Rouillard Happy To Be Unsung Hero At U.S. Women’s Open

Shannon Rouillard has set up the course for every USGA women's event for the past five years. Photo: Fred Vuich, USGA

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA | The tears were unexpected but unashamed, big and flowing as if the wealth of history had washed over her like the morning marine layer. As Shannon Rouillard walked down the steps from the hilltop driving range to the Spanish-styled clubhouse at the Olympic Club, history’s gentle knock brought a flood of emotions. Not just the history of the place, although she knows all about the past championships held at the Lake Course and the fact that only four players have ever broken par for four rounds here. She knows about Hogan and Fleck, Casper and Palmer, and the Simpsons, Scott and Webb. But as the person in charge of this U.S. Women’s Open, and the person who has set up every women’s USGA event for the last five years, Rouillard was also overwhelmed by her personal history in this place.

Shannon Rouillard Photo: Jonathan Kolbe, USGA

“I had just graduated from the University of Oregon i...