The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Brooklawn CC to host 2021 U.S. Senior Women’s Open
Rick Ryan stayed in contact with the United States Golf Association these past few months, even after the USGA decided on April 6 to cancel the U.S. Senior Women’s Open that was scheduled to be held at Fairfield’s Brooklawn Country Club last month.
Ryan, Brooklawn’s general chair for the U.S. Senior Women’s Open, maintained the club still wanted to host the championship as early as 2021. The USGA, which canceled this year’s event because of the COVID-19 pandemic, had the desire to do the same.
On Wednesday morning came the official announcement: Brooklawn CC was getting another chance to host its fifth USGA championship. The third U.S. Senior Women’s Open will be held there on Aug. 19-22, 2021.
“The déjà vu feeling is very real for me. We already were named the venue for the U.S. Senior Women’s Open and a year later, we are still named,” Ryan said. “If it had gone to 2022 or 2023, how do you keep momentum? That’s hard, really hard.”
Matt Sawicki, the USGA’s senior director of championships that includes the U.S. Senior Women’s Open, said there were other golf courses under consideration for next year.
“Fortunately, those sites have been willing to work with us in alternative years,” Sawicki said. “It worked out where we were able to postpone future sites we had lined up to accommodate Brooklawn and keep the championship at Brooklawn in 2021.”
Ryan acknowledged the process had to start all over again, including making another presentation to the club’s board for approval.
That approval came on June 25. Ryan also said the club and the USGA came to an agreement a couple of weeks ago.
Ryan said close to 200 volunteers have already signed up to work the championship next year. Also, “a golf course plan, an operation plan and a promotional plan” have already been put in place. “We are way ahead of where we were a year ago,” Ryan said.
What if the pandemic is still with us next August?
“Let me assure you it (a COVID plan) will be very detailed and be led by the USGA and we will follow,” Ryan said.
The USGA has been able to conduct both its U.S. Amateur and U.S. Women’s Amateur championships this month and will host the U.S. Open next month. All of those events have used exemptions to fill its fields rather than the qualifying that normally happens.
“It’s our desire to conduct qualifying for all of our championships the way we typically would,” Sawicki said. “No one has a crystal ball how to operate going forward. We know it will not be the same way things always happen. We will continue to work with club officials and local representatives to make sure we follow the correct state, county and municipal guidelines.”
This will be the fifth USGA event hosted by Brooklawn CC, which is celebrating its 125th anniversary. The previous four: 1974 U.S. Junior Amateur Championship; 1979 U.S. Women’s Open; 1987 U.S. Senior Open; and 2003 U.S. Girls’ Junior.
Sawicki said he has spoken to golfers who played in the1979 U.S. Women’s Open, along with others who are from the Northeast, all of whom pledged their support of Brooklawn getting another chance to host the third U.S. Senior Women’s Open championship.
“They know the pedigree of Brooklawn. To keep the championship at a course players wanted to be at was important and that’s what was so critical,” Sawicki said. “It takes a club like Brooklawn that wants to do what’s best for the game of golf, to make sacrifices on its end to host a championship. We are truly appreciative of their support and partnership throughout all of this.”