The United States Golf Association (USGA) today announced that The Country Club, in Brookline, Mass., will be the host site of four upcoming USGA championships: the 2030 U.S. Girls’ Junior, 2034 U.S. Amateur, 2038 U.S. Open and 2045 U.S. Women’s Open.
"We are thrilled to return to The Country Club and bring four exceptional championships to a venue with such rich history," said John Bodenhamer, USGA chief championships officer. "This partnership with The Country Club gives juniors, amateurs and professionals alike the opportunity to vie for a USGA championship and etch their names in golfing history at one of the nation’s most iconic venues. We look forward to witnessing the incredible talent and passion that will be on display in the coming years."
The Country Club has previously hosted 17 USGA championships, second-most among venues to Merion, with 18. When the U.S. Women’s Open comes to Brookline in 2045, it will mark the first time the women’s major championship will be held at The Country Club, which most recently hosted the U.S. Open in June of 2022. Matt Fitzpatrick claimed a one-stroke victory at the same course where he also triumphed in the U.S. Amateur nine years prior. The previous three U.S. Opens conducted at the club – all of which were decided in 18-hole playoffs – were in 1913 (won by Francis Ouimet, the first amateur to win the U.S. Open), 1963 (won by Julius Boros) and 1988 (won by Curtis Strange). The 2038 U.S. Open will be conducted on the 125th anniversary of Ouimet's celebrated win.
“We are thrilled to extend our long, wonderful partnership with the USGA, and to continue giving people in the Town of Brookline and across New England a chance to see golf at its finest,” said Lyman Bullard, president of The Country Club. “From our first national championship, the 1902 U.S. Women’s Amateur, to our most recent, the 2022 U.S. Open, the club has embraced all levels of championship golf. And these four championships continue that tradition as men and women, both professional and amateur, will be crowned national champions.”
Other USGA championships played at the club include six U.S. Amateurs (1910, 1922, 1934, 1957,1982 and 2013) as well as the 1902, 1941 and 1995 U.S. Women’s Amateurs, the 1932 and 1973 Walker Cup Matches, the 1953 U.S. Girls’ Junior and the 1968 U.S. Junior Amateur. Additionally, the club was the site of the 1999 Ryder Cup Matches, won by Team USA in a rousing final-day rally capped by Justin Leonard's clinching putt.
The Country Club was founded in 1882 and is one of the five founding member clubs of the USGA. The course started as a horse racetrack and eventually became the iconic golf course it is today through the work of club members and various architects. A full 18 holes were completed in 1899 with an additional nine holes added to the property in 1927.Course updates and changes were completed by Rees Jones in preparation for the 1988 U.S. Open, and Gil Hanse led a restoration of the course in 2019. Today, the club has three nine-hole courses – the Clyde, the Squirrel and the Primrose – with the Clyde and Squirrel nines making up the main course. A composite course, named the ‘Open Course,’ was used for the 2022 U.S. Open that consisted of 15 holes from the main course and three holes from the Primrose.
The U.S. Women’s Open is one of 15 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, Cristie Kerr and Inbee Park. Most recently, Allisen Corpuz claimed the 78th edition at Pebble Beach Golf Links by three strokes over Charley Hull and Jiyai Shin.
The U.S. Girls’ Junior was first conducted in 1949 and is open to female amateurs who have not reached their 19th birthday by the conclusion of the championship and have a Handicap Index® not exceeding 9.4. The champion of the U.S. Girls’ Junior earns an exemption into the following year’s U.S. Women’s Open. Notable U.S. Girls’ Junior champions include Mickey Wright, JoAnne Gunderson Carner, Hollis Stacy, Nancy Lopez, Inbee Park, Lexi Thompson and Minjee Lee.
One of the USGA’s three original championships, the U.S. Amateur is open to amateur golfers who have a Handicap Index® not exceeding 2.4. The championship contains a field of 312 golfers who play two 18-hole rounds of stroke play. The championship is decided by six rounds of match play, including a 36-hole final, and the champion and runner-up are invited to the following year’s U.S. Open Championship.
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