There have been 24 USGA championships staged in Maryland.
The U.S. Golf Association is making a splash in the Old Line State.
There are five championships coming to Maryland, the USGA announced Tuesday morning, three for Woodmont Country Club and two more for Columbia Country Club.
The Adaptive Open, which debuted in 2022, is headed to Woodmont, located in Rockville, about 20 miles north of Washington, D.C., in 2025 and 2026. The private club was established in 1913 and moved to its current location in 1950. It will also host the 2028 U.S. Junior Amateur.
Columbia CC, in Chevy Chase, is about seven miles north of D.C. and will host two senior events, the 2027 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur and the 2035 U.S. Senior Amateur.
The USGA last held an event in Maryland in 2021 and will now have five over an 11-year period.
“We are excited to return to Maryland, which is home not only to historic golf venues, but also supportive and engaged fans familiar with USGA championships,” said John Bodenhamer, USGA chief championships officer. “We know that Woodmont Country Club, Columbia Country Club and the surrounding communities will be thoroughly engaged in hosting these five championships.”
Rose Zhang won the 2020 U.S. Women’s Amateur at Woodmont. It took her 38 holes to knock out Gabi Ruffels, making it the second-longest match in championship history.
The Adaptive Open is the USGA’s 15th national championship.
Columbia Country Club, which dates back to 1911, most recently hosted the 2021 U.S. Girls’ Junior, also won by Zhang, who became the eighth player to win both the Girls’ Junior and the Women’s Amateur titles. Zhang also became the only player to win the Women’s Amateur prior to winning the Girls’ Junior.
There have been 24 USGA championships staged in Maryland.
Rumor has it the 16th at Columbia Country Club inspired Bobby Jones for No. 12 at Augusta National.
As a 19-year-old competing in the 1921 U.S. Open at Columbia Country Club, Bobby Jones finished T-5 and lost low-amateur honors by one shot.
Rumor has it his favorite hole at the hilly course just north of Washington, D.C. – host of this week’s U.S. Girls’ Junior – was the par-3 16th. The tee shot is a tricky one. The long and narrow, multi-tiered green is guarded in the front by water, as well as two bunkers, one in front and one behind.
Sound familiar?
Word around the club is the hole served as Jones’ inspiration for the 12th hole at Augusta National Golf Club, which opened for play in 1932, 11 years after Jones played in the U.S. Open at Columbia CC.
No. 12 at Augusta National (top) and No. 16 at Columbia Country Club (bottom).
Due to its proximity to the nation’s capital, the club is steeped in history and boasts an impressive array of members, like former United States presidents Barack Obama and Richard Nixon. Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon, hosts of Pardon the Interruption on ESPN, are also members.
This year marks the 100-year anniversary of Columbia hosting the 1921 U.S. Open, its first USGA championship. Prior to this week’s U.S. Girls’ Junior, the club also hosted the 2003 U.S. Junior, won by now two-time PGA Tour winner Brian Harman, and is one of 15 clubs to host a USGA girls and boys junior event.
Back in 1921, President Warren Harding presented the U.S. Open trophy to Jim Barnes. President Obama got involved earlier this week, welcoming the girls to the club with a letter placed inside their lockers.
It’s the first practice round today at Columbia Country Club ahead of the 72nd #USGirlsJunior.
All the players were greeted by this letter in their lockers from one of the club’s more recognizable members 👀 pic.twitter.com/88eDYHmHBW
“I think the idea just kind of blossomed,” said Columbia’s general manager William Duthe. “I had reached out to a member of (Obama’s) staff, and one of our members has a relationship with him. And we had kind of reached out to say, ‘Hey, since you’re a member here, how cool would it be if you could play a role in this championship?’”
“I think a bunch of different ideas were bounced around, and this ended up being what everyone ran with, and I think it was the most personal way to connect with the girls,” continued Duthe. “Seeing their facial expressions coming out, it was really cool.”
