25 Sectional Qualifiers to be Conducted Between May 9 and June 15
FAR HILLS, N.J. (March 5, 2015) – The United States Golf Association (USGA) has announced sectional qualifying sites for the 2015 U.S. Women’s Open Championship, to be contested July 9-12 at Lancaster (Pa.) Country Club.
Sectional qualifying, conducted over 36 holes, will be held at 21 sites across the United States and four international sites between May 9 and June 15. The championship is open to female professionals, and female amateur golfers with a Handicap Index® not exceeding 2.4.
“The U.S. Women’s Open represents the pinnacle of women’s golf, and sectional qualifying is the first step of that journey,” said Diana Murphy, USGA vice president and Championship Committee chairman. “Our partners at state and regional golf associations, as well as several international organizations, play a crucial role in helping us determine a worthy champion. We thank them for their tireless efforts, and we look forward to the 70th playing of the U.S. Women’s Open, at Lancaster Country Club.”
Player applications are now available at https://champs.usga.org/index.html. The entry deadline is 5 p.m. EDT on May 6.
In 2014, the USGA accepted a record 1,702 entries for the championship at Pinehurst Resort & Country Club’s Course No. 2, in the Village of Pinehurst, N.C. The previous record was 1,420 for the 2013 championship at Sebonack Golf Club, in Southampton, N.Y.
For the second consecutive year, U.S. Women’s Open sectional qualifying will be conducted in the People’s Republic of China, England, Japan and the Republic of Korea. Three courses – Buckinghamshire Golf Club (England), CGA Nanshan International Training Center (China) and Woo Jeong Hills Country Club (Korea) – will again serve as host sites, while Japan’s Arima Royal Golf Club will host qualifying for the first time.
Industry Hills Golf Club, near Los Angeles, will host U.S. Women’s Open sectional qualifying for the sixth consecutive year, on May 26. Its Eisenhower Course was a local qualifying site in 2009 (the final year of local qualifying, which was conducted from 2002-09), and it hosted sectional qualifying in 1980 and 1982.
Industry Hills is one of two courses that will host both Women’s Open sectional qualifying and U.S. Open local qualifying. The Eisenhower Course will serve as a U.S. Open local qualifying site on May 13. The Royal Course at Ka’anapali Golf Resort, in Lahaina, Hawaii, will host both qualifiers on May 9.
Five past USGA championship sites will host 2015 U.S. Women’s Open sectional qualifying, three of them for at least the third time.
Three-time sectional site Druid Hills Golf Club, in Atlanta, hosted the 1951 U.S. Women’s Open, won by Betsy Rawls. It also served as the companion course to East Lake Golf Club for the 2001 U.S. Amateur, won by Bubba Dickerson. Another three-time host, Westmoreland Country Club, in Wilmette, Ill., was the site of Patty Berg’s 1938 U.S. Women’s Amateur victory.
The Woodlands (Texas) Country Club, which is hosting for the fourth consecutive year on the Player Course, was the site of Anne Sander’s 1989 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur victory on its Tournament Course.
Additionally, Riverdale Golf Course, in Brighton, Colo., hosted the 1993 U.S. Amateur Public Links, won by David Berganio Jr. Galloway National Golf Club, in Galloway, N.J., was the site of the 2012 USGA Men’s State Team, won by the team from New York.
Two U.S. Women’s Open champions have reached the championship through the stroke-play qualifying process: Hilary Lunke (2003) and Birdie Kim (2005). Lunke won after advancing through local and sectional qualifying, while Kim competed in the sectional stage.
For ticket information, please visit www.2015uswomensopen.com.
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. The championship was first conducted in 1946 and its winners include notable players such as Rawls, Babe Didrikson Zaharias, Mickey Wright, Hollis Stacy, Amy Alcott, Meg Mallon, Annika Sorenstam, Se Ri Pak, Juli Inkster, Cristie Kerr, Paula Creamer, Inbee Park and reigning champion Michelle Wie.
2015 U.S. Women’s Open Sectional Qualifying Sites (25)
May 9
Ka’anapali Golf Resort (Royal Course), Lahaina, Hawaii
May 13
CGA Nanshan International Training Center (Garden Course), Shandong, China
May 18
Serrano Country Club, El Dorado Hills, Calif.
Bradenton (Fla.) Country Club
Druid Hills Golf Club, Atlanta, Ga.
Westmoreland Country Club, Wilmette, Ill.
Windsong Farm Golf Club, Independence, Minn.
Butler (Pa.) Country Club
Hermitage Country Club, Manakin-Sabot, Va.
Woo Jeong Hills Country Club, Chungnam, Korea
May 19
Superstition Mountain (Ariz.) Golf & Country Club
Goose Creek Golf Club, Mira Loma, Calif.
May 22
Fountains Country Club (North Course), Lake Worth, Fla.
May 25
Buckinghamshire Golf Club, Buckinghamshire, England
May 26
Industry Hills Golf Club, City of Industry, Calif.
May 27
Riverdale Golf Course, Brighton, Colo.
Governors Club, Chapel Hill, N.C.
May 29
Sugar Mill Country Club (White/Red Course), New Smyrna Beach, Fla.
June 1
Galloway National Golf Club, Galloway, N.J.
June 2
Ferncroft Country Club, Middleton, Mass.
St. Clair Country Club, Belleville, Ill.
OGA Golf Course, Woodburn, Ore.
The Woodlands (Texas) Country Club (Player Course)
June 4
Lakewood Country Club, Dallas, Texas
June 15
Arima Royal Golf Club, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan
Sectional qualifying sites and dates are subject to change. For the most up-to-date list, visit https://champs.usga.org/index.html.
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 www.usga.org.
Phone: 908-326-1882 (office), 908-963-1691 (cell)
