The ’26 US Hickory Open is in the books! 112 players from around the globe—Australia, New Zealand, Canada and 22 states in the U.S. participated. It was great to welcome Tad Moore, one of the founding members of the SoHG and first president of the board. The field may have been one of the strongest in USHO history—12 professionals, 20+/- with handicap indexes below 10 and 7 players whose GHIN index was in plus figures. We also welcomed seven former USHO Champions responsible for at least 12 wins in the event.
The 2026 United States Hickory Open Championship was played at Gearhart Golf Links, on the coast of Oregon. GGL is located where golf was first played in 1892 and the eventual course that is played today is the result of many hands. This current rendition is rated by Golf Digest as the 7th best “True Linksland Course” in the United States. With rolling fairways—firm and fast—and small greens—hard to read (also firm and fast)—the course posed a great challenge to the players. But fun? You betcha!
After two days of cool weather and typical Pacific Northwest gray skies, giving way to bright blue sunshine in the afternoon a champion was crowned. Grant Raffel, an amateur now residing in Maine, won with a birdie on the first hole of a sudden death playoff. Matt Hoffman, a professional from West Virginia, could not match Grant’s birdie and placed 2nd. Third place in the “Open” division was Jeremy Moe, from nearby Portland. [Photo: Don Frank]
