Chambers Bay set to host U.S. Women’s Amateur. But what happened to U.S. Opens here?

Anne Sander is a seven-time United States Golf Association champion. Only Bobby Jones, Tiger Woods and JoAnne Carner have won more USGA titles.

“I one I remember the most, I think, is Tacoma,” Sander, now 84, said this week on an overlook atop Chambers Bay Golf Club.

“I was teaching school at the time and I thought, I better go play in something.”

Sander played, all right.

Her 14-and-13 win over Phyllis Preuss in the 1961 U.S. Women’s Amateur at Tacoma Country & Golf Club is tied for the largest margin of victory by a man or woman in a match-play championship. She won her second of three U.S. Women’s Amateurs in six years by taking a 14-hole lead with 13 holes still left to play in the title match.

“Not only did I play the golf of my life, but it was the beautiful, old Tacoma Country Club,” Sander said. “And it burned, that winter. I was so sad, because it was such a beautiful building.

“I loved the old Tacoma.”

Pat Lesser Harbottle was seated near Sander Thursday inside an event tent next to the Chambers Bay clubhouse. Harbottle won the 1955 U.S. Women’s Amateur at Myers Park Country Club in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Sander, from Marysville, held up a framed, black-and-white picture from the early 1950s. She was 16 years old then, playing against a 15-year-old Carner, from Seattle. Their flowing, formal clothing in the photo now look more appropriate to attend a 1950s banquet than to play golf.

Sander turned to Harbottle and asked: “Pat, can you remember when we got to wear shorts (in golf championships)?”

“Yes, I can,” Harbottle said, “1955 — because I was the first person to win the Amateur wearing Bermuda shorts … just above the knee.”

“I think it’s gone to the opposite extreme,” Sander said. “They are so short now!”

Sixty-one summers — and many fashion advancements — later, Sander is welcoming back a USGA championship to the picturesque Chambers Bay Golf Course.

From Aug. 8-14, 156 golfers will compete on a 6,496-yard, 73-par set up at Chambers Bay for the 122nd U.S. Women’s Amateur.

Pierce County’s 15-year-old jewel links course built over an old sand quarry along Puget Sound is the first municipal course to host the USGA’s three oldest original championships. Peter Uihlein won the 2010 U.S. Men’s Amateur at Chambers. Jordan Spieth won the 2015 U.S. Open at Chambers Bay.

Last summer, the course hosted its third USGA championship, on greens remade since a controversy over dry, bumpy grass at the 2015 U.S. Open. Golfers throughout the 2021 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Championship plus returning USGA officials raved about the course’s new poa annua greens last year.

“Chambers Bay has become an extremely special place to the USGA, and we are ecstatic that on the heels of this week’s championship we can assure that our relationship with Pierce County and the golf course continues,” John Bodenhamer, the USGA’s senior managing director for championships, said while at Chambers for the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball last summer.

Buoyed by universal praise for its smooth, new greens, Chambers Bay at this time last year was seeking to host the U.S. Women’s Open in 2026 or ‘27. Chambers and Pierce County intended to parlay hosting a U.S. Women’s Open into hosting another U.S. Open for the men.

But the USGA had other ideas.

Opens go elsewhere

For upcoming Women’s Opens, the USGA went back to some of its legacy courses — and away from Chambers Bay.

It awarded the 2026 U.S. Women’s Open to the Rivieria Country Club in Pacific Palisades, California. Ben Hogan won the first of his four U.S. Open Championships in 1948 at Riviera, which also hosts a PGA Tour event each year.

Iverness Club in Toledo, Ohio, will host the 2027 U.S. Women’s Open. Iverness has hosted eight USGA championships, including four U.S. Opens.

Oakmont Country Club outside Pittsburgh got the 2028 U.S. Women’s Open. It’s hosted two previous U.S. Women’s Opens. Hogan won the first of several U.S. Opens there, in 1953.

Pinehurst Resort & Country Club’s iconic Course No. 2, the USGA’s choice for the 2024 and ‘29 U.S. Opens, also got the 2029 U.S. Women’s Open for a major doubleheader that summer.

Pierce County Executive Bruce Dammeier and Chambers Bay were eyeing the ‘29 Women’s Open, too.

Out-resourced

What happened to Chambers Bay, in the middle of a 930-acre Pierce County park, hosting one of those Opens or Women’s Opens?

“The economics of golf championships took a twist and turn,” Don Anderson, executive counsel for Pierce County, told The News Tribune at Chambers Bay Thursday.

“The USGA cemented a long-term deal with some anchor sites. And as a public entity, we can’t compete with the Pinehursts of the world that can give millions of dollars worth of property and concessions.

“Private entities can do that for development and publicity benefits, and as a public entity you can’t do that.”

Anderson said Chambers Bay ran into increased competition to host the U.S. Women’s Open from courses such as Lancaster Country Club in Pennsylvania, public Erin Hills outside Milwaukee and Interlachen Country Club in Minnesota that also got shut out of upcoming U.S. Opens.

“It’s going to limit opportunities (for Chambers Bay to host the U.S. Women’s Open and another U.S. Open) — but not eliminate them,” Anderson said.

There are gaps in years the USGA has yet to award the U.S. Women’s Open and U.S. Open. The USGA has yet to set sites for the U.S. Open in 2028, ‘31, ‘36, ‘38, ‘39, ‘40 and ‘43. The gaps over the next 20 years for the U.S. Women’s Open are for 2032, ‘33, ‘36, ‘37, ‘39 and ‘41.

“I still think there’s a place for public golf courses in the championship arena. And we are at the top of that food chain,” Anderson said of Pierce County and Chambers Bay.

“It won’t be while Bruce is in office, or I’m here. But we are still staying competitive (with hosting USGA majors).”

Anderson said county and Chambers Bay leadership have not yet talked to the USGA about hosting a particular year of the U.S. Women’s Open or U.S. Open.

“Just positioning yourself,” Anderson said.

“It’s obvious now there are the every eight-to-10-year courses. And there are some once-every-25-years courses.

“And I think, frankly, that Chambers Bay is in position to compete for those once-in-every-25-years-type of slots for the major events.”

In the meantime Chambers Bay will continue to bid to host events such as last summer’s U.S. Amateur Four-Ball won dramatically by Kiko Francisco Coelho and Leopoldo Herrera and next month’s U.S. Women’s Amateur.

The 122nd U.S. Women’s Amateur field

Qualifying for the 2022 U.S. Women’s Amateur began June 22 at 25 courses across the United States and Canada. The last qualifier is July 19 at Lake Spanaway Golf Course.

There are 25 players exempt from qualifying into this year’s 156-player Women’s Amateur field. Seven members of the victorious American team from last month’s Curtis Cup competition between the United States, Great Britain and Ireland are in the U.S. Women’s Amateur field.

That includes Jensen Castle. The 20-year-old junior at the University of Kentucky last summer became the third No.-63 seeded woman to win the national amateur championship.

Castle and the other 155 golfers will have 18-hole rounds of stroke play Aug. 8 and 9 at Chambers Bay to determine the 64 players that will advance to match play. One match-play round on Aug. 10, two on Aug. 11 and a quarterfinal round Aug. 12 precede the semifinal rounds of match play on Aug. 13.

The 36-hole championship round of match play is Aug. 14.

“Our team at the USGA is thrilled to be back at Chambers Bay,” said Laura Nochta, director of championships at the USGA.

“We can assure you, you will see some tremendous golf on this phenomenal golf course when we all gather back here next month.”