Newport (R.I.) Country Club, which was scheduled to host the 2020 U.S. Senior Open before COVID-19 canceled the championship, will now host the 44th U.S. Senior Open Championship in 2024. This will be the fifth USGA championship for the historic venue, which was the site of the inaugural U.S. Open and U.S. Amateur in 1895. The dates of the 2024 U.S. Senior Open are June 27-30.
“Newport Country Club and the USGA have a long, rich history that dates to the club’s beginnings as a founding member club of the Association, and we are more than pleased to continue this relationship as we progress through these challenging times,” said John Bodenhamer, USGA senior managing director, Championships. “We know that the region and community will be fully supportive of the U.S. Senior Open, senior golf’s most prestigious championship.”
By hosting the 2024 U.S. Senior Open, Newport Country Club will become the sixth club to have held a U.S. Open, U.S. Women’s Open, U.S. Amateur and U.S. Senior Open. The other clubs to have hosted those four USGA championships are Cherry Hills Country Club, in Cherry Hills Village, Colo.; Hazeltine National Golf Club, in Chaska, Minn.; Oakmont (Pa.) Country Club; Pinehurst Resort & Country Club, in Village of Pinehurst, N.C.; and Winged Foot Golf Club, in Mamaroneck, N.Y.
“On behalf of the Newport Country Club, we are excited to have the opportunity to host the 2024 U.S. Senior Open Championship as our nation and community work toward normalcy,” said Barclay Douglas Jr., club president. “The state of Rhode Island, the city of Newport and the club are enthusiastic to support this USGA championship. Our ‘City by the Sea’ will be enhanced by having the world’s best senior players compete for the Francis D. Ouimet Memorial Trophy on our historic Tillinghast course.”
William F. Davis designed Newport Country Club as a nine-hole layout in 1894, and the course was expanded to 18 holes five years later. In 1923, A.W. Tillinghast remodeled the course, which sits on the southern end of Newport. Ron Forse supervised a restoration in 2005. The distinctive Beaux Arts-style clubhouse, which was designed by architect Whitney Warren, overlooks Brenton Point.
Newport Country Club is one of the five founding members of the USGA, which was formed on Dec. 22, 1894. Theodore A. Havemeyer, the co-founder of Newport Country Club, was the Association’s first president, and the Havemeyer Trophy is annually presented to the U.S. Amateur champion.
Charles Blair Macdonald, who is considered the father of American golf course architecture, defeated Charles E. Sands, 12 and 11, to win the inaugural U.S. Amateur at Newport. One day later, Horace Rawlins, an English professional, posted a two-stroke victory over Willie Dunn to claim the U.S. Open over 36 holes, four trips around the original Newport course.
In 1995, the U.S. Amateur returned to the course as part of the USGA’s centennial celebration. Tiger Woods won the second of his three consecutive titles by defeating George “Buddy” Marucci, 2 up, in the 36-hole final. Woods, who has won nine USGA championships, including three U.S. Opens, was 3 down in the morning round but took the lead for good by winning the 30th hole.
Annika Sorenstam shot a 1-under-par 70 to defeat Pat Hurst by four strokes in an 18-hole playoff that decided the 2006 U.S. Women’s Open Championship at Newport. The two players were tied at even-par 284 after 72 holes. Sorenstam recorded her third U.S. Women’s Open victory, which ties her for third for most wins behind Betsy Rawls and Mickey Wright, who each won four times.
The 2024 U.S. Senior Open will be the 10th USGA championship conducted in Rhode Island. The most recent championship was the 2011 U.S. Women’s Amateur, hosted by Rhode Island Country Club in Barrington, where Danielle Kang defeated Moriya Jutanugarn, 6 and 5, for her second consecutive title. Lydia Ko and Jihee Kim were the co-medalists.
The 2024 U.S. Senior Open will be the fourth Senior Open contested in New England. Salem Country Club, in Peabody, Mass., hosted the 2001 and 2017 Senior Opens, while Brooklawn Country Club, in Fairfield, Conn., hosted the 1987 championship.
The U.S. Senior Open was first played in 1980. The championship for golfers age 50 and older is open to any professional and any amateur with a Handicap Index® not exceeding 3.4. Seven players have won both the U.S. Open and the U.S. Senior Open during a career. The list includes Billy Casper, Hale Irwin, Orville Moody, Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Gary Player and Lee Trevino.
Omaha (Neb.) Country Club will host this year’s U.S. Senior Open from July 8-11. Saucon Valley Country Club (Old Course), in Bethlehem, Pa., will be the host site of the 2022 championship, from June 23-26. The 2023 championship will be contested at SentryWorld, in Stevens Point, Wis. Broadmoor Golf Club (East Course), in Colorado Springs, Colo., will serve as host in 2025.
