WHAT: The 67th U.S. Women’s Open
Championship will be the 13th United
States Golf Association championship
contested in Wisconsin.
WHERE: Blackwolf Run in Kohler. The
championship will be played on the
Original Championship course – a
composite layout formed from holes on
the River and Meadow Valleys courses –
which also hosted the 1998 U.S. Women’s
Open. The par-72 layout will officially
measure 6,814 yards, the longest
Women’s Open course at sea level, but
the actual length is subject to change
depending on conditions.
WHEN: July 5-8. Practice rounds and
other events – including family
activities and entertainment connected
to the Fourth of July holiday – will be
held in and around Kohler in the days
leading up to the championship.
WHO: The field will consist of 156
female professionals and amateurs.
Amateurs must have handicap indexes
not exceeding 4. 4.
TICKETS: Various options are available
here. Kids 17 and under are free with a
credentialed adult.
WHAT THEY’RE PLAYING FOR: The
champion will receive a gold medal,
possession of the Harton S. Semple
Trophy for the ensuing year and a 10-year
U.S. Women’s Open exemption. The
purse will be announced at a later date,
but last year it was $3.25 million overall,
with the winner’s share $585,000.
DEFENDING CHAMPION: So Yeon Ryu
won a three-hole aggregate playoff last
July at The Broadmoor in Colorado over
Hee Kyung Seo to win her first major
title. Both players are from South Korea.
FOR COMPLETE INFORMATION:
Visit www.2012uswomensopen.com.
The facts
few tees up for the third round, Bell said:
“Looking back, possibly. I should have done
something at 18. I could have gone forward to
another tee.”
Still, it was Blackwolf Run’s large greens that
exacted the most damage on Saturday of ‘98,
particularly because the course’s length and
the wind made it difficult to find the proper
portions of putting surfaces.
“It’s ridiculous on a few holes,” said Annika
Sorenstam after Saturday’s play in ‘98.
“It was as difficult as I’ve seen,” said Hollis
Stacy, another former U.S. Women’s Open
Champion.
LPGA legend Nancy Lopez didn’t experience
the Saturday bloodbath at Blackwolf in ’98
because she missed the cut by 10 strokes. But
she still remembers well the manner in which
course length and green size conspired
against the world’s top players.
