More than a century ago, a plea for help in advance of the 1920 U.S. Open resulted in the eventual creation later that year of the USGA Green Section.
That was when E.J. Marshall, then the green committee chairman at Inverness Club, asked the USGA and the U.S. Department of Agriculture for help to solve whatever was killing turf on the greens at the Donald Ross design.
The Open was saved and Englishman Ted Ray went on to win the second of his two career majors, the other being the 1912 Open Championship at Murifield. In recognition of Marshall's contributions that helped launch the Green Section as well as salvaging the U.S. Open, the USGA last year started an award in his name.
On Sunday, at the conclusion of this year's U.S. Open, the USGA presented Chris Wilson, director of golf courses and grounds at Los Angeles Country Club, with the E.J. Marshall Platter in recognition of his contributions and those of his team on preparing for this year's event.
Created in 2022, the silver platter recognizes "leaders in golf course management who demonstrate commitment, expertise and outstanding collaboration with the USGA to present a well-maintained course, worthy of hosting a national championship and the world's best players."
In his eighth year at LACC, Wilson is in his second tour of the club. He was an assistant to Russ Myers in his first go-round on Wilshire Boulevard.
The condition of the course was never a question.
Bryson DeChambeau called LACC "diabolical" and "a completely different test of golf than a normal U.S. Open."
Jon Rahm told Golfweek "it is a great golf course, great design, has the potential to be one of the best U.S. Opens we've seen. . . . There is a certain flow to the golf course in a U.S. Open that we haven't seen before. That I haven't. Yeah, I think it's a bit different, and it's fun."