Pennsylvania could almost claim to be the home of the U.S. Women’s Open. This week’s tournament marks the ninth time – on eight different courses – that the women’s national championship has been held in the Keystone State. That’s a record for this event.
Additionally, this will be the 83rd USGA championship in Pennsylvania, another record.
Oakmont Country Club, which will host the men’s U.S. Open next summer, is the only club to host two Women’s Opens, with Patty Sheehan (1992) and Paula Creamer (2010) taking home the trophies. Mickey Wright won the second of her four Women’s Opens in 1959 at Churchill Valley Country Club in Pittsburgh. JoAnne Carner won both of her Women’s Opens here: at Kahkwa Club in Erie in 1971 and at Rolling Hills in Springfield in 1976.
A look at the Pennsylvania Women’s Opens:
1952: Louise Suggs, 284; Marlene Bauer, Betty Jameson, 291; Bala GC, Philadelphia
1959: Mickey Wright, 287 (+7); Louise Suggs, 289; Churchill Valley CC, Pittsburgh
1968: Susie Maxwell Berning, 289 (+5); Mickey Wright, 292; Moselem Springs GC, Fleetwood, Pa.
1971: JoAnne Carner, 288 (E); Kathy Whitworth, 295; Kahkwa Club, Erie, Pa.
1976: JoAnne Carner, 292 (+8), 76; Sandra Palmer, 292, 78; Rolling Green GC, Springfield, Pa. (playoff)
1992: Patty Sheehan, 280 (-4), 72; Juli Inkster, 280, 74; Oakmont CC
2009: Eun-Hee Ji 284 (E); Candie Kung 285; Saucon Valley CC (Old Course), Bethlehem, Pa.
2010: Paula Creamer 281 (-3); Na Yeon Choi, Suzann Pettersen 285; Oakmont CC
Historic Lancaster CC makes debut
Lancaster Country Club is a historic venue. Just note that the course architect, William Flynn, grew up in Massachusetts with Francis Quimet, the amateur who won the 1913 U.S. Open and was made famous all over again by the movie, “The Greatest Game Ever Played.”
Flynn was the course superintendent at Merion Golf Club in Philadelphia when he was asked to design the course two hours west at Lancaster in 1919. Flynn was so smitten with the design that he returned annually to tweak the layout until his death in 1945. Among his other designs were Cherry Hills in Denver and Shinnecock Hills in Southampton, N.Y.
Lancaster measures only 6,850 yards from its back tees and will play approximately 6,400 yards for the Women’s Open. However, at par 70 and with the majority of the drives into slopes, the course will play much longer. The Conestoga River divides the property, with the third, fourth, fifth and sixth holes separated from the rest of the course. There will be six par 4s measuring more than 400 yards, culminating with the 437-yard 18th hole.
Wie’s wait
Michelle Wie had the biggest moment of her professional career last summer when she won the U.S. Women’s Open at Pinehurst No. 2. The win came a week after the men played the Donald Ross course in the Sandhills of North Carolina and re-established Wie as one of the game’s top performers.
What has followed has been disappointing for the 25-year-old Hawaii native. In late July 2014, Wie revealed that she had a right finger injury. She was sidelined nearly three months before retuning in October to finish T5 at the LPGA KEB Hana Bank Championship, T3 at the Blue Bay Championship and T5 at the CME Group Championship to conclude the season. Additionally, she was on the October cover of Golf Digest, the first woman to be the main cover image since Lorena Ochoa in August 2008.
Just when you thought she would be ready to tackle 2015, Wie has been hampered by a hip injury. Her best finish has been a T11 at her home-state LPGA Lotte Championship.
“The year is still long,” Wie said at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. “Unfortunately, health has been a slight issue with injuries and whatnot late last year and early this year. But like I said, the season is still very long and I think I’m doing the right things to get back to being fully healthy. So I’m just trying to be patient and listen to my body.”
Choi’s challenge
Na Yeon Choi captured the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship two weeks ago and could create a fivesome of players who have won the event before the U.S. Women’s Open and then the Women’s Open.
These include:
| Player | Year | Event Before | Noteworthy |
| Mickey Wright | 1964 | Waldemar Open | Won two consecutive before victory at San Diego CC |
| Carol Mann | 1965 | Carling Open | Won at Atlantic City (N.J.) CC |
| Amy Alcott | 1980 | Mayflower Classic | Won by nine strokes at Richland CC in Nashville, Tenn. |
| Inbee Park | 2013 | LPGA | Won LPGA, Walmart NW Arkansas before Sebonack victory |
Lee’s legacy
Alison Lee must feel confident heading into this week’s U.S. Women’s Open. The Californian had to change her qualifying plans after the Kingsmill Championship in mid-May spilled over to a Monday finish. After missing her qualifier in Richmond, Va., Lee quickly flew home and was inserted in a California qualifier, making it to this year’s U.S. Women’s Open.
The tournament site alone is special. In 2009, Lee, then age 14, tied for 26th at Saucon Valley CC in Bethlehem, Pa., about an hour northeast of Lancaster.
Four years later, Lee came back to Pennsylvania and captured the 2013 American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) Tournament of Champions at Lancaster CC. She fired four rounds of par or better over the 6,000-yard course to finish at 4-under par and win by six strokes.
Here’s another note of momentum for Lee: This year’s Women’s Open is scheduled to conclude on July 12, the same date she won the 2013 AJGA event.
Fox’s women’s debut
Fox is making its debut in broadcasting the U.S. Women’s Open this week.
The Fox talent includes: Announcer, Joe Buck; Analysts, Greg Norman and Juli Inkster; Hole Announcer, Steve Flesch; Hole Announcer/Studio, Brad Faxon; Course Reporters, Scott McCarron, Debbie Doniger, Jay Delsing; Featured group reporters, Charles Davis, Buddy Marucci, Robert Damron; Reporter, Shane O’Donoghue; Rules Analyst, David Fay; Studio Host, Holly Sonders. , Natalie Gulbis was scheduled to be on the broadcast, but she qualified and will not participate in the broadcast unless she misses the cut, a Fox spokesman said.
The schedule for coverage this week: Fox Sports I, Thursday and Friday, 2-7 p.m., EDT; Fox, Saturday and Sunday, 2:30-6:30.
Etc.
Laura Davies will be making her 26th U.S. Women’s Open appearance this week. Karrie Webb will be making her 20th consecutive appearance in the U.S. Women’s Open (1996-2015). This will be also be Cristie Kerr’s 20th Women’s Open …. Future sites of the Women’s Open: July 7-10, 2016: CordeValle, San Martin, Calif.; July 13-16, 2017: Trump National G.C. (Old Course), Bedminster, N.J.; May 31-June 3, 2018: Shoal Creek (Ala.). … Here’s an amateur to watch out for at the Women’s Open: 17-year-old Chandler, Ariz., resident Hannah O’Sullivan. She won the season-opening Epson Tour event in Mesa, Ariz., was the qualifying medalist for the Women’s Open in early June at Woodburn, Ore., and won the AJGA Tournament of Champions last week by six strokes, setting a new tournament scoring record of 14-under 274 at Sunriver Resort's Crosswater Course in Oregon.
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