Last month, the U.S. Golf Association brought the Puerto Rico Golf Association into its network of Allied Golf Associations. The PRGA became the first association outside the U.S. to join the alliance and now, Puerto Rico has a USGA championship on the books.
Grand Reserve Golf Club, host site of this past week’s Puerto Rico Open on the PGA Tour, will host the 7th U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Championship on April 30-May 4, 2022. That week will also mark the first time a USGA championship is held outside of the U.S. mainland in a U.S. territory.
“We have a wonderful, longstanding relationship with the Puerto Rico Golf Association, and bringing a USGA championship to the island further demonstrates our commitment to working together even more closely moving forward,” said John Bodenhamer, USGA senior managing director, Championships. “The Grand Reserve has an impressive pedigree, and we very much look forward to bringing the Women’s Four-Ball there.”
Sidney Wolf, president of the PRGA, is just as excited to host it.
“This is big news for Puerto Rico for our development, and the one we really wanted,” Wolf told Golfweek. “We want to do our part to grow women’s golf, which is becoming such an important segment in the game. This is perfect for us and positions us for bigger events as we make our comeback.
“When we started talking about becoming an AGA in September 2019, one of the hopes was to do a championship in Puerto Rico. Who knew it would be so quick. And it’s the right one for us. This has quickly developed into a major for female amateurs.”
Grand Reserve stretches across a beachfront peninsula in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico, and is located just 15 miles outside the capital city of San Juan. The parkland-style golf course, a Tom Kite design that opened in 2006, overlooks El Yunque National Forest.
The U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball, along with the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball, are the USGA’s newest championships, having come online in 2015. Both were canceled in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 2021 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball will be played at Maridoe Golf Club in Carrollton, Texas, on April 24-28. Starting with this year’s championship, winners of the U.S. Women’s Four-Ball will earn exemptions into the following U.S. Women’s Amateur.
Adam Schupak contributed reporting.
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