Establishing a culture
A rare occurrence in the golf world, only three head golf professionals have worked at the club since it opened in 1911: 1908 U.S. Open champion Fred McLeod, William Strausbaugh and current head PGA professional Robert Dolan. How does that happen?
“I think part is the culture within the membership. It goes back to when they founded the club,” said Duthe. “My predecessor, he was general manager for 36 years. The members truly take an interest in the employees, which kind of creates this family-type bond between the two. If you look department by department, in the hospitality industry there’s a lot of turnover. But here, there tends not to be.”
The club has around 1,500 member families, with a little over 1,000 golfing members. Up until the COVID-19 pandemic, Columbia CC never had tee times. After the championship ends on Saturday, the club will transition back to not having tee times.
“That’s part of the spirit of the club,” explained Duthe. “You can show up, and you could be a low handicap or a high handicap and just want to come out and play golf and our matchmaker is going to pair you together and going to construct a great match for you to play on what we think is an incredible match play golf course. “
“The membership kind of embraces that tradition and that culture, that’s part of who we are.”
Birdies have been few and far between at Columbia Country Club for the U.S. Girls’ Junior, but the upsets were plenty to start match play.
CHEVY CHASE, Md. — Birdies have been few and far between at Columbia Country Club so far this week at the U.S. Girls’ Junior, and the opening round of match play was no different.
Take stroke-play medalist Rose Zhang, for example. The 18-year-old incoming freshman at Stanford was first out Wednesday morning and made quick work of her opponent, winning 6-and-4 by claiming seven holes, only two with birdie.
“Overall I think I played pretty solid. I had a very solid game plan of just trying to minimize any mistakes,” said the reigning U.S. Women’s Amateur champion. “I know I am playing against another competitor, and in match play you can’t really think about the first two days. When you go out there you have to be able to bring out your game, and that’s what I tried to do.”
“I just played consistent, par golf, and that really helped me,” said Zhang, whose 8-under 62 on Tuesday was a course record.
That match set the pace for the day, with par being good enough to win a lot of the time at the hilly course just outside Washington, D.C. Caddies and members like to joke that there are only two flat lies at Columbia, on the tee and in your pocket.
Five of the top-10 seeds lost and four matches went to extra holes, including two that went to 21 holes. Rianne Mikhaela Malixi beat Kynadie Adams to set up a Thursday morning match against Zhang, while Isabella Van der Biest defeated Lion Higo.
Yunxuan Zhang birdied the 18th hole to take Lauren Sammon to a playoff, where she made another birdie for the win. The dramatic victory of the day came late in the afternoon, courtesy of local talent Bailey Davis. The White Plains, Maryland, native was back-and-forth with Chloe Johnson all match before holing out from 75 yards out for eagle to win on the first extra hole.
“That was probably my best shot of my golf career,” said Davis, who’s bound for Tennessee this fall. “I pretty much knew she was out of the hole at that point, she wasn’t going to make birdie, so I was really just trying to make par, so I said, ‘Just put it on the green, try to put it close if you can, but really we just want to walk away with a two-putt.’”
“My caddie said, ‘If you put it in the hole I’m giving you $500,’ and I put it in the hole.”
The big upset of the day was Avery Zweig’s 4-and-2 defeat of No. 2 seed Xin (Cindy) Kou. Zweig qualified for match play via a 9-for-4 playoff Tuesday night that she almost didn’t return for. The 14-year-old, who made her LPGA debut last week, was at the hotel eating Cheesecake Factory when she realized she had a shot.
“And then my caddie was like, ‘Well, if it’s more than a 4-for-1 I don’t think we’re going to go.’ And then at that time it was 9-for-1 or something, and I said, ‘Well, I at least need to try,'” explained Zweig.
Good thing she did.
Thursday’s Round of 32 matches begin at 7 a.m. ET, with the Round of 16 to follow in the afternoon. The full list of matches can be found here.
Everything you need to know for Wednesday’s Round of 64.
