Champions Golf Club to Host 2020 U.S. Women's Open Championship
Far Hills, N.J. (PRWEB) January 29, 2016 -- The United States Golf Association (USGA) has selected Champions Golf Club in Houston, Texas, as host of the 2020 U.S. Women’s Open Championship. The championship, which will be conducted June 4-7, will be the fourth USGA championship held on the club’s Cypress Creek course.
“The USGA is excited to return to Champions Golf Club for the 75th U.S. Women’s Open,” said Diana Murphy, USGA vice president and Championship Committee chairman. “Champions has long been revered for its dedication to the competitive game, and we are proud to add the U.S. Women’s Open, the most prestigious event in the women’s game, to the distinguished list of events conducted there.”
Champions Golf Club was founded in 1957 by World Golf Hall of Fame members Jack Burke Jr., who currently serves as president, and Jimmy Demaret. The Cypress Creek course was designed by Ralph Plummer and opened in 1959.
"Having the U.S. Women’s Open at Champions Golf Club is a rare privilege,” said Burke. “Houston will get the opportunity to see the best female players in the world compete in our city. The Houston Golf Association has done great work for the game here, and we’re happy that the USGA will add to their hard work.”
In keeping with its name, Champions boasts a rich pedigree of hosting elite professional and amateur competitions. Orville Moody won the 1969 U.S. Open at Champions, coming back from a three-stroke deficit after three rounds to win his only major title by one stroke over future PGA Tour commissioner Deane Beman, Al Geiberger and Bob Rosburg. The club also hosted the 1993 U.S. Amateur, won by John Harris, and the 1998 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur, won by Virginia Derby Grimes.
Beyond its three USGA national championships, Champions hosted the 1967 Ryder Cup, where the USA Team, led by non-playing captain Ben Hogan, won by a record 15-point margin. Five PGA Tour Championships have been conducted at the club, most recently in 2003, with winners including David Duval, Mike Weir and Tiger Woods. The club hosted the Houston Champions International (now the Shell Houston Open) five times between 1966 and 1971, counting among its champions Roberto De Vicenzo, Hubert Green and Arnold Palmer. Additionally, two Southern Amateurs have been conducted at Champions, with future major champions Ben Crenshaw and Bob Tway earning victories in 1973 and 1980, respectively.
Champions counts two USGA champions among its members: 2005 U.S. Senior Amateur champion Mike Rice, and 1980 U.S. Amateur champion and 2004 USA Ryder Cup captain Hal Sutton, who also won the 1983 PGA Championship. Robin Burke, the club’s vice president and the wife of Burke, was the 1997 U.S. Women’s Amateur runner-up and will serve as captain of the USA Team for the 2016 Curtis Cup Match in June at Dun Laoghaire Golf Club, in Enniskerry, Ireland.
The 2020 U.S. Women’s Open will be the 30th USGA championship held in Texas. Most recently, the Lone Star State hosted the 2014 U.S Junior Amateur, held at The Club at Carlton Woods in The Woodlands and won by William Zalatoris. This will also mark the second time that Texas has hosted the U.S. Women’s Open. The 1991 championship, won by Meg Mallon, was conducted at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth.
Considered the world’s premier women’s golf championship, the U.S. Women’s Open is one of 13 national championships conducted annually by the USGA. It is open to professional female golfers and amateur females with a Handicap Index® not exceeding 2.4. The championship was first conducted in 1946 and its winners include Babe Didrikson Zaharias, Betsy Rawls, Mickey Wright, Hollis Stacy, Annika Sorenstam, Se Ri Pak, Juli Inkster, Inbee Park and Michelle Wie.
Upcoming U.S. Women’s Open Championships will be contested July 7-10, 2016, at CordeValle in San Martin, Calif.; July 13-16, 2017, at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, N.J.; May 31-June 3, 2018, at Shoal Creek in Alabama; and May 30-June 2, 2019, at the Country Club of Charleston in South Carolina.
About the USGA
The USGA conducts the U.S. Open, U.S. Women’s Open and U.S. Senior Open, as well as 10 national amateur championships, two state team championships and international matches, attracting players and fans from more than 160 countries. Together with The R&A, the USGA governs the game worldwide, jointly administering the Rules of Golf, Rules of Amateur Status, equipment standards and World Amateur Golf Rankings. The USGA’s reach is global with a working jurisdiction in the United States, its territories and Mexico, serving more than 25 million golfers and actively engaging 150 golf associations.
The USGA is one of the world’s foremost authorities on research, development and support of sustainable golf course management practices. It serves as a primary steward for the game’s history and invests in the development of the game through the delivery of its services and its ongoing “For the Good of the Game” grants program. Additionally, the USGA’s Course Rating and Handicap systems are used on six continents in more than 50 countries.
For more information about the USGA, visit usga.org.
Christina Lance, United States Golf Association, http://www.usga.org, +1 908-326-1882, [email protected]
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