’s Course No. 3 also underwent an extensive redesign led by OCM Golf, creating a substantially different playing experience from the course that hosted previous majors.

The redesign, combined with Medinah’s championship history, Chicago-area market and experience hosting international events, makes the club an intriguing candidate for another PGA Championship.

Of course, there is an important distinction between being capable of hosting a championship and actively pursuing one. No future PGA Championship at Medinah has been announced.

Still, its credentials make it difficult to overlook.

Medinah Country Club – Presidents Cup – 12th Hole

Could Olympia Fields Return to the Major Championship Stage?

Olympia Fields Country Club presents another compelling possibility.

The club hosted the 1928 and 2003 U.S. Opens, along with the 1925 and 1961 PGA Championships.

More recently, Olympia Fields hosted the BMW Championship in 2020 and 2023, reinforcing its ability to accommodate elite professional golf.

Its North Course offers the championship pedigree, demanding layout and established tournament infrastructure that major championship organizers value.

However, like Medinah, Olympia Fields would face competition from prestigious clubs throughout the country seeking a place on the PGA Championship calendar.

The question is not whether Olympia Fields has the history to host another major. It does.

The question is whether the PGA of America and the club see a future championship as a mutually attractive opportunity.

The Biggest Obstacle May Be the Calendar

One factor complicating Chicago’s PGA Championship prospects is the tournament’s move from August to May in 2019.

The change positioned the PGA Championship as the second men’s major of the season, following the Masters in April.

It also introduced weather considerations for northern venues.

Mid-May in Chicago can deliver beautiful golf conditions, but it can also produce cold temperatures, heavy rain and unpredictable spring weather.

For a championship that requires extensive spectator infrastructure, corporate hospitality facilities and predictable course preparation, those conditions introduce additional uncertainty.

Nevertheless, the PGA Championship’s upcoming schedule demonstrates that northern locations remain viable.

The Olympic Club in San Francisco, Bethpage Black on Long Island and Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester are all scheduled to host future championships.

The presence of Oak Hill, in particular, suggests that a northern climate is not automatically disqualifying.

Chicago’s weather may present challenges, but it should not eliminate the market from consideration.

Chicago Has Already Demonstrated Its Value to Professional Golf

The 2026 Presidents Cup at Medinah offered another reminder of Chicago’s considerable appetite for elite golf.

The region combines a large population, substantial corporate community, strong private-club tradition and a passionate golf audience.

Chicago has also produced some of the most memorable moments in championship history, from Tiger Woods’ PGA Championship victories at Medinah to the dramatic European comeback at the 2012 Ryder Cup.

Yet major men’s championship golf has become an increasingly rare visitor.

The last PGA Championship held in the Chicago area was in 2006. The last U.S. Open was in 2003.

That means an entire generation of Chicago golf fans has grown up without the opportunity to attend either championship close to home.

The recent Presidents Cup demonstrated that Chicago remains capable of hosting the sport’s biggest international events. Whether that translates into a future PGA Championship is another question.

Will Chicago Host Another PGA Championship?

The PGA of America’s schedule offers something the U.S. Open calendar currently does not: flexibility.

With no PGA Championship venues publicly announced beyond 2035, there are opportunities for established championship clubs to make their case.

Medinah and Olympia Fields would both bring substantial history, championship-tested facilities and access to one of the nation’s largest metropolitan markets.

But neither club has been confirmed as a future host, and there is no public indication that Chicago has been selected for an upcoming championship.

The USGA’s anchor-site strategy may ultimately make the PGA Championship an even more important opportunity for major championship golf to return to cities outside the U.S. Open’s increasingly familiar rotation.

For Chicago, that opportunity deserves attention.

The U.S. Open may be nearly booked through 2051. But the PGA Championship’s future remains much more open—and Chicago should be part of the conversation.

Sources: United States Golf Association, PGA Championship Future Venues, and Chicago Golf Report championship history.