After two rounds of stroke play, the U.S. Girls’ Junior transitions into four grueling days of match play to decide a champion.
Reigning U.S. Women’s Amateur champion Rose Zhang claimed medalist honors at 9 under thanks to a course-record 8-under 62 during Tuesday’s second round at Columbia Country Club in Chevy Chase, Maryland. Incoming USC freshman Xin (Cindy) Kou finished second at 6 under after a 2-under 68 and was the only other player under par.
Thirty-six holes weren’t enough, leading to a 9-for-4 playoff for the final match play spots. The first playoff hole was the par-3 16th, a hole that’s said to have inspired Bobby Jones for No. 12 at Augusta National Golf Club. Yoko Tai and Chloe Johnson qualified first with birdies, sending Regina Plascencia, Avery Zweig, Alexandra Gazzoli and Lauren Nguyen into a 4-for-2 playoff after each made par. Zweig and Nguyen made birdie to advance.
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The Round of 64 will be contested on Wednesday, with the Rounds of 32 and 16 on Thursday, the quarterfinals and semifinals on Friday and the 36-hole final match on Saturday.
Check out all the matches in the Round of 64 below:
The previous record at Columbia Country Club was 65.
“Legit could have been a 59. It was a clinic.”
Doug Hurson had a front-row seat to Rose Zhang’s course record 8-under 62 in the second round of the U.S. Girls’ Junior on Tuesday and was blown away by the 18-year-old’s performance.
“One of those rounds I will remember every shot,” added Hurson, Zhang’s caddie this week at Columbia Country Club in Chevy Chase, Maryland, where he’s a two-time club champion. The previous record was 65.
After a 1-under 69 on Monday, Zhang entered the day three shots back but quickly took the lead from Cindy Kou, an incoming USC freshman. Zhang started on the back nine – players tee off on Nos. 1 and 11 this week – and began the round with four straight pars. From there the incoming Stanford freshman would birdie eight of her last 14 holes, including four in a row at the turn from Nos. 18-3.
Rose Zhang shot an 8-under 62 in the second round of stroke play in the 72nd #USGirlsJunior, tying the championship record and establishing a new competitive course record at Columbia C.C. pic.twitter.com/FDFVDiH916
“I just had really good course management,” Zhang said of her bogey-free 62. “Every single shot I hit, I felt confident with what I had in my hands. When I went up to the greens, I over-read most of them, which you have to do on this course, and a lot of putts dropped. Everything worked pretty well for me, even my misses I was able to work with them.”
At 9 under and atop the leaderboard, the reigning U.S. Women’s Amateur champion now shifts her attention to match play and Wednesday’s Round of 64.
“I’m very excited, I’m definitely going to be a little more aggressive in match play,” said Zhang of her mindset going forward this week. “That’s usually my game plan.”
More aggressive after an 8-under 62? Good luck, field.
Think your summer is busy? Get a load of Rose Zhang’s competition schedule, which has her bouncing across continents.
CHEVY CHASE, Maryland — LeBron James loves playing in Madison Square Garden. Rafael Nadal is the “King of Clay” in tennis. Tiger Woods dominated at Firestone. And Bay Hill. And Torrey Pines. You get the picture.
After defeating defending champion Gabriella Ruffels in 38 holes to win the U.S. Women’s Amateur last summer at Woodmont Country Club in Rockville, Maryland, you’d think Rose Zhang would be riding the good vibes seven miles down the road this week at Columbia Country Club for the U.S. Girls’ Junior.
“I never thought about it,” said Zhang, “but now people tell me I’m like, ‘Oh, yeah, Maryland’s great.’”
When you’re as successful as Zhang has been at just 18 years old, it must be easier to remember where you haven’t played well compared to where you have. The incoming Stanford freshman is currently the No. 1 women’s amateur golfer in the world, finished T-11 in the 2020 ANA Inspiration, won the Rolex Girls Junior Championship, the Ping Invitational and the Rolex Tournament of Champions. Oh yeah, don’t forget her T-3 at this year’s Augusta National Women’s Amateur.
