First U.S. Senior Women's Open coming to Chicago next year
Contrary to reports, there will be another U.S. Open in the Midwest soon. In fact, there'll be one as soon as next year, and in Chicago to boot.
The U.S. Golf Association will stage its first U.S. Senior Women's Open at Chicago Golf Club from July 12-15, 2018, and tournament director Matt Sawicki talked it up with some media members on Wednesday.
Unlike The Legends Tour, which is for LPGA players who have reached their 45th birthday, the U.S. Senior Women's Open will begin with those who have turned 50. Sawicki has met with many of who were once LPGA Tour players.
"Their enthusiasm was off the charts," said Sawicki. "We'll treat it as any of our U.S. Open championships. There'll be courtesy cars, grandstands, flags. That's how meaningful it is to us. We thought about doing this for a long time. Now is the right time."
There'll be 120 players in the finals, most of whom will be determined at 15 nationwide qualifying tournaments next spring.
And the U.S. Senior Women's Open won't be the newest USGA national championship for long. USGA executive director Mike Davis says a tournament for the disabled is in the works for 2020.
Love connection:
Davis Love III played in 23 U.S. Opens and captained two U.S. Ryder Cup teams - a heartbreaking loss at Medinah in 2012 and a rousing victory at Hazeltine last year. Today he'll be a caddie at Erin Hills.
Love's son Dru, 23, will be making his professional debut. Davis tried to qualify for the Open as a player but didn't survive a sectional qualifier in Columbus, Ohio. But he's perfectly happy lugging his son's bag around the course.
Dru played collegiately at Alabama and was the first alternate in his U.S. Open sectional qualifier in Georgia after shooting 67-69. He landed the first alternate spot in a playoff and got into the 156-man starting field when the exemption categories closed. He thinks playing for money will help his game.
"A lot of people tell me I'm more geared toward this style of golf," he said. "I can get a little lackadaisical when something isn't on the line. A little more pressure and more focus is what I need, and playing for a livelihood is just that."
Forget the fescue:
The U.S. Golf Association ordered a weed whacking in some of Erin Hills' thickest roughs after the players began their practice rounds. Rory McIlroy didn't like it.
"We have 60 yards from left line to right line," said McIlroy. "You've got 156 of the best players in the world here. If we can't hit it within that avenue you might as well pack your bags and go home. These are the widest fairways we've ever played in a U.S. Open. Even the first and second cut is another 10 yards on top of that. If guys can't put it into play within a 50-yard zone I don't think they've got much to complain about."
Where's Phil?
Phil Mickelson has said he will miss the U.S. Open to attend his daughter Amanda's high school graduation in Carlsbad, Calif. He his caddie Jim Mackay is here. So are other embers of his support staff and Mickelson hadn't formally withdrawn as of Wednesday.
He has a 2:20 p.m. tee time but he couldn't listen to his daughter's graduation speech and make his tee time unless there was a significant weather delay at Erin Hills, and rain is in the forecast. Mickelson hasn't missed the U.S. Open since 1993.