Jimmie Austin OU Golf Club to Host 2013 U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links


Jimmie Austin OU Golf Club in Norman, Okla., has been selected by the United States Golf Association to host the 2013 U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links Championship. The dates of the championship are June 17-22.

Jimmie Austin OU Golf Club, which opened in 1951, was designed by Perry Maxwell. Extensive revisions were made by Robert Cupp in 1996. The greens and bunkers were resurfaced in 2007 and architect Tripp Davis redesigned the fifth hole in 2010. Before it became the grounds of the Jimmie Austin OU Golf Club, the land was home to a U.S. Navy recreational facility, which served as an annex to the Norman Naval Air Station starting in the mid-1940s.

This will be the second USGA championship held at the club. In 2009, Brad Benjamin won the U.S. Amateur Public Links, defeating Nick Taylor in the championship final. The club has also served as the site of state, regional and collegiate events, including the 1997 NCAA Men's Regional, the 1997 Oklahoma State Amateur Championship and the 1998 and 2010 Big 12 Women's Golf Championships. The club will also host an NCAA Men's Regional in 2012 and an NCAA Women's Regional in 2013.

The facility serves as the home course for the University of Oklahoma men's and women's golf teams and features the Charlie Coe Golf Center, a 7,000-square-foot, indoor-outdoor practice facility.

Coe, the 1949 and 1958 U.S. Amateur champion and a six-time member of the USA Walker Cup Team who played at the University of Oklahoma, is one of several well-known players to have called Jimmie Austin home. Others who competed for the university and played at Jimmie Austin include 1933 NCAA men's champion Walter Emery, 1952 NCAA men's champion Jimmy Vickers, 1999 U.S. Amateur Public Links champion Hunter Haas, 2004 British Open champion Todd Hamilton and three-time PGA Tour winner Anthony Kim. In addition, the Oklahoma men's golf squad claimed the 1989 NCAA Team Championship.

"It is very exciting to have been chosen as the host site of the 2013 U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links Championship," said Rodney Young, director of golf at Jimmie Austin OU Golf Club. "After hosting the 2009 U.S. Amateur Public Links, we immediately knew we wanted to host another USGA national championship, and to be able to welcome the women in 2013 is a tremendous addition to our run of championship events at Jimmie Austin.

"As a university-owned golf facility, it could not be more fitting to be able to host some of the top men's and women's amateur golfers in the country at these two distinguished championships."

The U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links Championship was first played in 1977. It is open to female amateur public course players with a USGA Handicap Index not exceeding 18.4. In 2012, the U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links will be played at Neshanic Valley Golf Course in Neshanic Station, N.J., from June 18-23.

The above report is courtesy of the USGA. For more information, visit www.usga.org.