Pebble Beach Says Disease, Not USGA, Led to 16th Hole Tree

Pebble Beach Golf Links has confirmed the tree removed from the right side of the par-4 16th hole in early September was cut down because it was diseased, not to alter the hole's strategy ahead of the U.S. Open's return in 2027.

Why did the removal draw criticism?

The Monterey cypress had stood about 90 yards short of the green, forming one side of a corridor of trees that frames the approach on the 400-yard hole. Justin Thomas criticized the removal in a social-media post, calling the hole great and questioning why courses keep cutting down trees. The post drew wider debate, with some commentators speculating without evidence that the USGA had ordered the tree removed to prepare the course for the U.S. Open, which returns to Pebble Beach in 2027 for the seventh time.

At full length, the 16th plays 400 yards from the back tees, sloping downhill from the tee before crossing a gully into a green once framed by cypress trees on both sides. With the right-side tree gone, only the left-side cypress remains as visual framing for now.

What did Pebble Beach say?

A Pebble Beach spokesperson told GOLF the USGA had no role in the decision. The tree "had become diseased and infested beyond recovery" despite two years of treatment attempts, and was removed on the recommendation of a certified arborist to prevent the disease from spreading to neighboring trees. The tree came down because it was sick, not because anyone wanted a different 16th hole.

Has Pebble Beach removed other trees recently?

Tree turnover is not new at the club. This past spring, Pebble Beach replaced a cypress in the 18th fairway that had been toppled by a 2014 storm. In 2002, the club transplanted an 80-foot Monterey cypress from the first hole to a spot beside the 18th green, replacing a tree that had died of pitch canker disease.

Pebble Beach said it will continue consulting its arborist about planting a replacement tree on the 16th. For now, the spot remains open, and the hole will play as it is when the U.S. Open returns in 2027.

The tree came down because it was sick, not because anyone wanted a different 16th hole.