With a resume like that and her title defense at the U.S. Women’s Amateur quickly approaching, what’s Zhang doing at a junior event?
“It’s my last U.S. Girls and it’s going to be the last chance that I can play with the juniors,” explained Zhang. “I haven’t been given a lot of opportunities to play this event, since it’s always conflicting with another event. So playing this one is definitely very special.”
If Zhang is able to win this week, she’ll become the eighth player to win both the U.S. Women’s Amateur and the U.S. Girls’ Junior. Not only that, it will be the first time a player has won them in that order.
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“After my win at the Women’s Am, there’s definitely a lot more attention and you really have to control your emotions,” Zhang said of being thrust into the spotlight over the past year. “So I think for me, it’s just being able to do what I need to do on the course and at the same time, be able to mature and handle myself in different social situations. I think it’s definitely a great experience.”
If she’s enjoying this, just wait until you see her schedule for the rest of the summer. Zhang will wrap play at the U.S. Girls’ Junior this week then head to France for her debut in the Amundi Evian Championship, July 22-25. After playing in her fourth LPGA major championship, Zhang will return to the states to defend the U.S. Women’s Amateur at Westchester Country Club in Rye, New York, Aug. 2-8. She’ll then skip back across the pond for the AIG Women’s Open at Carnoustie, Aug. 19-22. She also expects to play in the Curtis Cup, Aug. 26-28, at Conwy Golf Club in North Wales.
Still think you have a busy summer?
In terms of time management, Zhang is proud of the work she’s been able to do to keep her daily routine as normal as possible. On top of that, she’s worked on her mental game, too.
“I think I’ve managed to be able to take my mental game to the next level. I can’t always expect to play the best, but that’s one thing that I really need to control,” explained Zhang. “I always strove for perfection and when you play professional events you just can’t do that because you’re playing with 200 other women who are just as amazing. I think just being able to handle that would be ideal for me.”
Think your summer is busy? Get a load of Rose Zhang’s competition schedule, which has her bouncing across continents.
CHEVY CHASE, Maryland — LeBron James loves playing in Madison Square Garden. Rafael Nadal is the “King of Clay” in tennis. Tiger Woods dominated at Firestone. And Bay Hill. And Torrey Pines. You get the picture.
After defeating defending champion Gabriella Ruffels in 38 holes to win the U.S. Women’s Amateur last summer at Woodmont Country Club in Rockville, Maryland, you’d think Rose Zhang would be riding the good vibes seven miles down the road this week at Columbia Country Club for the U.S. Girls’ Junior.
“I never thought about it,” said Zhang, “but now people tell me I’m like, ‘Oh, yeah, Maryland’s great.’”
When you’re as successful as Zhang has been at just 18 years old, it must be easier to remember where you haven’t played well compared to where you have. The incoming Stanford freshman is currently the No. 1 women’s amateur golfer in the world, finished T-11 in the 2020 ANA Inspiration, won the Rolex Girls Junior Championship, the Ping Invitational and the Rolex Tournament of Champions. Oh yeah, don’t forget her T-3 at this year’s Augusta National Women’s Amateur.
With a resume like that and her title defense at the U.S. Women’s Amateur quickly approaching, what’s Zhang doing at a junior event?
“It’s my last U.S. Girls and it’s going to be the last chance that I can play with the juniors,” explained Zhang. “I haven’t been given a lot of opportunities to play this event, since it’s always conflicting with another event. So playing this one is definitely very special.”
If Zhang is able to win this week, she’ll become the eighth player to win both the U.S. Women’s Amateur and the U.S. Girls’ Junior. Not only that, it will be the first time a player has won them in that order.
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“After my win at the Women’s Am, there’s definitely a lot more attention and you really have to control your emotions,” Zhang said of being thrust into the spotlight over the past year. “So I think for me, it’s just being able to do what I need to do on the course and at the same time, be able to mature and handle myself in different social situations. I think it’s definitely a great experience.”
