Golf legends to design course

Four of the game's great players will design the course in West Virginia.

A course is set to be designed with the US Open in mind by golf legends Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Arnold Palmer and Lee Trevino.

The course will be located in West Virginia, where the Greenbrier Classic will be held early next month.

The Greenbrier resort owner Jim Justice is behind the idea and told the Charleston Gazette that he wants the course to be considered for hosting the US Open.

"We can do these things in West Virginia," he said.

"Why not have the US Open in West Virginia? How could the USGA, how could they turn their back on these four icons, their course?"

All four have a history in course design, with Nicklaus having redesigned the Greenbrier course in White Sulphur Springs 38 years ago.

However, Justice revealed that Nicklaus wasn't taken with the idea from the start.

"I asked Jack Nicklaus if he would do that. His first reaction was 'no way.' He said 'it can't be done.'

"So I called Arnold Palmer and I called Gary Player and they said, "Well, if the other guys are in, we'll be in," he added.

The course is scheduled to be opened in 2016.

Chambers Bay, host of the US Open last week, was also built with the US Open in mind.

The course in Seattle had been converted from a gravel pit and drew plenty of criticism in the build-up to the tournament.

It also was criticised during the tournament, with Player one of the most vocal in his dislike for the course.