Two classic golf courses and a relative newcomer await the world's top golfers in the remaining majors for 2004.

The U.S. Open, the next major, will be held June 17-20 at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in New York. The British Open returns to Royal Troon Golf Club in Scotland, and the PGA Championship will be played at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin.

Shinnecock Hills is one of the oldest courses in the United States and was the site of the second U.S. Open, in 1896.

After dropping out of the rotation of top courses that traditionally play host to the U.S. Open, the course in Southampton, N.Y., returned in 1986, when Raymond Floyd was the winner.

Troon, a George Strath design that is more than 125 years old, will hold the British Open on July 15-18. Americans should like the classic links course: Of the past five British Opens at Troon, all were won by U.S.-born players.

Four-time Masters Tournament winner Arnold Palmer (Stats | Bio) started the trend with his win in 1962, followed by Tom Weiskopf (1973), Tom Watson (Stats | Bio) (1982), Mark Calcavecchia (1989) and Justin Leonard (Stats | Bio) (1997).

The PGA Championship, which uses a mix of traditional and more recent designs for its events, will go to Whistling Straits on Aug. 12-15.

The Pete Dye design opened in 1998 and has drawn rave reviews. The links-style course was built on the site of an abandoned military base in Kohler, Wis., and features spectacular views of Lake Michigan.

Reach John Boyette at (706) 823-3337 or john.boyette@augustachronicle.com.