If she’s enjoying this, just wait until you see her schedule for the rest of the summer. Zhang will wrap play at the U.S. Girls’ Junior this week then head to France for her debut in the Amundi Evian Championship, July 22-25. After playing in her fourth LPGA major championship, Zhang will return to the states to defend the U.S. Women’s Amateur at Westchester Country Club in Rye, New York, Aug. 2-8. She’ll then skip back across the pond for the AIG Women’s Open at Carnoustie, Aug. 19-22. She also expects to play in the Curtis Cup, Aug. 26-28, at Conwy Golf Club in North Wales.
Still think you have a busy summer?
In terms of time management, Zhang is proud of the work she’s been able to do to keep her daily routine as normal as possible. On top of that, she’s worked on her mental game, too.
“I think I’ve managed to be able to take my mental game to the next level. I can’t always expect to play the best, but that’s one thing that I really need to control,” explained Zhang. “I always strove for perfection and when you play professional events you just can’t do that because you’re playing with 200 other women who are just as amazing. I think just being able to handle that would be ideal for me.”
Think your summer is busy? Get a load of Rose Zhang’s competition schedule, which has her bouncing across continents.
CHEVY CHASE, Maryland — LeBron James loves playing in Madison Square Garden. Rafael Nadal is the “King of Clay” in tennis. Tiger Woods dominated at Firestone. And Bay Hill. And Torrey Pines. You get the picture.
After defeating defending champion Gabriella Ruffels in 38 holes to win the U.S. Women’s Amateur last summer at Woodmont Country Club in Rockville, Maryland, you’d think Rose Zhang would be riding the good vibes seven miles down the road this week at Columbia Country Club for the U.S. Girls’ Junior.
“I never thought about it,” said Zhang, “but now people tell me I’m like, ‘Oh, yeah, Maryland’s great.’”
When you’re as successful as Zhang has been at just 18 years old, it must be easier to remember where you haven’t played well compared to where you have. The incoming Stanford freshman is currently the No. 1 women’s amateur golfer in the world, finished T-11 in the 2020 ANA Inspiration, won the Rolex Girls Junior Championship, the Ping Invitational and the Rolex Tournament of Champions. Oh yeah, don’t forget her T-3 at this year’s Augusta National Women’s Amateur.
With a resume like that and her title defense at the U.S. Women’s Amateur quickly approaching, what’s Zhang doing at a junior event?
“It’s my last U.S. Girls and it’s going to be the last chance that I can play with the juniors,” explained Zhang. “I haven’t been given a lot of opportunities to play this event, since it’s always conflicting with another event. So playing this one is definitely very special.”
If Zhang is able to win this week, she’ll become the eighth player to win both the U.S. Women’s Amateur and the U.S. Girls’ Junior. Not only that, it will be the first time a player has won them in that order.
[vertical-gallery id=778115840]
“After my win at the Women’s Am, there’s definitely a lot more attention and you really have to control your emotions,” Zhang said of being thrust into the spotlight over the past year. “So I think for me, it’s just being able to do what I need to do on the course and at the same time, be able to mature and handle myself in different social situations. I think it’s definitely a great experience.”
If she’s enjoying this, just wait until you see her schedule for the rest of the summer. Zhang will wrap play at the U.S. Girls’ Junior this week then head to France for her debut in the Amundi Evian Championship, July 22-25. After playing in her fourth LPGA major championship, Zhang will return to the states to defend the U.S. Women’s Amateur at Westchester Country Club in Rye, New York, Aug. 2-8. She’ll then skip back across the pond for the AIG Women’s Open at Carnoustie, Aug. 19-22. She also expects to play in the Curtis Cup, Aug. 26-28, at Conwy Golf Club in North Wales.
Still think you have a busy summer?
