USGA Senior Director of Championships, Shannon Rouillard, explains what it takes to prepare a venue like Riviera Country Club for championship play.

As the 81st U.S. Women's Open captivated fans around the world, the team behind the scenes quietly crafted an unforgettable experience. In this exclusive for the Victory Club Presented by Lexus, we sat down with Shannon Rouillard, USGA Senior Director of Championships, to explore how her team brought the championship to life at The Riviera Country Club. 

What’s your role at the U.S Women’s Open Championship Presented by Ally?

Rouillard: I’m in charge of the golf course set up, pace of play, and rules.

What makes The Riviera Country Club great?

Rouillard: Number one, it’s an iconic venue. The lineup of U.S. Women’s Open venues is incredible. The women deserve to play these cathedrals of the game and they’re finally getting an opportunity to do so. We’re really excited about elevating the women’s game to where it should be.

Tell me about the strategy for setting up the 10th tee box.

Rouillard: We’re trying to do the George Thomas architecture justice, and I think we have a tremendous opportunity to do so with the 10th as the primary tee for the championship. Hopefully, players are going to play it strategically and out to the left, so they have a straight shot up the depth of the green. I’m sure we will see some of them experimenting with going right for the green. Obviously, a shot missed out to the right will be a very difficult recovery shot to get up and down and make par.

How long do you think 10 will play?

Rouillard: This hole will be just under 310 yards to the middle of the green. But there is an option to move up a tee as well and give players an opportunity to go for the green over the weekend. 

What makes the 10th hole special?

Rouillard: The options that are available to play the hole. It forces the player to find the best approach for each round. They have a strategic decision to make from the tee that will impact the outcome of this hole.

How are you setting up 4?

Rouillard: There’s a lot that goes into how we determine where a tee goes in relation to a hole location. Weather definitely plays an impact. We’ve determined our preliminary hole locations and we’re  looking to recapture a front hole location at some point during the championship, as well as a back left and some middle hole locations. To do so properly and to provide the appropriate test, we will move that tee around to ensure we’re putting the right club in players’ hands. After that, it’s going to be up to them on how they decide to play the hole, whether they’re going to play it slightly out to the right and let the ball funnel onto the putting green, go right at the flag, or hit a cut shot. There are all sorts of options as to how a player can play this hole and it’s going to be very fun to see how that decision making plays out.  

How do you think the bunker is going to come into play on 4?

Rouillard: Well, it’s smack dab right in front of them. Players are going to need to remove that from their minds when they think about making their swing and their target. But it will be there waiting if they come up short.