Old Chatham, The Honors Course to Host 2019, 2021 U.S. Senior Amateurs

Old Chatham Golf Club in Durham, N.C., and The Honors Course in Ooltewah, Tenn., will be the host sites for the 2019 and 2021 U.S. Senior Amateur Championships, respectively. The 2019 Senior Amateur, to be contested Aug. 24-29, will be the first USGA championship at Old Chatham. The Honors Course will host its first Senior Amateur and sixth USGA championship Aug. 28-Sept. 2, 2021.

“We look forward to crowning the 65th and 67th U.S. Senior Amateur champions at Old Chatham and The Honors Course, clubs that have demonstrated deep commitments to amateur golf, and we are confident they will provide an excellent experience for all,” said Stuart Francis, USGA Championship Committee chairman. “The future slate of host sites for the Senior Amateur is a testament to the strength of this championship, its players and the history of the courses on which it has been conducted.”

The next two Senior Amateur Championships will be conducted at The Minikahda Club in Minneapolis, Minn., from Aug. 26-31, 2017, and Eugene (Ore.) Country Club, from Aug. 25-30, 2018. The Kittansett Club in Marion, Mass., will host the 2022 championship from Aug. 27-Sept. 1.

Designed in 2001 by Rees Jones, who has renovated seven U.S. Open courses, Old Chatham sits on 400 acres of protected pine woodlands on the northeast shore of Jordan Lake. Jones completed a course enhancement project in 2012 that added undulations to six greens, as well as nine new bunkers and 45,000 native North American grass plants.

“It is an honor to be selected to host the 2019 U.S. Senior Amateur Championship at Old Chatham Golf Club,” said Allen Wilson, club president. “It has been part of our mission to support amateur golf since our founding in 2001, and on behalf of our membership, we are excited to welcome these distinguished competitors.”

Founded by a small group of North Carolina businessmen that included former USGA president Jim Hyler and University of North Carolina basketball coach Dean Smith, Old Chatham has hosted several state and regional events, including the 2009 North Carolina Amateur and the 2014 North Carolina Mid-Amateur. The club is also a frequent host of USGA qualifying events.

The Honors Course, designed by Pete Dye, will host its sixth USGA championship in 2021. (USGA/Fred Vuich)

Designed by Pete Dye and opened in 1983, The Honors Course sits at the foot of White Oak Mountain, near Chattanooga. The 2021 U.S. Senior Amateur will be the sixth USGA championship conducted at The Honors Course, which previously hosted the 1991 U.S. Amateur, won by Mitch Voges; the 1994 Curtis Cup Match, which ended in a 9-9 tie; the 2005 U.S. Mid-Amateur, won by Kevin Marsh; the 2011 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur, won by Terri Frohnmayer; and the 2016 U.S. Junior Amateur, won by Min Woo Lee.

“The Honors Course is delighted to be selected to host the 2021 U.S. Senior Amateur Championship, as it will enable our club to continue to support our mission of honoring amateur golf,” said Joel W. Richardson Jr., club chairman. “We are particularly looking forward to hosting this demographic of players, many of whom have spent decades not only playing, but giving back to the game.”

The Honors Course was the site of the 1996 and 2010 NCAA Men’s Division I Championships, won by Tiger Woods and Scott Langley. It also hosted the 1986, 2004 and 2014 Southern Amateurs, several Tennessee Golf Association championships for men and women, as well as a number of USGA qualifiers. In September, it will host one of 10 regional qualifying events for the 2018 Drive, Chip & Putt Championship.

The U.S. Senior Amateur is open to amateur golfers who have reached age 55 on or before the start of the championship and who have a Handicap Index® not exceeding 7.4. The championship features 36 holes of stroke play before the field is cut to the low 64 scorers for match play.

Old Chatham, The Honors Course to Host in 2019, 2021

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