US Women's Open To Use 2 Courses

[David_Tepper]

I just heard the first 2 rounds of the US Women's Open will be played over both courses at Champions Golf Club in Houston. The last 2 rounds on the weekend will be played over the Cypress Creek course. 

I am guessing they are using the 2 courses to make sure they get the first 2 rounds completed on time due to the shorter daylight hours at this time of year.

Not sure if this has ever happened before at a Men's or Women's US Open.
 

[JohnVDB]

I just heard the first 2 rounds of the US Women's Open will be played over both courses at Champions Golf Club in Houston. The last 2 rounds on the weekend will be played over the Cypress Creek course. 

I am guessing they are using the 2 courses to make sure they get the first 2 rounds completed on time due to the shorter daylight hours at this time of year.

Not sure if this has ever happened before at a Men's or Women's US Open.

It never has.  Just as you said, being done for daylight reasons.

[mike_beene]

Jackrabbit looks like it has a lot of houses and OB. Might be a dangerous course for people who have barely seen it.

[Steve Lang]

   Mike, No more dangerous than everyday play with big hitters spraying things and having to recover from the woods.. scores always in jeopardy there, let alone for people that live there... Aren't the women generally pretty straight off the tee, they were the last time i saw them at The WCC in the Samsung.  And in addition, no distracting spectators being allowed !  (ps, never play Walden on Lake Houston if you're afraid of hitting it into someone's back door!)

Talking about spraying things, I've been advised that its a green dye job, but course turf conditions are generally very good around Houston right now after a perfect warm and sunny fall, and some extended rains only happening last week.  We got back to 70's today, great day for golf, with greens still green but going dormant with recent cold evenings and getting very fast, I imagine it'll mostly be a putting challenge at for the women at Cypress Course unless the expected Friday rain slows things down a bit, and someone overreacts on setup.

Start of tourney will be perfect weather in high 70's thurs but getting cooler and wetter through fri, and 60's & sunny for the weekend.  Should be interesting how they set up the courses...


Those playing Cypress on thurs pm may actually be at advantage, having best playing conditions there... those on Jackrabit thurs need to go low as possible, it won't be fun on Cypress in friday morning cool & wet conditions unless they can find the pins

[Tom_Doak]

They experimented this for the Public Links championships in Bandon a few years ago, and then for the Mid-Am at Stonewall . . . in the latter case they even used both courses for the 36-hole final (!).  It was the only way they could let a full field play in December.

[Paul Rudovsky]

They experimented this for the Public Links championships in Bandon a few years ago, and then for the Mid-Am at Stonewall . . . in the latter case they even used both courses for the 36-hole final (!).  It was the only way they could let a full field play in December.

Tom--

I believe the only other 36 hole match play final ever played over 2 courses at a USGA event (other than 2016 Mid Am at Stonewall) was last year at Pinehurst (first 18 holes on #4 and second 18 on #2).  My strong suspicion is that this was done as a "favor" to Pinehurst Resort to assist in the relaunch of #4 after Gil Hanse's redo (I think #4 reopened in 2018).  Stonewall may have been a "test" for the 2019 US Am at Pinehurst.

The Mid-am has used two courses for stroke play qualifying since 1994 (inaugural Mid-am was in 1981).  US Am has used two courses for stroke play qualifying since 1979 (I think that is when it returned to match play starting w 64 qualifiers).  The Four Ball Am has been played on two courses since its inception in 2015...and the Junior Am will go to two courses in 2022 at CCNC.  Do not recall how many years the Publix held stroke play qualifying on two courses before the event was dropped after 2014.  Think these are the only USGA events that have used 2 courses for stroke play qualifying