The United States Golf Association has selected The Olympic Club, in San Francisco, Calif., as the host site of the 76th U.S. Women’s Open in 2021. The championship, considered the world’s premier women’s golf event, will be held June 3-6.
The 2021 U.S. Women’s Open will be the 11th USGA championship contested on The Olympic Club’s Lake Course, and it will mark the first USGA women’s championship for the five-time U.S. Open host site. The first of those U.S. Opens, in 1955, was won in an 18-hole playoff by Jack Fleck over Ben Hogan, one of the biggest upsets in sports history. In 1966, Billy Casper outlasted Arnold Palmer in a Monday playoff after Palmer surrendered a seven-stroke lead over the final nine holes on Sunday. Additionally, Scott Simpson (1987), Lee Janzen (1998) and Webb Simpson (2012) each earned come-from-behind U.S. Open victories at The Olympic Club.
“We are thrilled to bring the U.S. Women’s Open to The Olympic Club, site of so many significant USGA moments, for the first time in 2021,” said Diana Murphy, USGA vice president and Championship Committee chairman. “Eleven outstanding players are enshrined in the USGA Museum’s Hall of Champions by winning at The Olympic Club, and we look forward to adding the 76th U.S. Women’s Open champion to that illustrious list.”
The Lake Course at The Olympic Club was designed by course superintendent Sam Whiting and opened for play in 1927. Today, the Lake Course remains true to its original design with minimal revisions. In 2015, the course hosted the inaugural U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Championship, won by Todd White and Nathan Smith. It also served as the host site for the 1958 U.S. Amateur, won by Charles Coe; the 1981 U.S. Amateur, won by Nathaniel Crosby; the 2004 U.S. Junior Amateur, won by Sihwan Kim; and the 2007 U.S. Amateur, won by Colt Knost.
“Hosting the 2021 U.S. Women’s Open will be a magnificent moment for the membership and staff of The Olympic Club,” said John Espiritu, club president. “San Francisco and The Olympic Club share a rich history of hosting USGA national championships, and we are honored to add the U.S. Women’s Open to our championship record. We look forward to 2021 and hosting the world’s best players on our world-class course.”
The Lake Course will become the 12th course to host both the U.S. Open and the U.S. Women’s Open, joining such notable venues as Oakmont (Pa.) Country Club, Cherry Hills Country Club in Cherry Hills Village, Colo., Pinehurst Resort & Country Club’s Course No. 2 in the Village of Pinehurst, N.C., and Champions Golf Club in Houston, which will host the 2020 U.S. Women’s Open on its Cypress Creek Course.
The 2021 U.S. Women’s Open will mark the fourth time the championship will be held in California, and the second time in a five-year span that it will be held in Northern California. On July 7-10, 2016, the 71st U.S. Women’s Open will be conducted at CordeValle, located in San Martin, providing fans with two upcoming opportunities to experience the ultimate championship in women’s golf.
California has hosted 75 USGA championships, and the 2021 U.S. Women’s Open is the 10th USGA championship scheduled for the Golden State in the coming years. In addition to this year’s U.S. Women’s Open, other upcoming USGA championships in California are the 2017 U.S. Women’s Amateur at San Diego Country Club; the 2017 U.S. Amateur at Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades; the 2017 Walker Cup Match and 2023 U.S. Open at The Los Angeles Country Club; the 2018 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball at El Caballero Country Club in Tarzana; the 2018 U.S. Amateur and 2019 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach Golf Links; and the 2021 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines Golf Course in San Diego.
The U.S. Women’s Open is one of 13 national championships conducted annually by the USGA. It is open to professional female golfers and amateur females with a Handicap Index® not exceeding 2.4. The championship was first conducted in 1946 and its winners include Babe Didrikson Zaharias, Betsy Rawls, Mickey Wright, Hollis Stacy, Annika Sorenstam, Se Ri Pak, Juli Inkster, Cristie Kerr and Inbee Park.
Upcoming U.S. Women’s Open Championships will be contested July 7-10, 2016, at CordeValle; July 13-16, 2017, at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, N.J.; May 31-June 3, 2018, at Shoal Creek (Ala.); May 30-June 2, 2019, at the Country Club of Charleston (S.C.); and June 4-7, 2020, at Champions Golf Club in Houston, Texas.
