Women’s Open at Pebble will be groundbreaking
Sixteen months ago, in an interview on the eve of the 2016 U.S. Women’s Open at CordeValle, Juli Inkster struck a measured tone. She embraced the Bay Area’s first chance to host the marquee event in women’s golf, but she craved more. She wanted Pebble Beach. “It would be nice to be in the history of the USGA,” Inkster said at the time. “I think the women’s game deserves that.”
Fast forward to Tuesday, when USGA and Pebble Beach officials finally, belatedly made it happen. They formally announced Pebble as host of the U.S. Women’s Open in 2023 and the U.S. Open in 2027.
This might count as no-bigdeal news on the men’s side — the ’27 edition will be the seventh U.S Open held at Pebble Beach — but it’s the first time the women will play America’s national championship on the greatest meeting of land and sea.
This is a giant, groundbreaking step. Just ask Inkster, the Bay Area’s resident Hall of Famer.
“It’s great for women’s golf,” she said Tuesday. She referenced the history of Open winners at Pebble: Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson and Tiger Woods. “Now we’ll have women in there,” Inkster said. “We’re playing where we should be playing.”
In no sport does the venue make more impact than it does in golf. Paula Creamer didn’t win merely the women’s Open in 2010, she won at storied Oakmont Country Club outside Pittsburgh. Same with Michelle Wie at Pinehurst No. 2 (in North Carolina) in 2014.
Listen, we get it: Many casual fans don’t watch women’s golf. It’s a niche within a niche sport. But one way for the women’s game to attract more attention, and potentially more viewers, is to take its most important events to prestigious, rich-inhistory courses.
That’s why the Olympic Club previously was awarded the 2021 U.S. Women’s Open. And now that’s why Pebble will host the championship for the first time two years later.
LPGA players noticed. Several took to Twitter on Tuesday to acknowledge the news, none more colorfully than San Jose native Christina Kim.
“PEBBLE BEACH Y’ALL!!” she posted. “2023 can’t come quickly enough! … Hell to the yes!”
Later, in a text message, Kim highlighted the importance of history in this whole conversation. She mentioned Wie winning at Pinehurst one week after Martin Kaymer won the U.S. Open there, and how Creamer prevailed on the same course where Angel Cabrera and Dustin Johnson have won the U.S. Open (not to mention Ben Hogan, Nicklaus and Johnny Miller).
Or, as the Pleasanton-raised Creamer said, “We’ve shown in the past that women can play the same course as the men. There’s no reason we can’t go to these venues and play these amazing courses.”
Those casual fans know Pebble Beach, so maybe they will be curious to see if Wie or Lexi Thompson can reach the No. 18 green in two shots. Or maybe they’ll watch Lydia Ko hit that delicate, downhill tee shot on No. 7, with the Pacific Ocean shimmering alongside her.
At any rate, Tuesday’s announcement also has repercussions for the Olympic Club’s future as a major championship host. USGA officials originally offered the 2027 Open to Olympic, but contract talks stalled and the USGA found a safe haven at Pebble (which also will host the Open in 2019).
One likely trigger for this week’s activity: the Olympic Club’s long-rumored interest in one day hosting the PGA Championship and/or Ryder Cup. It makes perfect sense, because the PGA of America needs to add an established West Coast venue to its rotation. Silverado update: Silverado Resort will reopen Wednesday, more than two weeks after the Atlas Fire devastated wide swaths of Napa.
The fire started the night of Oct. 8, only hours after the final round of the Safeway Open. One memorable Getty Images photo showed the skybox on No. 17 engulfed in flames on the morning of Oct. 9.
The North Course, where the tournament was played, sustained tree and turf damage on the back nine, according to Silverado vice president of marketing Julie Maurer. The driving-range poles and netting adjacent to Atlas Peak Road also will need to be replaced; Maurer said those repairs should be completed next week.
The South Course was not damaged in the fire and reopened Saturday.