USGA to return to Portland for two Senior Amateur Championships
LIBERTY CORNER, N.J. (Aug. 30, 2023) – After a thrilling conclusion to the 2023 U.S. Senior Women’s Open, the USGA announced today that it will return to Portland for two more senior championships. Portland (Ore.) Golf Club will be the host site for the 2026 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur and 2034 U.S. Senior Amateur. The club has previously hosted three USGA championships.
“We are excited to return to Portland Golf Club, which not only has a fantastic golf course, but a supportive and engaged membership familiar with USGA championships,” said Mark Hill, USGA managing director, Championships. “We are appreciative of the invitation and look forward to welcoming the best male and female senior amateurs from around the world.”
Portland Golf Club, established in 1914, is regarded as one of the most prestigious and challenging clubs in the Pacific Northwest. The club’s location was chosen due to its proximity to the Spokane, Portland and Seattle railroad lines, and its course was designed by the club’s founding members. In 1946, Ben Hogan won the first of his nine major championships at Portland when it hosted the PGA Championship. In 1947, following a decade-long hiatus, the USA Team won the 7th Ryder Cup over Great Britain and Ireland led by playing captain Hogan, Byron Nelson and Jimmy Demaret.
“Portland Golf Club has a long history of hosting major professional and amateur golf championships,” said Cameron Johnson, club president. “Some of the game’s finest players have walked our fairways. We look forward to continuing our relationship with the USGA for the next decade, and seeing some of the game’s finest amateurs compete at our world-class venue.”
In 1964, Portland underwent a significant redesign by Robert Trent Jones Sr., who is attributed as the course designer. Through decades of championship tradition, Portland’s tree-lined fairways and challenging green complexes have defined the club’s character.
Miller Barber won the 1982 U.S. Senior Open at Portland Golf Club, Bill Ploeger won the 1999 U.S. Senior Amateur, and Hannah O’Sullivan won the 2015 U.S. Women’s Amateur at the historic venue. Among the legendary champions who have competed at Portland are Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Bob Jones.
Portland has also hosted eight PGA Portland Opens, five LPGA Portland Classics, the 1955 Western Open and numerous state and regional amateur competitions. Among the winners of the Portland Open, a PGA Tour event, were Nicklaus (twice, in 1964 and 1965), Billy Casper (twice), Sam Snead and Hogan. Kathy Whitworth, the winningest player in golf history with 88 LPGA titles, won the first two LPGA Portland Classic titles in 1972 and 1973, while winners of the event also include two-time U.S. Women’s Open champion Donna Caponi in 1975, and Nancy Lopez (with Jo Ann Washam) in 1979, the last time it was contested at Portland Golf Club, as a team event.
The U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur Championship is open to any female golfer who is 50 years of age and whose Handicap Index® does not exceed 14.4. The U.S. Senior Amateur is open to any golfer who is 55 years of age and whose Handicap Index® does not exceed 7.4.The Senior Women’s Amateur has a starting field of 132 players, while the Senior Amateur begins with 156 players. Both championships hold two rounds of stroke play, after which the field is cut to the top 64 players for match play. Five 18-hole rounds of match play determine the finalists, who square off in an 18-hole championship match.
This year’s U.S. Senior Amateur is underway now at Martis Camp Club in Truckee, Calif., ending on Aug. 31, and the 2023 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur will be held at Troon Country Club in Scottsdale, Ariz., from Sept. 30-Oct. 5.
About the USGA
The USGA is a nonprofit organization that celebrates, serves and advances the game of golf. Founded in 1894, we conduct many of golf’s premier professional and amateur championships, including the U.S. Open and U.S. Women’s Open. With The R&A, we govern the sport via a global set of playing, equipment, handicapping and amateur status rules. The USGA campus in Liberty Corner, New Jersey, is home to the Association’s Research and Test Center, where science and innovation are fueling a healthy and sustainable game for the future. The campus is also home to the USGA Golf Museum, where we honor the game by curating the world’s most comprehensive archive of golf artifacts. To learn more, visit usga.org.
