LIBERTY CORNER, N.J. (Feb. 3, 2018) – The USGA unveiled the U.S. Senior Women’s Open Championship Trophy today at its Annual Meeting in Miami, Fla. The trophy will be given to the world’s best senior women’s golfer at the inaugural championship this July at Chicago Golf Club in Wheaton, Ill.
“The U.S. Senior Women’s Open Championship is a key milestone for the game, and this trophy is an iconic, fitting symbol of what this championship represents,” said Mike Davis, USGA CEO/Executive Director. “We look forward to presenting it to a true champion at Chicago Golf Club following what will surely be an exciting week of golf providing the ultimate test to the finest senior women’s players in the world.”
The new trophy encompasses both the distinctive history and prominence of women’s golf as well as its exciting future. Made of sterling silver, design elements include a number of symbolic characteristics:
- Intergenerational inspiration: The olive leaves, which adorn the body of the trophy, diminish in size and represent the intergenerational nature of the championship.
- Commitment: The prominence of the USGA’s seal symbolizes the organization’s longstanding commitment to women’s golf and the role women have played in the game’s history.
- Grandest stage: The ornate scroll and spiral elements of the handles follow the theme of female energy, growth and evolution. Held naturally with two hands, the trophy will be hoisted by the champion while she is recognized on the grandest stage in senior women’s golf.
- Openness: The pineapple, a symbol of hospitality, friendship and generosity, crowns the trophy, representing that the championship is open to all.
- Foundational: The round beads that encircle the base of the trophy denote femininity and celebrate the significant contributions to the growth and evolution of the game made by women.
The trophy, which will include the names of all future winners beginning with this summer’s inaugural champion, weighs 13 pounds, making it the heaviest of the four USGA Open championship trophies. The U.S. Senior Women’s Open Trophy stands 22 inches tall and is 12 inches from handle to handle.
The U.S. Senior Women’s Open will be conducted July 12-15, 2018 at Chicago Golf Club, one of the five founding clubs of the USGA and the oldest golf club in the U.S. in continuous use at the same location.
The championship is open to any female professional or amateur golfer who is 50 years of age as of July 12 and has a Handicap Index® not exceeding 7.4. The field will include 120 players who will earn entry through qualifying this spring or through an exemption category. Like its USGA Open championship counterparts, the Senior Women’s Open will be conducted as a 72-hole, walking-only stroke-play event. The 2019 championship will be contested May 16-19 at Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club in Southern Pines, N.C.
