By Joanna Sullivan | Baltimore Business Journal
The United States Golf Association has tapped Baltimore Country Club to host two tournaments — the 2026 U.S. Senior Amateur and the 2031 U.S. Women’s Amateur.
The club last snagged a USGA tournament in 1988 when it hosted the U.S. Women’s Open, the fourth time it attracted one of the golf organization’s championships.
The recent announcement by the private Baltimore County club comes a year after Caves Valley Golf Club’s successful BMW Championship, part of the PGA Tour, and has local golf officials touting the region’s golf-friendly reputation.
“Our membership is looking forward to hosting the nation’s best amateur golfers on our courses,” said Thomas Carroll, Baltimore Country Club’s president, in a news release. “It’s exciting to see Baltimore emerge as a premier destination for championship golf.”
The 71st U.S. Senior Amateur will be held Aug. 29-Sept. 3, 2026. 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 131st U.S. Women’s Amateur will be held Aug. 4-10, 2031. The U.S. Women’s Amateur features a field of 156 golfers playing 36 holes of stroke play before the field is cut to the lowest 64 scorers for match play.
Baltimore Country Club has a storied history since its opening on Jan. 13, 1898 in Roland Park. It landed the fifth U.S. Open Championship in 1899. In that tournament, Scottish golfer Willie Smith won by 11 strokes against 80 other players to capture the $750 purse. It turned out to be his only major title.
The country club acquired land north of the city, in Lutherville, to create a second, larger golf course. The East Course at Five Farms, designed by A.W. Tillinghast, opened in September 1926. A renovation in 2015 by Keith Foster restored the course to Tillinghast’s original design.
Baltimore Country Club announced in October that it will also host the 2023 Howard University Women’s Invitational, the 2025 Big Ten Men’s Golf Championships and the 2029 Western Amateur championship.
Meanwhile, Caves Valley Golf Club will welcome back the PGA’s BMW Championship in 2025 after the 2021 tournament drew more than 100,000 spectators and 125 sponsors. An impact study by Sage Policy Group found that state and local governments collected about $2.7 million in tax revenue as a result of the event.
Steve Fader, chairman of Caves Valley Golf Club, said he was thrilled to see Baltimore Country Club secure the latest two tournaments. Fader, an avid golfer, said he plans to attend the events at Baltimore Country Club.
“It continues to validate Baltimore and its golf courses,” he said. “It’s nice to see them getting their due in hosting big events.”
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