Congressional Country Club

The course

Set in the wooded hills outside Washington, Congressional has hosted three U.S. Opens, a PGA Championship, and the KPMG Women's PGA. Rory McIlroy announced himself here in 2011, winning his first major with a record 16-under total. The long, tree-lined Blue Course has been refined over the decades by Robert Trent Jones, Rees Jones, and Andrew Green.

Signature hole: The closing 18th plays downhill to a green set on a peninsula at the edge of the course lake, a finish that has decided multiple U.S. Opens.