April
12, 2002
The
Orchards Golf Club to Host 2004 U.S. Women's Open
The
Orchards Golf Club, located on MHC's campus, has been selected
as the site of the 2004 U.S. Women's Open, the United States
Golf Association announced Friday, April 5. Donald Ross designed
the course, which opened in 1922 as a nine-hole layout. Ross finished
another nine holes in 1927.
Spanning more than
160 acres, the Orchards will be the host site for the 2002 NCAA
Women's Division III Championship that will be played May
14–18. The Massachusetts State Amateur was played at the
Orchards in 2001.
"This is a unique
opportunity," says Laurie Priest, MHC director of athletics.
"We have one of the top golf courses at one of the best colleges
for women. We are excited about everything coming together for
this major sporting event."
"We look forward
to welcoming the U.S. Women's Open to the Orchards and to
Mount Holyoke," said Mary Jo Maydew, vice president for finance
and administration, "and we are committed to working with
Arnold Palmer Golf Management, the Orchards, and the town of South
Hadley to ensure that this event is a success for the entire community."
"We are honored
to have been chosen for such a prestigious event," says Glenn
Zito, director of golf for Arnold Palmer Golf Management, which
oversees the Orchards. "We are starting some course improvements
this summer, and we are excited to work with our local community
to showcase golf in western Massachusetts."
The Women's Open
was held in Massachusetts three times previously. It was played
at Salem Country Club in Peabody in 1954 and 1984 and at Worcester
Country Club in 1960.
Prior to 2004, the
U.S. Women's Open will be conducted July 4–7, 2002,
at Prairie Dunes Golf Club in Hutchinson, Kansas, and July 3–6,
2003, at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club in North Plains, Oregon.
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