U.S. Senior Amateur at Oak Hills: A Match-Play Chessboard Under the Live Oaks

If you’ve followed AmateurGolf.com long enough, you know our bias: we love courses that ask smart questions. Oak Hills Country Club—a compact A.W. Tillinghast build framed by live oaks and shifting wind—does exactly that. At just 6,485 yards (par 71), it won’t wow you with length, but it will force elite seniors to work the ball, flight wedges, and pick the right side of fairways or pay for it.

This championship was rerouted to San Antonio after storm damage in North Carolina; the result might be a better pure-golf test for match play. Oak Hills rewards nerve and precision—two currencies that decide late-summer USGA titles.

AmateurGolf.com Takeaways

• Deceptively short = mentally long: Yardage won’t save you if you’re on the wrong tier or angle. Expect conservative lines off the tee and aggressive irons.
• Texas wind & turf: Firmness brings contours to life. Bounce-and-bite wedge play becomes a separator in stroke play and a dagger in match play.
• Match momentum: The routing tees up swing holes late—great for TV, brutal for a shaky putter.m

What to Watch in San Antonio

• Stroke Play to 64: The opening 36 favors disciplined drivers and tidy lag putters. Miss the right tiers and you’ll back up fast.
• Veteran savvy: Seniors who can underclub with conviction when the breeze kicks will own the par 3s.
• Short par 4 choices: Oak Hills tempts with position-or-push decisions. Lay back to your number or chase the front edge? Watch the leaders disagree.

Three Holes That Will Flip Matches

1. No. 5 (Par 5, 588): Reachable for very few, but the second shot landing area narrows under tree canopies. Layup lanes matter more than greed.
2. No. 14 (Par 4, 324): The honey trap. Play your number and trust your wedge windows. Miss short-side and you’re gifting holes.
3. No. 18 (Par 3, 188): Drama club. Into wind, it demands your Sunday ball flight and a stout two-putt. Expect handshakes—and heartbreak—here.

Course Snapshot

A.W. Tillinghast (1922). Post-war revival in 1946. A veteran tour stop with Texas Open history and a recent USGA résumé. Built for shotmakers, not bashers.

• Par/Yardage: 71 / 6,485 (championship setup may vary)
• Course/Slope: 73.2 / 139 (championship setup)
• Routing personality: Demands shape control and precise spin on tilted greens.

Event Week & How to Watch On-Site

Practice: Aug. 21–22

• Sat, Aug. 23: Stroke Play (18)
• Sun, Aug. 24: Stroke Play (18) — top 64 advance
• Mon, Aug. 25: Match Play — Round of 64
• Tue, Aug. 26: Round of 32 & Round of 16
• Wed, Aug. 27: Quarterfinals & Semifinals
• Thu, Aug. 28: Championship Match (18)

Admission: Free. San Antonio golf fans—walk the ropes, learn from the best wedge games in the amateur ranks.

Defending Champ & A Form Guide

Louis Brown (61, Marietta, Ga.) arrives with the confidence that only a first USGA title provides. He earned it the hard way— high placement in stroke play, then a clinical match-play run. Oak Hills suits that profile: plotter’s tee shots, assertive approaches.

With 2,612 entries and 36 fully exempt players, the bracket will be loaded with senior-major experience and WAGR-credentialed names. Our eyes will be on the par-3 scoring average: it’s the barometer for who actually controls trajectory in the Texas air.

Strategy Notes

• Driver discipline: Don’t chase every corner. Favor full-number wedges over half-wedge guesswork.
• Trajectory toolkit: Keep a knockdown mid-iron ready. Crosswinds turn pin-high into a mirage.
• Greens savvy: Play below the hole. Short-sided chips bleed strokes; match play punishes those mistakes immediately.

Quick Facts

• Field/Format: 156 players; 36-hole stroke play to 64-player match play
• Eligibility: Age 55+; Handicap Index ≤ 5.4
• Qualifying: 50 sites in 42 states (June 25–Aug. 4)
• Prize (Exemptions): Senior Open (2026), U.S. Amateur (2026–27), 10 future Senior Ams, U.S. Mid-Am (2025–26), local exemption for 2026 U.S. Open, name on USGA Champions’ Plaque

Context: Senior Amateur & Oak Hills

The Senior Amateur has crowned serial winners and late bloomers since 1955. Oak Hills, meanwhile, is a veteran of big weeks, from Tour stops to junior and women’s four-ball titles. The connective tissue is classic Tillinghast: angles, green movement, and a quiet demand to think.

Texas has hosted a long slate of USGA championships; this is the third Senior Amateur in the state. Expect a knowledgeable crowd and firm summer turf.

Future Senior Amateur Sites (Highlights)

• 2026 – Baltimore CC (East), MD
• 2027 – Seattle GC, WA
• 2028 – Biltmore Forest CC, NC
• 2029 – The Omni Homestead (Cascades), VA
• 2030 – Country Club of North Carolina, NC
• 2032 – Country Club of Buffalo, NY
• 2033 – Canterbury GC, OH
• 2034 – Portland GC, OR
• 2035 – Columbia CC, MD
• 2036 – Belle Meade CC, TN
• 2038 – Quaker Ridge GC, NY (TBD)

Bottom line from our seat: Oak Hills is a senior-am purist’s venue—shot value over showiness, craft over clout. Expect tight matches, a few veteran masterclasses in wind management, and a champion who thinks their way home on Thursday.