In terms of time management, Zhang is proud of the work she’s been able to do to keep her daily routine as normal as possible. On top of that, she’s worked on her mental game, too.
“I think I’ve managed to be able to take my mental game to the next level. I can’t always expect to play the best, but that’s one thing that I really need to control,” explained Zhang. “I always strove for perfection and when you play professional events you just can’t do that because you’re playing with 200 other women who are just as amazing. I think just being able to handle that would be ideal for me.”
The U.S. Girls’ Junior is back, and the best of the best are turning up in Maryland next week.
The U.S. Girls’ Junior is back.
After a year-long hiatus because of the COVID-19 pandemic, one of the most-coveted events on the junior schedule returns at Columbia Country Club in Chevy Chase, Maryland. Beginning in 2017, the U.S. Golf Association put a U.S. Women’s Open exemption on the line for the winner of the event so there’s much to play for this week. The 156-player field will be whittled down to 64 players after two rounds of stroke play, and from there five rounds of match-play commence to decide a champion.
Most conspicuously missing from the field is Megha Ganne, Golfweek’s top-ranked junior and practically a household name after her 14th-place finish at last month’s U.S. Women’s Open, which earned her low-amateur honors.
Despite Ganne’s absence, there are plenty of names to watch in the field, including the following women:
The college kids
When the U.S. Girls’ Junior was canceled last summer, it meant players in the class of 2020 wouldn’t get their last-ditch effort at a title in this event. Players are eligible to compete in the Girls’ Junior provided they do not turn 19 before July 17, so nine current collegians were able to qualify into the event and can still play. That group of nine brings some pretty stout college resumes to Maryland, too.
The cross-over stars
Will this be the year that Alexa Pano finally gets her U.S. Girls’ Junior title? Back in 2018, Pano finished runner-up to Yealimi Noh after a marathon day at Poppy Hills Golf Course in Pebble Beach, California. The 16-year-old has appeared everywhere from the junior-golf documentary “The Short Game” to Symetra Tour and LPGA tour events to the U.S. Women’s Open, and now plays the Girls’ Junior for a fourth time.
Rose Zhang, the No. 1-ranked amateur in the world and the reigning U.S. Women’s Amateur champion, seems another easy favorite for this title.
Rose Zhang during the final round of The PING Invitational – 2020. (AJGA photo)
The 12-year-olds
In women’s golf, a 12-year-old (or 11-year-old or 10-year-old) in the field at a USGA championship is hardly even cause for a second glance. There’s been a long line of such players in recent years. This year, Anna Huang represent is the youngest player in the field at 12 years old. The average age of competitors this week, by the way, is 16.42.
The champs
Two women in the field have already won a USGA title this year. That would be U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball champions Savannah Barber and Alex Saldana. The two Texas residents are roommates at the Crown Golf Academy in Arlington and earned their spot in this week’s field with their Four-Ball win.
Savannah Barber and Alexa Saldana hold the trophy after winning the 2021 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball at Maridoe Golf Club in Carrollton, Texas on April 28, 2021. (Darren Carroll/USGA)
The (young) veteran
For a 14-year-old, Avery Zweig has made an impressive number of USGA starts. This week marks her sixth championship but her second Girls’ Junior, and she’s coming off a start in last week’s Volunteers of America Classic on the LPGA.
Schedule
Monday, July 12 (Hole No. 1), Tuesday, July 13 (Hole No. 11)
7 a.m. / 12:30 p.m. – Faith Choi, Frederick, Md.; Julia Misemer, Overland Park, Kan.; Sophie Thai, Los Altos, Calif.
7:10 a.m. / 12:40 p.m. – Isabella McCauley, Inver Grove Heights, Minn.; Teal Matsueda, Honolulu, Hawaii; Thitaporn Saithip, Thailand
7:21 a.m. / 12:51 p.m. – Xin Kou, People’s Republic of China; Kiera Bartholomew, Wake Forest, N.C.; Alexia Siehl, Fort Mill, S.C.
