www.usga.org/seniorwomensam
Sept. 17-22, 2016
Wellesley (Mass.) Country Club, wellesleycc.com
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PAR AND YARDAGE
Wellesley Country Club will be set up at 6,049 yards and will play to a par of 36-38–74. (NOTE: yardages subject to change)
WELLESLEY COUNTRY CLUB HOLE BY HOLE
Hole 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Total
Par 4 3 4 4 4 5 3 4 5 36
Yards 355 146 355 330 344 439 154 374 425 2,922
Hole 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Total
Par 4 5 3 5 4 3 4 5 5 38
Yards 310 426 135 450 354 146 346 493 467 3,127
COURSE RATING
Based on the course setup for the championship, the Course Rating™ is 76.0. Its Slope Rating® is 134.
ABOUT WELLESLEY COUNTRY CLUB
Wellesley Country Club, located 15 miles west of Boston, was founded in 1910. Famed golf course architect Donald Ross designed the original nine-hole layout, and Wayne Stiles remodeled the course in the 1920s. The course was expanded to 18 holes in 1961 under the direction of Geoffrey Cornish. Brian Silva, Craig Schreiner and Mark Mungeam made later modifications. The club has hosted numerous state and regional events, including three Massachusetts Opens and five Massachusetts Women’s Opens.
This will be the second USGA championship conducted at Wellesley Country Club. The club also hosted the 2003 USGA Women’s State Team Championship won by the Ohio team of Emily Bastel, Lynn Thompson and Heather Zielinski.
WHO CAN ENTER
The championship is open to female amateurs who have reached their 50th birthday by Sept. 17 and who have a Handicap Index® not exceeding 18.4.
ENTRIES
The USGA received 502 entries for the 2016 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur Championship. The record is 554, set in 2014.
SECTIONAL QUALIFYING
Sectional qualifying, played over 18 holes, was conducted at 25 sites between Aug. 15 and Sept. 1.
ADMISSION
Admission is free. Tickets are not required and spectators are encouraged to attend.
SCHEDULE
Saturday, Sept. 17 – First round, stroke play
Sunday, Sept. 18 – Second round, stroke play (field reduced to 64 players for match play)
Monday, Sept. 19 – First round, match play
Tuesday, Sept. 20 – Second and third rounds, match play
Wednesday, Sept. 21 – Quarterfinal and semifinal rounds, match play
Thursday, Sept. 22 – 18-hole championship final, match play
WHAT THE WINNER RECEIVES
A gold medal and custody of the Senior Women’s Amateur Trophy for one year
Exemption from qualifying for the next two U.S. Women's Amateurs
Exemption from qualifying for the next two U.S. Women's Mid-Amateurs
Exemption from qualifying for the next 10 U.S. Senior Women's Amateurs
FIELD AND EXEMPT PLAYERS
A field of 132 golfers will compete in the U.S. Senior Women's Amateur Championship. The following 15 players were exempt from qualifying:
Tama Caldabaugh (2015 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur semifinalist)
Macarena Campomanes (2016 International European Senior Ladies Championship)
Julie Carmichael (2015 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur quarterfinalist)
Susan Cohn (2013 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur runner-up; 2015 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur semifinalist)
Jane Fitzgerald (2015 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur quarterfinalist)
Karen Garcia (2015 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur champion)
Mina Hardin (2010 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur champion)
Sherry Herman (2009 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur champion)
Pamela Kuong (2015 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur runner-up)
Judith Kyrinis (2014 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur runner-up)
Diane Lang (2006 and 2008 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur champion)
Maggie Leef (2015 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur quarterfinalist)
Kareen Markle (2014 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur semifinalist)
Ellen Port (2012 and 2013 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur champion)
Anna Schultz (2007 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur champion)
CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY
The U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur Championship was inaugurated in 1962 for female golfers age 50 and older. By the late 1950s, a number of senior women’s golf organizations had been formed, principally to conduct tournaments, but there was no existing tournament to determine the national champion. The USGA was requested to step in, and in January 1962, the Executive Committee approved such a competition.
In its own quiet way, senior women’s golf has flourished over the years. Several major competitions have sprung up throughout the country, and with the expansion of women’s golf, the number of quality senior players has increased dramatically. Many women, age 50 and over, for the first time find they have the requisite time for top-level competitive golf. Additionally, some of the nation’s finest amateurs have advanced into this age group and still seek to test their talent on a championship level. Many women who enter these competitions have also been instrumental in the development of women’s golf in this country, encouraging younger players and conducting tournaments at all levels.
2015 CHAMPION
Karen Garcia, of Cool, Calif., defeated Pamela Kuong, of Wellesley Hills, Mass., 1 up, in the final match to win the 2015 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur Championship, conducted at the 5,857-yard, par-72 Hillwood Country Club in Nashville, Tenn.
It was the first USGA championship victory for Garcia, a 53-year-old high school guidance counselor. In defeating Kuong, Garcia’s longtime friend, Garcia showed a combination of power and short-game touch that proved worthy of a champion. In order to reach the afternoon final, both players survived morning semifinal matches, which were pushed to the same day as the championship round due to extensive weather delays earlier in the week. Garcia defeated 2013 Senior Women’s Amateur runner-up Sue Cohn, 1 up, and Kuong survived a 21-hole match with Tama Caldabaugh.
For more information about the 2015 championship, visit usga.org/championships/2015/u-s--senior-women-s-amateur.html.
FUTURE U.S. SENIOR WOMEN'S AMATEURS
Sept. 9-14, 2017 – Waverley Country Club, Portland, Ore.
Sept. 29 – Oct. 4, 2018 – Orchid Island Golf & Beach Club, Vero Beach, Fla.
MASSACHUSETTS AND THE USGA
The 2016 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur will be the 56th USGA championship conducted in Massachusetts. The state’s rich USGA history dates back to 1897 when the third U.S. Women’s Amateur, won by Beatrix Hoyt, was hosted at Essex County Club in Manchester-by-the-Sea. The 2010 Curtis Cup Match – also contested at Essex County Club – is the most recent USGA championship in Massachusetts.
Upcoming USGA championships in Massachusetts include the 2017 U.S. Senior Open at Salem Country Club in Peabody, the 2022 U.S. Open at The Country Club in Brookline, and the 2022 U.S. Senior Amateur at The Kittansett Club in Marion.
MEDIA CREDENTIALS / PHOTO MEDIA SERVICE
Apply for credentials at usga.org/media.html. The USGA will offer daily, complimentary high-resolution photographs during the Senior Women’s Amateur strictly for editorial use. For more information and to register for the USGA’s digital photo archive, email photorequests@usga.org.
ON-SITE MEDIA LOGISTICS
The Media Center is located in the Founder’s Room, immediately adjacent to player dining. Parking for media will be in the main lot at Wellesley.
USGA MEDIA CONTACT
Please contact Hunki Yun for more information regarding 2016 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur coverage at hyun@usga.org, 908-326-1879 (office) or 917-856-1998 (mobile).
Additional media information is available at the USGA’s Online Media Center: usga.org/onlinemediacenter.