The Golf Association of Philadelphia has made it official: the 123rd Philadelphia Open will be played July 12-13, 2027, and the survivors of the field will finish the championship at Pine Valley Golf Club — the course perennially ranked No. 1 in America.
The format is what makes this announcement remarkable. Round 1 will be contested Monday, July 12 at Rolling Green Golf Club in Springfield, Pa. A cut will follow, and only those who make it through will advance to Pine Valley in Pine Hill, N.J. for Tuesday's final round.
A carrot like no other in amateur golf
For the amateurs in the region, the setup amounts to one of the great incentives in competitive golf: play your way onto Pine Valley. The Philadelphia Open annually assembles the strongest field of amateurs and professionals in the Delaware Valley, and GAP amateurs who meet the handicap requirement can enter through the championship's normal qualifying process. Survive 18 holes at Rolling Green, and the reward is a competitive round at a course most golfers will never see inside the gates — a private club where non-members play only by invitation of a member.
In recent editions, the Open Championship has been a two-day, 36-hole stroke-play event with a cut to the low 60 and ties after Round 1. In 2027, that cut carries a great deal more weight.
Not Pine Valley's first Philadelphia Open — but a first-of-its-kind format
Contrary to what some fans may assume, this is not the first time Pine Valley has hosted the Philadelphia Open. The 108th edition in 2012 was played entirely at Pine Valley as a 36-hole, one-day marathon, and it produced a memorable result: Huntingdon Valley Country Club amateur Andrew Mason defended his title in front of a crowd of more than 1,400, becoming the first amateur to go back-to-back in the event since the legendary Jay Sigel in 1986-87.
What does appear to be new is the split-venue format. Rather than one club hosting all 36 holes, the 2027 championship will begin at one storied course and finish at another — with the cut serving as the gateway between them.
Pine Valley's competitive history is famously selective. George Crump's lone design, founded in 1913 by a group of Philadelphia amateurs, has hosted the Walker Cup twice (1936 and 1985) and is slated to host the Curtis Cup in 2034 — its first international competition in nearly 50 years. Opportunities to compete there are rare, which is precisely why the 2027 Philadelphia Open will be circled on calendars across the region.
Rolling Green is no warm-up act
Round 1's host deserves its own billing. Rolling Green, a William Flynn design from 1926, hosted the Philadelphia Open back in 1927 (won by Johnny Farrell, fresh off his era's fame), the 1976 U.S. Women's Open won by JoAnne Carner, and U.S. Amateur and U.S. Open qualifying in recent years. A Gil Hanse-led restoration that began in 2021 — following the removal of roughly a thousand trees — has the Flynn gem playing as well as it has in decades.
In other words: the 2027 Philadelphia Open won't just finish at a world top-ranked course. It will start at one of the finest championship tests in the region, with a spot at Pine Valley on the line for every player in the field.
What we know so far
Championship: 123rd Philadelphia Open (GAP Open Championship)
Dates: July 12-13, 2027
Round 1: Rolling Green Golf Club, Springfield, Pa. (Monday, July 12)
Round 2: Pine Valley Golf Club, Pine Hill, N.J. (Tuesday, July 13), following a cut
Field: The Delaware Valley's top professionals and amateurs; amateurs enter via GAP membership and handicap eligibility
Entry details, field size, and the exact cut line for the 2027 championship have not yet been announced. We'll update this story as GAP releases more information.