USGA calls NCR Country Club a ‘perfect fit’ for U.S. Senior Women’s Open

“We’ve obviously got a great history with NCR Country Club,” said Matt Sawicki, senior director of USGA championships, “having hosted four previous championships at NCR. This will be the fifth. First and foremost, it’s a wonderful golf course. It’s a tremendous test for the players. It will require them to use every club in their bag. It provides the requisite test for crowning a national champion.

“But the second thing is the Dayton community. My sister’s a Flyer, so I know Dayton well. It’s a community that’s supports sports. You see that with that with everything that’s there. It’s really a community that will engage the players. When you look at the golf course, when you look at the community, it’s a perfect fit for this championship.”

NCR Country Club hosted the 1986 U.S. Women’s Open, which was won by Jane Geddes in a playoff over Sally Little; the 1998 U.S. Mid-Amateur, which was won by John “Spider” Miller; the 2005 U.S. Senior Open, won by Allen Doyle; and the 2013 USGA Women’s State Team Championship, won by New Jersey. The course was also the site of the 1969 PGA Championship, won by Raymond Floyd.

NCR Country Club opened in 1954 with two courses, the North and South, which were designed by Dick Wilson.

At NCR, preparation has already begun for the U.S. Senior Women’s Open.

“Last year, during the pandemic, we actually installed another set of tees,” said Jeff Grant, chief operating officer of NCR Country Club. “We call them our silver tees. They’re actually our forward set of tees, which our members are really enjoying. We did that in preparation for something like this to make the course playable for all different levels.”

Grant is at Brooklawn this week to see this year’s tournament, which includes golfing legend Annika Sorenstam for the first time. This is the third year the tournament has been held.

The U.S. Senior Women’s Open was first held at Chicago Golf Club in 2018 and won by Laura Davies. It moved to Pine Needles Lodge in Southern Pines, N.C., in 2019 and was won by Helen Alfredsson. The 2020 tournament was cancelled because of the pandemic.

“The nice thing about this tournament is the fans, the staff, the volunteers, the community can kind of get next to the golfers and talk to them,” Grant said, “and they’re just such a gracious group of golfers. They’re fun to be around. You recognize a ton of names.”

According to the USGA, the tournament is open to “professional females, and amateur females with a Handicap Index not exceeding 7.4, who have reached their 50th birthday as of the first day of the championship. The field will include 120 players, who will earn entry into the championship via qualifying at various sites nationwide or through an exemption category.”

Sawicki said the tournament was started because golf is a lifelong sport and they wanted to give a championship opportunity to women who want to compete past the age of 50.

“It was the right time to introduce the championship,” he said. “Our first three iterations of the championship have been wonderful. The communities and clubs where we’ve hosted have universally supported it. The players have really enjoyed it as well. So we will continue upward in our trajectory as far as this championship is concerned.”