USGA Announces Sectional Qualifying Sites for 2014 U.S. Women's Open


The United States Golf Association has announced sectional qualifying sites for the 2014 U.S. Women's Open Championship, to be held June 19-22 at Pinehurst Resort & Country Club's Course No. 2 in the Village of Pinehurst, N.C.

Sectional qualifying, conducted over 36 holes, will take at 20 sites across the United States and four international sites between May 5 and May 30.

"Sectional qualifying is a crucial part of bringing this most democratic of championships to the world's elite players," said Daniel B. Burton, USGA vice president and chairman of the Championship Committee. "With the cooperation of our partners, both domestic and international, we look forward to welcoming the best players from across the globe to Pinehurst."

Industry Hills Golf Club, near Los Angeles, has held U.S. Women's Open sectional qualifying every year since 2010. Its Eisenhower Course was a local qualifying site in 2009 (the final year of local qualifying, which was conducted from 2002-09), and it hosted sectional qualifying in 1980 and 1982. The Eisenhower Course will also serve as a U.S. Open local qualifying site on May 6.

In addition to Industry Hills, The Heritage at Westmoor, in Westminster, Colo., and The Country Club at DC Ranch, in Scottsdale, Ariz., will host both U.S. Women's Open sectional qualifying and U.S. Open local qualifying. The Heritage at Westmoor will hold U.S. Women's Open sectional qualifying on May 14, two days after U.S. Open local qualifying. The Country Club at DC Ranch will hold U.S. Open and U.S. Women's Open qualifying on May 12 and May 28, respectively.

Quail Valley Golf Club in Vero Beach, Fla., will host both U.S. Women's Open and U.S. Open sectional qualifying, on May 30 and June 2, respectively. This will be the second time the club has hosted U.S. Open qualifying and the first time for the Women's Open.

Carolina Trace Country Club in Sanford, N.C., will host U.S. Women's Open qualifying on its Lake Course for the sixth consecutive year. Three courses will host sectional qualifying for the third time: Oak Valley Golf Club in Beaumont, Calif. (2011, 2013, 2014); Waialae Country Club in Honolulu, Hawaii (2012-14); and The Woodlands (Texas) Country Club's Player Course (2012-14). Waialae C.C. was a local qualifying site in 2002, while The Woodlands C.C. hosted Anne Sander's 1989 U.S. Senior Women's Amateur victory.

International U.S. Women's Open sectional qualifying will be conducted for the first time. Qualifying will be conducted at four sites, in the People's Republic of China, England, Japan and the Republic of Korea on May 19.

Two U.S. Women's Open champions have reached the championship through the qualifying process: Hilary Lunke (2003) and Birdie Kim (2005). Lunke won after advancing through local and sectional qualifying, while Kim competed in the sectional stage.

The U.S. Women's Open was first conducted in 1946 and its winners include notable players such as Babe Didrikson Zaharias, Betsy Rawls, Mickey Wright, Hollis Stacy, Amy Alcott, Meg Mallon, Annika Sorenstam, Se Ri Pak, Juli Inkster, Cristie Kerr, Paula Creamer and Inbee Park.

2014 U.S. Women's Open Sectional Qualifying Sites

May 5

The Honors Golf Club Dallas, Carrollton, Texas

May 12

Butler (Pa.) Country Club
Waialae Country Club, Honolulu, Hawaii

May 14

The Heritage at Westmoor, Westminster, Colo.
Oak Valley Golf Club, Beaumont, Calif.

May 19

Buckinghamshire Golf Club, Buckinghamshire, England
CGA Nanshan International Training Centre (Garden Course), Shandong, China
Higashi Nagoya Country Club, Aichi Prefecture, Japan
Woo Jeong Hills Country Club, Chungnam, Korea
Dunwoody Country Club, Atlanta, Ga.
Half Moon Bay (Calif.) Golf Links (Old Course)
Hermitage Country Club, Manakin-Sabot, Va.
Indian Hill Club, Winnetka, Ill.
North Oaks (Minn.) Golf Club

May 20

Lake Forest Country Club, St. Louis, Mo.
Rainier Golf & Country Club, Seattle, Wash.
The Woodlands (Texas) Country Club (Player Course)

May 21

Rumson (N.J.) Country Club

May 27

Industry Hills Golf Club at Pacific Palms Resort (Eisenhower Course), City of Industry, Calif.
Thorny Lea Golf Club, Brockton, Mass.

May 28

The Country Club at DC Ranch, Scottsdale, Ariz.
The Ritz-Carlton Members Golf Club, Bradenton, Fla.

May 29

Carolina Trace Country Club (Lake Course), Sanford, N.C.

May 30

Quail Valley Golf Club, Vero Beach, Fla.

Player applications are now available at www.usga.org/champs/apply. The entry deadline is 5 p.m. EDT on April 30. The championship is open to female professionals, and female amateur golfers with a Handicap Index not exceeding 2.4.

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