Lake Merced Golf Club in
Daly City, Calif., and Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club in North Plains, Ore. have been
chosen as the host sites for the 2003 and 2004 U.S. Women's Opens, respectively,
as announced by the Women's Committee of the United States Golf Association.
Lake Merced is a 1923 Willie
Lock design, which was revised in 1929 by Alister MacKenzie and then completely
rebuilt by Robert Muir Graves in 1965 because of highway construction that took
12 acres of club property. Rees Jones also worked on a revision in 1996.
Lake Merced has previously
hosted the 1990 U.S. Junior Amateur, won by Matthew Todd. The 1990 Junior Amateur
was the first USGA championship for then-14-year-old Tiger Woods, who lost, 3
and 2, in the semifinals to Dennis Hillman.
"We're excited to be the
host venue for the Women's Open," said co-general chairman Bo Links. "This is
a great sports town, a great women's sports town, and the Women's Open will add
immensely to the rich athletic history of the Bay Area."
USGA Executive Committee
member Dr. Merton Goode is a member of Lake Merced as is former San Francisco
Giant baseball great Willie McCovey.
Lake Merced has hosted
the Northern California Golf Association Junior Championship approximately 40
times since its inception in 1930. Member Gary Shemano won the 1989 French Amateur.
Dorothy Delasin, who won the 1996 U.S. Girls' Junior and 1999 U.S. Women's Amateur,
is an honorary member of the club.
Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club's
Witch Hollow course has previously hosted the 1996 U.S. Amateur and the 1997
U.S. Women's Open. From July 31-August 5, both the Witch Hollow and Ghost Creek
courses will host the 2000 Junior Amateur and Girls' Junior Championships.
"We are very excited to
have the U.S. Women's Open back at Pumpkin Ridge," said Gay Davis, one of the
founding partners at the Portland area-based facility. "The '97 Women's Open
is still fresh in our minds. There is no question that the community in Portland
will generously support the Women's Open."
Pumpkin Ridge, a Bob Cupp
design which opened in 1992, is the site of the record-setting third straight
U.S. Amateur championship for Tiger Woods in 1996. In 1997, record crowds of
nearly 110,000 watched Alison Nicholas win the Women's Open over Nancy Lopez.
Prior to Lake Merced and
Pumpkin Ridge, the U.S. Women's Open will be conducted July 20-23, 2000 at the
Merit Club in Gurnee, Ill.; May 31-June 3, 2001 at Pine Needles Lodge and Country
Club in Southern Pines, N.C.; and July 4-7, 2002 at Prairie Dunes Country Club
in Hutchinson, Kan.
