Historic Portland Golf Club to Host 2015 U.S. Women's Amateur


The United States Golf Association (USGA) has announced that Portland (Ore.) Golf Club will be the site of the 2015 U.S. Women's Amateur. The dates of the championship are August 10-16.

Portland's hosting of the U.S. Women's Amateur will be the second USGA championship in the Pacific Northwest in 2015; Chambers Bay in University Place, Wash., will host the U.S. Open in June of that year.

"Portland Golf Club holds a very special place in golf history," said Thomas J. O'Toole Jr., USGA vice president and chairman of the Championship Committee. "The USGA is proud to bring another championship to the club and add another page to the Portland Golf Club history book."

This will be the 33rd USGA championship conducted in the state of Oregon and the third at Portland Golf Club. In 1982, the club hosted the first of Miller Barber's record three U.S. Senior Open Championship victories, while Bill Ploeger won the 1999 USGA Senior Amateur Championship.

"We are honored to partner with the USGA in hosting the 2015 U.S. Women's Amateur Championship to kick off our second century of Portland Golf Club," said Ed Ellis, co-chairman of Portland Golf Club's U.S. Women's Amateur Championship Committee.

"We have a rich tradition of bringing major tournaments to Portland Golf Club, and we know our challenging and nationally renowned greens will provide the world's best amateur women golfers with an excellent test of their golf skills. Our members and volunteers promise to provide an exceptional experience for everyone."

Located alongside Fanno Creek in the southwest portion of the Rose City, Portland Golf Club was established in 1914 by a small group of businessmen who built the initial course based on its proximity to frequent passenger rail service from downtown Portland via the Oregon Electric Railroad. Today, the course features century-old trees, rolling hills, and undulating and lightning-fast greens.

Portland Golf Club hosted the 1946 PGA Championship, which was won by Ben Hogan, but is also known for helping revive the Ryder Cup by hosting the 1947 matches after a 10-year hiatus caused by World War II. The USA Team, which was captained by Hogan and included Walter Hagen, Jimmy Demaret, Sam Snead and Byron Nelson, defeated the British team, 11-1.

Portland Golf Club was also the place where the Golf Writers Association of America was founded. At the 1946 PGA Championship, GWAA founders Russ Newland and Charles Bartlett held the group's first meeting in an abandoned ice cream concession stand.

Champions of other tournaments at Portland Golf Club include Snead, Jack Nicklaus, Cary Middlecoff, Greg Norman, Gary Player, Payne Stewart, Fred Couples, Billy Casper, Kathy Whitworth, Donna Caponi and Nancy Lopez.

This will mark the sixth time the Women's Amateur has been conducted in Oregon, the most recent being Amanda Blumenherst's 2008 victory at Eugene Country Club.

The U.S. Women's Amateur Championship was first conducted in 1895 as one of the USGA's first three championships. It is open to female amateurs who have a USGA Handicap Index® not exceeding 5.4. The 2013 championship will be held August 5-11 at the Country Club of Charleston in South Carolina, while the 2014 championship will be held August 4-10 at Nassau Country Club in Glen Cove, N.Y. In 2016, the championship will take place August 8-14 at Rolling Green Golf Club in Springfield, Pa.

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