Cedar Rapids Country Club to Host 2019 U.S. Senior Women's Amateur Championship

(FAR HILLS, N.J.) - The United States Golf Association (USGA) today announced Cedar Rapids (Iowa) Country Club as the host site for the 58th U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur Championship. Scheduled for Aug. 24-29, 2019, this will be the first USGA championship hosted in Cedar Rapids and the third in Iowa.

“The USGA is proud to add Cedar Rapids Country Club as a championship site and is excited to engage with the Cedar Rapids community for the first time,” said Stuart Francis, USGA Championship Committee chairman. “We’re confident the Donald Ross design will provide a comprehensive examination for competitors, and that the club will be a terrific host for the family, friends and fans who attend the 2019 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur.”

Founded in 1904 and opened for play in 1915, Cedar Rapids remains the only course in Iowa designed by renowned architect Ross. In 2011, the course began a restoration project led by Ron Prichard that returned signature Ross design elements that had been lost or obscured over time. The restoration, which concluded in the spring of 2016, included the reclamation of open vistas, reestablishment of original lines of play, delivery of watershed-driven infrastructure, and green complex improvements featuring the expansion and re-contouring of 12 greens and the complete redesign of three greens.

“On behalf of all the members and staff at Cedar Rapids Country Club, I would like to thank the United States Golf Association for accepting our invitation to host the 2019 U. S. Senior Women’s Amateur Championship,” said Anne Parmley, club president. “We are honored to host this championship, and excited to share our recently restored Donald Ross golf course, club and friendly community with the world’s best senior female amateur golfers.”

In July, Cedar Rapids will host the 2017 Iowa Amateur Championship. The club has also hosted several qualifying events, including local qualifiers for the 2016 U.S. Open Championship and 2014 Drive, Chip & Putt Championship.

The 2019 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur will be the first USGA championship to be hosted in the Hawkeye State since the 1999 U.S. Senior Open Championship, won by Dave Eichelberger, at Des Moines Golf & Country Club. Prior to that, Deane Beman defeated Richard H. Sikes, 2 and 1, in the 1963 U.S. Amateur Championship final at the Wakonda Club in Des Moines.

First played in 1962, the U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur is open to female amateurs who reach their 50th birthday on or before the first day of the championship, and have a Handicap Index® not exceeding 18.4. Championship play is preceded by 18-hole sectional qualifying conducted by state and regional golf associations. From sectional qualifying, 132 players will compete in 36 holes of stroke play at Cedar Rapids Country Club, from which 64 individuals will advance into the championship’s match-play bracket that will determine the champion.

Upcoming U.S. Senior Women’s Amateurs will be contested Sept. 9-14, 2017, at Waverley Country Club, in Portland, Ore., and Oct. 6-11, 2018, at Orchid Island Golf & Beach Club, in Vero Beach, Fla.

For more information about the USGA, visit usga.org.