Oscar Bunn grew up 3km south of Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, the site of this week’s 118th US Open, caddying and learning to play at the course that took its name from his Indian nation.
The first Native American professional golfer, Bunn befriended the first African-American pro, John Shippen.
Together they entered the 1896 US Open to be held at their home club, but many Scottish and English golfers threatened to drop out rather than play alongside them.
The US Golf Association (USGA) refused to budge.
“Credit to the USGA at the time and credit to the Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, who stood up and said: ‘You don’t have to play in this if you don’t want to play.’ They ended up playing,” USGA chief executive Mike Davis said on Wednesday.
Shippen finished tied for sixth. Bunn placed 21st.
More than a century later, the US Open returns to Shinnecock Hills for the fifth time, and the tournament’s organizers are celebrating Bunn’s contribution to the sport.
The USGA recognized the Shinnecock Nation during its opening ceremony — and plans to do so again at closing — and it announced this week that it is to build the Oscar Bunn Golf Facility once the event is over.
Shinnecock golfers of all ages will be able to learn and practice golf at the Bunn facility. A video will share Bunn’s story and that of the Shinnecock Nation, which since the course was established in 1891 has protested the way the land was taken from their people.
USGA spokesman Craig Annis said, who has been in contact with the protesters, said that the association worked with local officials to make sure they have a safe space to get their message out this week specifically.
“They’re really interested in drawing attention to the larger issues that the Shinnecock Nation and other Native American tribes and nation face, having nothing to do with the US Open and nothing to do with the USGA,” Annis said.
“But really, because this is such an important event with so many people, they thought this would give them a platform,” he added.
After a relative of 101-year-old Lubin Hunter, a lifelong Shinnecock Nation resident, mentioned that the former Shinnecock Hills caddie wanted to meet Tiger Woods, Annis helped make it happen.
“He was just like: ‘Oh, hey’ and held out his hand,” said Scot Hunter, the grandnephew of the World War II veteran. “It was a very nice interaction. My uncle didn’t try to be like: ‘Well, here, let me try to give you tips,’ because he knows golf.”
Hunter visited the Shinnecock Nation for the first time when he was 11. Intrigued by the history, he has been asking family and friends questions when he visits, but he had only heard bits and pieces about Bunn.
“Golf and Indian culture seems to be almost as old as [it is for] the Scottish,” he said. “Which I think is really interesting, because I’ve heard and I’ve seen some stories about how golf was here before it was ever brought here.”
The US Open is to come back to Shinnecock Hills in 2026, and the USGA’s Davis said inclusivity would be just as important — if not more — than it was when Bunn and Shippen played.
They have Shinnecock to thank — the people and the course.
“It’s important for golf to look the way the United States does,” Davis said.
A sumo star was born in Japan on Sunday when 24-year-old Takerufuji became the first wrestler in 110 years to win a top-division tournament on his debut, triumphing at the 15-day Spring Grand Sumo Tournament in Osaka despite injuring his ankle on the penultimate day. Takerufuji, whose injury had left him in a wheelchair outside the ring, shoved out the higher-ranked Gonoyama at the Edion Arena Osaka to the delight of the crowd, giving him an unassailable record of 13 wins and two losses to claim the Emperor’s Cup. “I did it just through willpower. I didn’t really know what was going
The US’ Ilia Malinin on Saturday produced six scintillating quadruple jumps, including a quadruple Axel, in the men’s free skate to capture his first figure skating world title. The 19-year-old nicknamed the “Quad god,” who is the only skater to land a quadruple Axel in competition, dazzled with an array of breathtakingly executed jumps starting with his quad Axel and including a quadruple Lutz in combination with a triple flip and a quadruple toe loop in combination with a triple toe. He added an unexpected triple-triple combination at the end to earn a world-record 227.79 in the free program for a championship
Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter is being criminally investigated by the IRS, and the attorney for his alleged bookmaker said Thursday that the ex-Los Angeles Dodgers employee placed bets on international soccer — but not baseball. The IRS confirmed Thursday that interpreter Ippei Mizuhara and Mathew Bowyer, the alleged illegal bookmaker, are under criminal investigation through the agency’s Los Angeles Field Office. IRS Criminal Investigation spokesperson Scott Villiard said he could not provide additional details. Mizuhara, 39, was fired by the Dodgers on Wednesday following reports from the Los Angeles Times and ESPN about his alleged ties to an illegal bookmaker and debts well
HSIEH MAKES QUARTERS: Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei and Elise Mertens of Belgium won in the women’s doubles and face Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Sofia Kenin of the US Top-ranked Iga Swiatek and US Open champion Coco Gauff were knocked out of the women’s singles at the Miami Open on Monday, while Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei advanced in the women’s doubles. Swiatek lost to Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-4, 6-2, hours after third seed Gauff fell in three sets to No. 23 Caroline Garcia 6-3, 1-6, 6-2. Alexandrova beat a top-ranked player for the first time and advanced to face Jessica Pegula, a 7-6 (7/1), 6-3 winner over Emma Navarro, in the quarter-finals. Alexandrova recorded her second win over Swiatek, following a 2021 victory in Melbourne. Swiatek had won their three matches since. “We played quite